From the Deep

Well I’ve been diving for a while, I received my certification in 1998 and have loved basically every moment I’ve spent underwater. As I moved away from being a dive instructor and into the realm of underwater photography I really started to dive everywhere I could get access to the ocean.

I’ve put a pin in my world map everywhere I’ve dove and on Vancouver Island that’s a lot of pins. For me capturing an image of something new is getting harder and harder. I have very extensive shot list and continually try and cross critters off of that list. I really want to see it all, I really do.

On one particular dive I photographed something I never thought I’d ever see without the use of a submersible. I have the dive training to dive well beyond recreational limits, but to come across a fish that according to the books should live very deep is a stroke of very good luck.

The Y Prickleback, Lumpenopsis hypochroma is a rare little fish know to inhabit the cold dark depth from British Columbia to California. Very little is know about this fish since it is seldom seen by anyone. With the help of several fish scientists I was able to identify this unique fish.

These fish can be identified by their predominantly grey/brown bodies with bluish white flecks. They also have two distinct white lines on each cheek. I photographed this particular one in about 45 meters (150 ft.) at Willis Point. Willis Point is a dive site with deep walls stretching down to the depth beyond 200 plus meters (700 ft.) Dive here always can give you amazing results and great image opportunities.

The more I dive the more I see and the more I want to see.

Thanks for reading.

Scott

For more images and stories - http://www.scottstevensonphotography.ca/