Macro in Aruba?

I'm heading to Aruba on Saturday, for a week.

I am taking my Sony a7r4 w/28-60, WWL-1, and CMC-2. And strobes.

The question is, are there any good macro photo opportunities in Aruba to make it worth also taking my 90mm macro lens and port?

With all the camera gear I'm already taking, I will already have some of the parts of my rig (mainly strobe float arms and clamps) in my checked bag because I can't fit it all in my carry-on bags. So, taking my 90mm lens and port is not adding a LOT, but with everything else, it WILL still be a pain.

Is there really much in the way of macro stuff to shoot in Aruba? My 28-60/WWL-1 and (optionally) CMC-2 does a decent job with small stuff. The 90mm setup would do better, but is it worth the hassle?

Thanks for any input.

I guess another way of asking it is, am I likely to regret it if I go diving in Aruba with a macro-only setup? Meaning, am I going to miss good WA shots by doing that?

That is part of what I love about my WA rig. With the zoom lens, the WWL-1, and 61 MP to crop from, it is a VERY flexible setup that lets me catch bigger stuff (e.g. sharks) when they happen by, while also letting me shoot small stuff, on the same dive.

But, my macro lens and port are brand new and I'm really looking forward to working on getting good photos of things like nudis. If I'm going to be able to see lots of nudis in Aruba, I would want to take the 90mm macro lens. If I'm likely to see 1 or 2 during the whole week, then I probably wouldn't bother taking the 90.

Hi Stuartv

How was Aruba?

I didn't see this post before your trip, but I lived in Curacao for a number of years, and visited Aruba a few times, so I'll reply just for anyone else who may have an interest and see the topic  

I found the macro in Aruba isn't bad, but I much preferred the wide angle, particularly when out visiting the wrecks, the water is generally clear and blue, and you can easily get the whole wreck in, with divers, turtles, eels and eagle rays. If I had to choose one set-up (which I regularly did - flying with Divi Divi between the islands the luggage is V limited) it would be the wide angle. If you're shore diving, then you'll most likely find yourself searching for interesting macro rather than photographing it, there aren't many nudi's to see, so if that's your main interest then I'd definitely go W.A.

Interested to see how you found it?

Hi @DaveD2001,

I ended up taking both my WA and dedicated macro setups with me... and I never took the macro setup in the water at all.

I did a lot of looking for macro subjects and all I found, in 13 dives, was one lettuce slug. If I went back to Aruba, I would not bother to take my dedicated macro setup.

I saw quite a few green moray eels, a couple of lobsters, a couple of scorpionfish, a couple of Sand Divers (aka Lizardfish), and that was about it that was remotely noteworthy. 

I saw no sharks, rays of any type, octopus, seahorses, or turtles. None of any of that, at all. 

The viz was also not that great (for Caribbean diving). It was generally around 30 to maybe 40 feet, occasionally up to maybe 50.

I did 3 shore dives, all from Rocky Beach (aka Hole in the Wall) and the rest were boat dives, diving with Mermaid Divers. We dived 2 shipwrecks and 2 plane wrecks. Those were all pretty small. One wreck was a hull with no real penetration opportunities. Off the top of my head, I can't even remember the other wreck. We attempted to dive one deeper wreck that was claimed to be their best dive, but the boat captain put us in the water a bit off target and we drifted by without ever seeing that wreck.

All in all, the diving was pleasant but, to me, boring. Very similar (in the water) to what I experienced a year ago in Bonaire. Not my least favorite Caribbean diving, but I have liked several other places better. Turks & Caicos, the Bahamas, and Cozumel all rate higher on my personal list of places to dive.

This does not have final edits, but they won't make much difference. This is a Sand Diver and is probably the best photo I got on this trip.