Scorpion fish

Mark Webster · Issue 74, Sep/Oct 2013 · pp. 58–69

Products mentioned: Nikon D300, Nikon D200, Subal ND20, 105mm micro lens, 60mm macro lens, 10-17 FE zoom, Inon Quad flash, Inon Z240 flash

red colour. One of these sub tropical species was caught by a commercial fisherman in the Celtic Sea as recently as May of this year and of course many will claim that this is due to global warming which propagates warmer seas as a result. However, from personal experience that does not ring true as the winter water temperatures are much lower locally and the temperature has been slower to rise in the summer months and indeed records of these “rare” fish in UK waters go back to the last century. But the first thing you need to do is find your subject and only by discovering a few for yourself can you begin to develop a sense of what to look for. Sometimes I set out to specifically look for scorpion fish, but more often than not I am looking hard for something else when I realise that I am not alone. On a recent dive looking for nudibranchs I was just settling in to photograph one example…