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

The Wey Navigation

This willow tree was photographed from below the surface of the Wey
Navigation, the camera looking up through 'Snell's Window' which is a
circle seen from underwater through which the land above can be seen.
The water was fast flowing, sandy and silty. This is the first time I have tried this and the first 'outdoors' test I have done using my Ikelite underwater camera housing.