Tompot Blenny

These little Tompot Blennies were photographed under Swanage Pier.  I was using a 105mm macro lens which has a closest focus distance of about two feet.  One little blenny, with a real bouncer-like attitude, found that if he swam closer to me than two feet I would back off.  I kept moving backwards because he was too close and out of focus but he seemed to take delight in 'chasing' me away...

I went to Swange with my diving photographer friend, Linda Pitkin, whose work I really admire http://lindapitkin.net  Thanks for a lovely day Linda and for two really fun dives :-)

Photographs Copyright Annette Price

Taxi

This rusty taxi has been underwater in a freshwater lake for the past five years. I photographed it recently while diving at Wraysbury dive center, near London. The visibility was quite good that day and as the sun came out, it reflected off the headlights giving the impression the head lights were switched on....

Click on any picture to see it larger

Freediving - static breath holding

Ever tried holding your breath to see how long you can hold it for? The freedivers seen here are lying face down in Iron Monger Row swimming pool, London and are completely relaxed and calm, while another diver stands nearby watching over them. Breath holding is a competition sport, called 'static apnea', and these divers were breath holding for 2 - 4 minutes, the current record is over ten minutes.

Static apnea can also be used as preparation for freediving - the art of swimming underwater on a single breath.

Click on any image to see a larger picture....

Stoney Cove, UK

Stoney Cove is the National Diving Center in Leicestershire. It was originally a quarry, dug out over a hundred years ago, from which granite was removed and used to repair roads. The quarrying ceased in 1958 and spring water was allowed to flood the quarry workings. It quickly become popular with local divers and waterskiiers.

Just click on any picture to see it larger.....

Please note these photographs are copyright Annette Price and cannot be used without permission.



A series 3 Landrover lies at a depth of about 22 meters. The front windscreen frame was the foldable type but is now missing.



Series 3 Landrover



Series 3 Landrover



A Wessex helicopter also lies at a depth of about 22 meters.



Inside the Wessex helicopter



Inside the Wessex helicopter



Inside the Wessex helicopter




The Nautilus, a small, intact, 2 man submarine.

Porth yr Ogof cave resurgence

These photographs show the resurgence of Porth yr Ogof cave in the Brecon Beacons, South Wales. A resurgence is where water returns to the surface after traveling underground through a cave. These were further test shots using a D80 camera in an Ikelite underwater camera housing. Some utilise split level photography, where the camera is partly submerged, while others look towards the surface from below through 'Snell's Window', an optical phenomena, in which the world above water can be seen from below.

Porth yr Ogof cave entrance

Experiments with split level photography at the entrance of Porth yr Ogof, a cave on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales. It was a very dull, rainy day. Dressed in a 7mm wetsuit with a hood, mask and snorkel I spent the afternoon swimming around the cold pool at the cave entrance with my digital SLR in its underwater housing. The housing was attached to a tripod and sank quite well - unlike me. I had a 4-kilo weight belt but it wasn't really enough to be able to sink easily and look through the viewfinder - my underwater handstands amused the local cavers....










Inside the entrance of Porth yr Ogof cave.

The Rivers Mellte and Hepste, Neath Valley, South Wales

This is the second outdoor test using my camera in an underwater housing. This weekend I travelled to the Neath Valley in the Brecon Beacons, South Wales and photographed the RiversMellte and Hepste. Wearing a wetsuit and carrying the camera in its underwater housing, tripod, spare clothes, food etc. in a rucksack, I walked along the River Mellte, regularly slipping into the water to photograph it's waterfalls, stones, trees and whatever lay beneath the surface. 

Sgwd-yr-Eira. A curtain waterfall which has been formed where the Afon (river) Hepste tumbles over a 50 foot cliff between high banks