Parting Shots

Eric Lambert & David Fleetham · Issue 143, Mar/Apr 2025 · pp. 67–68

Products mentioned: Canon F-1, Ikelite housing, Ikelite 150 substrobes, Sony A7rIII, Nauticam Housing, Sony 90mm f/2.8 macro lens, Inon Z-330 strobes

Parting Shot 1 by David Fleetham Crown-of-thorns seastars, Acanthaster planci, roll across the reef in a destructive path that leaves coral colonies decimated. When this one tried to engulf a cauliflower coral, Pocillopora meandrina, it bit off more than it could chew, or ingest in the starfishes case. A female spotted guard crab, Trapezia tigrina, with a tail full of eggs defended her coral home as if her life depended on it, and it very well may have. She relentlessly pinched the tube feet of the seastar, which noticeably recoiled each time. Before too long the starfish rapidly slithered off the coral and down the reef in search of a meal that would be less painful. David Fleetham www.davidfleetham.com This was originally shot off Maui, Hawaii on Kodachrome (some of you may have to Google that) back in the 80’s and then scanned. Likely this was a Canon F-1 in an Ikelite housing with a …