Editorial: Close encounters

Staff · Issue 73, Jul/Aug 2013 · pp. 4

Products mentioned: F.I.T LED 2400, Rolleimarin housing, Rolleiflex F3.5

Editorial Close encounters I had a close encounter a couple of weeks ago and it brought out a mixed reaction in me. We’ve had a lone male dolphin in the area, on and off, for a few years now. Not regular enough to generate a tourism industry but it’s always a pleasant surprise to see him playing in the bow wave. On this particular day he surfaced by the boat as I was kitting up and, in hindsight, I’m rather glad he did. I descended to the seabed at 17 metres; a thick plankton bloom had reduced the visibility to less than a metre and it was gloomy. I was testing the excellent F.I.T LED 2400 light but all it did was bounce it’s very bright light back off the plankton and actually made it harder to see. I turned the light off and waited for my eyes to accumulate before setting off on a reel line from the anchor to feel my way around in the hope of a scallop or two for tea. The next 10 minut…