Notes from the field :

There is one thing to love about diving and being underwater, you never know what to expect. Particular in places with open blue water, pelagics are always moving about - sometimes you are there in the right place at the right time.

For this particular dive at a site on Bonaire's north-western shore, called "Ol' Blue" I noticed a large school of fish swimming about in 50 feet of water. Something I commonly like to do when seeing this large of a school is to try to swim as closely as possible, hoping they will eventually engulf me.

These Boga approached very close, and eventually they were swirling around me in unison. This experience can be easily classified as something spiritual in nature - this school has removed you from their threat list and welcomed you within them. However, this didn't last long. Eventually the school became aggravated by another smaller school of Bar Jacks on a collision coarse. The Jacks were there to feed and eventually intersected the Boga school to begin feeding.

I had to turn around and see if there were any National Geographic cameras behind me - it was just that exciting. I became fond of this image because it captured pretty accurately what the experience was like to be in the middle of this action. A swirling school with a predator invading its realm, and a lone photographer as an observer.

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About the subject :

Boga, Inermia vittata, are a schooling, open-water fish known to swim along edges of deeper reefs and walls. Ol' Blue was a perfect dive site to encounter them. They are a fish that grow to a maximum of 9 inches (22.8 cm). Bar Jacks, Caranx ruber, are also an open water fish, and swim over reefs in small to large schools. They grow to about 2 feet (61 cm) in size.

The dive site is called "Ol' Blue" located along the northern cliffs of Bonaire's western shore. The site has a steep sloping reef that makes it perfect for observing pelagic life swimming by.

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Technical details :

This image was made using a Nikon F100 camera, with a 105 mm f2.8 AF lens, in an Aquatica housing. I turned the strobes off for the series of images created in the school, as they would likely overexpose a fish that approached too close. The ambient light also allowed me to experiment with images that gave the impression of motion.

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About the composition :

1] The reason I like this image so much is the single Bar Jack making its way in the opposite direction of the school. A contrast in directional movement in the image that portrays their conflict in survival.

2] Space was left intentionally on the right side of the frame to give the Bar Jack "space" to move into.

3] The school of Bogas can be the entire subject themselves. Natural lighting seemed to be the best decision to avoid strobe light from overexposing closer fish. Perhaps a very reduced flash from the strobe might have brought out a bit more detail.

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