Into the (Not So) Deep

Text and photographs by Bob Beresh

It was early on a Saturday morning and the water was infinite shades of aquamarine just off the beach. That week a package was delivered that had an underwater housing for my Sony a6300 camera made by the company, Salted Line. I was finally going to be able to share some of the amazing things I see while snorkeling in Barbados with friends and family back home.

This is a big deal. Living a life away from our loved ones puts more meaning on the reports we put out on social media. Whether it’s a vibrant rainbow, a drive to a new place, or just pics of us out to dinner, these little messages in a digital bottle are our link to the States. So I thought why not share the undersea world with my camera in hand!

There are lots of ways to start your underwater photography journey. Small point-and-shoot type waterproof cameras with zoom and video do a great job. You can also get dive cases for your iPhone that are really well designed. I haven’t used one, but the reviews look solid. I chose the Salted Line a6XXX housing because I already had a Sony a6300 camera. I don’t want to say the camera was sitting around, but it was kind of sitting around. Now it has a whole new life!

Since I was going to be putting something expensive into something slightly less expensive and then walking with it into the ocean, I figured that I needed to fight my natural behavior and actually read the manual. While this particular housing is a relatively “insert tab A into slot B” situation, there are a few things to learn about underwater gear. I found that taking my time to read and understand the instructions that were included with the equipment really helped build the confidence that I now have when going into the water with this setup.

Each manufacturer of underwater gear comes to it with a different design philosophy. They want to make sure that the camera functions can be manipulated while underwater, and that the photographer can capture their subjects with reasonable clarity and ease.

Housings from Nauticam, Aquatech, and Sea and Sea are similar to Salted Line, but each is unique, so from here on out I will be using my housing as a generalization for underwater camera housings. Please do not use this as an instruction manual for other housings. Even for my Salted Line housing, this is just a guide as to how I was able to get into the water with my camera.

On an average Saturday morning, after the workweek has slipped away and things are still quiet, Robyn and I get in the car around 6:45am and head to Carlisle Bay. She has an open water swim group that meets there, and I have what seems like the ocean to myself. Barbados has a wealth of sea life within a very short distance to shore. In Carlisle Bay particularly, there are Green Sea Turtles and Hawksbill Sea Turtles which are a major attraction for tourists. I get to see the turtles as they are foraging among the sea grass for their breakfast. Gently padding the sand as they move across the bottom, then gracefully propelling themselves toward the surface for a breath of air.

Many of you will identify with the feeling of seeing an animal in its natural habitat for the first time that you had previously only seen in pictures. For me it was amazing to see these turtles. In addition, a whole world of life begins to reveal itself along the reef and shipwrecks. Dozens of species of fish, big and small. A Spotted Eagle Ray. Porcupinefish. Tarpon! Do you know how big a Tarpon seems when you’re in the same general vicinity? Big! So you can see why my enthusiasm for the ocean had led me to take my camera there.

A water housing can be fickle. As you can see in these images, it comes in two pieces. There is the front part where the camera sits, and then the back which seals into the front with two O-rings along the perimeter, all secured by a set of latches with spring-set safety levers. One mustn’t get excited and attempt to open the housing underwater. That would be bad.

After confirming a fresh battery and memory card are in the camera, the procedure to install the camera into the housing is relatively straightforward.

1. Make sure your port (the name of the optically clear window at the front where the lens points) is clean inside and out.

2. Gently seat the camera into the housing where the rubber guides stabilize it so that various waterproof switches and buttons can translate their motion to control the camera controls while you are in the water.

3. Double check to make sure the Orings to which you gave a very light coat of silicone grease are still free of any sand, dirt, dust, or debris.

4. Carefully align the back of the housing with the front and press the two together.

5. Bring the locking latches on either side of the housing up to meet their respective catch, and lock them closed.

Simple, right? Seriously, it’s not that bad. I’ve never had my housing leak and if it did, there is a moisture activated alarm on the inside. Hope to never hear that go off!

My housing lets me go a step further. After it’s all buttoned up, I have a vacuum sensor which is installed on top of the housing. I push a button and a red light begins to blink on the sensor. Then I use a hand-operated vacuum pump to create a negative pressure environment inside the housing. When the light turns green (the trap is clean) I leave it for about five minutes to see if anything is leaking. If there is a leak, the pressure will equalize and the light will turn back to red. If there are no leaks and the vacuum remains, the light stays green and you’re good to go! I make sure to do all of this the night before I head out.

As far as camera settings, since I am just getting started with underwater photography, I am keeping it simple in order to focus on the environment and composition. I am using a modified auto program where I have the white balance set to “underwater” (this may be a creative program setting on your camera), I set exposure compensation to +1 stop, and make sure I’m shooting RAW. A lot of cameras when you switch to auto or program mode it switches back to shooting JPG.

Honestly, the rest of it is just like making photographs anywhere else. You look for opportunities to achieve an interesting composition, and wait. It’s kind of like street photography. You set up and let the subjects fill your frame, then shoot.

I’ve found that if I go chasing after the fish, turtles, rays, or whatever, I just end up swimming around and the enjoyment of the experience becomes as fleeting as the wildlife. If I am able to settle in and enjoy the calm of being in the ocean first, then start shooting, that usually yields better results and I have more fun. What has been amazing are the times when I am focused on something, then turn around and a sea turtle or a ray are literally a couple of feet from me, just checking out what this uncoordinated splashy thing with the window and tube on its face is doing in their house. At the end of the day, having good images to share from my time in the water is great, but it’s the time spent in the ocean that does the most good.

As with anything, your equipment may be different, your method and practice will be different, your goals for image-making will be different than mine. It has been truly rewarding to take a camera into the ocean with me. I look forward to getting better photos and spending time with lots of interesting creatures of the sea as I continue to learn. I hope that some small part of this article or any underwater photos you have seen from me or any other photographer will inspire you to give it a try when the opportunity arises. It’s great fun.