Undersea Photos IV: The Aquarium

Jim Kelly-Evans

Senior Insider
A really nice second dive of the day is the shallows North of Les Gros Islets, just inside the marine park closest to the mouth of Gustavia harbor. The area, which I have heard referred to as "The Aquarium," usually has great visibility and is rich in corals and teeming with life. Schools of tangs regularly swim by as you slowly make your way around the colorful reef. It's a relaxing way to off-gas excess nitrogen after a deeper first dive of the day.

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Jim, it’s always a pleasure to read your posts, both the dining and the diving ones. Thanks for showing us a facet of St Barth that we don’t usually see. Great camera work!
 
Jim, it’s always a pleasure to read your posts, both the dining and the diving ones. Thanks for showing us a facet of St Barth that we don’t usually see. Great camera work!

Thanks, Kevin, much appreciated. At 69, after 38 years of diving and learning about underwater photography, I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. :D But with the arthritis in the knees and other benefits of living this long I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to jump in the water with the rest of the kids. It's year to year now. We'll see.
 
Exactly Jim, just do it as long as you feel you safely can. I hope you have many more wonderful dives IN FRONT of you!
 
Your wonderful photos make me wish that I, too, could enjoy that aspect of St. Barths. Wish I had gotten into scuba diving back when the body was more able! Thanks so much for posting.
 
Stunning photos, Jim! It's a real treat to "get up close" and see the beautiful sea life for those of us who don't dive. Thanks so much for sharing with us all!
 
Jim
I am curious after reading about your ‘off-gas’ of excess nitrogen, how deep you were in the morning and how long you were down and the time it took to surface?
 
Jim
I am curious after reading about your ‘off-gas’ of excess nitrogen, how deep you were in the morning and how long you were down and the time it took to surface?

Most of the diving I'be done averages out at about 60 ft maximum depth with dive time at about 40 minutes. Surfacing from depths less than 60 ft should be done no faster than 30 ft per minute. So we take our time at the end of a dive and slowly rise to 15 ft, where we hang or hover for three minutes, known as the safety stop.
 
spectacular photos, congratulations. Out of interest, what underwater camera do you use?

I use a Panasonic Lumix 14 mp point and shoot camera inside a marine housing for scuba diving. Without the housing the camera is waterproof to 33 ft so you can use it for snorkeling without the housing. In addition I use an Ikelight underwater flash. This little rig works surprisingly well for a relatively inexpensive package.

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69 and looking good! Wishing you great health and lots more beautiful pics for us to enjoy on your future trips
 
Thanks, Kevin, much appreciated. At 69, after 38 years of diving and learning about underwater photography, I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. :D But with the arthritis in the knees and other benefits of living this long I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to jump in the water with the rest of the kids. It's year to year now.

Great photos and hope that you keep on diving!
 
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