Discovering Shetland

Robert Bailey · Issue 124, Jan/Feb 2022 · pp. 39–43

Products mentioned: Nikon D500, Sea & Sea MDX-D500 Housing, Tokina 10-17mm lens, INON Z240 Strobes

Winning a category in the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition for British Wide Angle is a tall order, and one I’m very proud of. I won a generous prize for a trip for two to Scapa Flow aboard MV Halton (www.mvhalton.co.uk), skippered by Bob Anderson. A vast majority of British divers would think I was mad to turn that down. A self-confessed marine life nut, photographing wrecks has never been a passion of mine. I opted for a week-long trip to Shetland aboard the newly renovated MV Clasina, hoping to photograph remote reefs in clear water. My opinion of British wreck diving was about to change. Over the course of the week we dived on numerous wrecks, some resting on white sand where you could actually see the entire ship. A welcome change to seeing wrecks in instalments through gloomy vis at other UK sites. The boat, the crew, the group, the diving, and the scenery were altoge…