418 Dive Log Australasia JUNE 2026.pdf

It takes a great deal of patience to get a good shot of a fearsome Crocodil Eel, at Bunaken

Octopus come out to hunt in the darkness

Epaulette sharks forage at night. Great Detached Reef Raine Island.

ten squids do. You might get one or two photos. Generally, the best lens for a SLR is a 60 mm Micro lens. It has the best combination of macro, sharpness and focus speed to cover the maximum variety of potential sightings. I recently saw a larval flying fish. I was lucky to get five seconds with it. This is where you need to preset the camera in preparation for little delights such as this one. Focusing can be a serious issue at night. Digital cameras struggle with poor contrast light. Sometimes, I focus on a bright object like a rock

at the required distance, say twenty cms. Then, as I light up the subject I switch to manual and focus by moving the camera back and forth, manually at 20 cms until I achieve the sharpest image. This technique of shooting manual overcomes the problem of the electronics arguing with the computer chip to allow the camera to fire. This method helped me a lot with black water subjects like Comb Jellies and the extremely shy Biocellate Lionfish. The other option is to use the Auto focus Lock button. Underwater photography at night allows divers

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Dive Log Australasia #418 JUNE ’26

www.divelog.net.au