Grand Cayman Silver Sides

I was diving on Grand Cayman the past 2 weeks. Silversides where in caverns there.

The silversides part and reform behind you so its like swimming in a bubble that is moving and the walls of the bubble are fish.

Here is one video of it. Stay to the end as the second half is better than the first. No color correction, all natural lighting so at this depth (50ft) all reds are gone and mostly the world is shades of silver and blue.

http://www.shiningseastudio.com/Underwater/Grand-Cayman/30498948_BWpd7w#!i=2630230622&k=B9qmvg8

No editing, no music, just a 1 min video so give an idea fo what it was like - straight out of the camera.

I stayed with them for about one hour one day then came back for another hour another day.

I will post some pics and a trip repot shortly. Just back and wanted to share something now.

Dave

Brilliant video Dave! If that's the raw material you have to work with - the finished video will be awesome, no doubt. I haven't been back to Cayman since I worked there in 84'/85'. Looks like I should!

Thanks for sharing.

Lee

Thanks for sharing Dave! I am just back from GC and dived that site. It was fab. I didn't take any video but I did take stills, particularly trying to get shots of the silverside parting for the tarpon. The tarpon were fascinating to watch as they cruised through the shoals. Your video brought back nice memories!

Nice....headed back in 2 weeks...hope they are still there.

Pam,

Good luck and happy hunting for great shots.

I suppose you can eventually get tired of watching the tarpon gliding through the silver sides. A bit over 2 hours is not even remotely close to that time.

If I could get a webcam running there, subscriptions to just sit and watch from home would likely pay me enough to go live there. What am I waiting for?

Dave,

Perhaps we crossed paths. I was also just there, and interestingly enough Elaine, it was my first time back since I worked there in 84/85. Small world. At any rate, here's a shot that I took in either Eden's Rock or Devil's Grotto and then another out on the reef.

http://www.wespicsphotography.com/p962194527/h646c61f4#h646c61f4

http://www.wespicsphotography.com/p962194527/h669B1B45#h669b1b45

Bill,

I really like that one out on the reef. Really nice! They were only in the caverns when I saw them.

very nice video!

This is one of my favourites from a couple of weeks ago. I could have spent ages at the site. Good reason to go back again, though!

That's an amazing image Elaine. How did you get the silversides lit up without blowing out the tarpon? They always act like big mirrors when I've tried.

Cheers,

Steve

Thanks, Steve. Trial and error is the honest answer! I've got loads of shots where the tarpon are blown out, where the silversides are, where they're underexposed etc. I just kept tweaking settings and strobe positions until I got something that looked the business. I've reduced exposure a notch from the raw file in Aperture, too.