Juergen Freund witnessed an extraordinary natural encounter while diving off the coast of Sipadan, Malaysia. He explains how he hit the 'turtle jackpot' and shares some useful tips for budding underwater shooters.
My wife and I recently finished an 18-month photographic expedition for the World Wild Fund for Nature, documenting the rich marine life of the Coral Triangle. Three months into our expedition and we were diving and shooting around the island of Sipadan in Malaysia. On any given dive it was normal to see 15 or 20 turtles – no big deal. But this particular day, I hit the turtle jackpot. I was diving at a depth of around five metres in Sipadan’s White Tip Alley, when two green turtles, a male and a larger female, practically slammed into each other in front of me!
In some 30 years of photographing turtles all over the world, I had never seen turtles mating. A second male arrived, and a frenzied, extended, suspenseful dance took place just beneath the water’s surface. The latecomer gave up after about 10 minutes, but the first male was relentless. I was clicking away for half an hour until the female swam away, the male then following in quiet pursuit.
I often look for images that show the subject both underwater and ‘topside’. Here, I used a fisheye lens and the largest glass dome port I have and I kept the dome half out of the water. I avoid water drops on the upper part of the dome by simply spitting on the outside glass. The focus I generally set under water, but it depends on the subject.
DETAILS: Nikon D3X, 16mm f/2.8 lens, f/11 @ 1/160s, ISO 100, Seacam underwater housing with two underwater strobes.
Photo by Juergen Freund.
(Article first published in Australian Photography + digital, February 2012.)