Exploring Freshwater Habitats

Andrew McLachlan · Issue 150, May/Jun 2026 · pp. 28–33

Products mentioned: OM1, M. Zuiko 8mm Fisheye Lens, M. Zuiko 60mm Macro lens, Zuiko 8-25mm lens, AOI UH-OM1 housing, AOI Ultra-InTeli P1 Strobes

There are moments that stick with you such as the first time you truly feel at home beneath the surface. For me, that moment didn’t happen in Ontario. It happened in the warm, clear waters of Grand Cayman, where every dive feels like a revelation. That’s where I found myself as an underwater photographer. In the Caribbean, most everything conspires in your favor. The visibility stretches for what feels like forever, often exceeding 100 feet. Sunlight pours down in clean, uninterrupted shafts, illuminating coral reefs. Encounters with fish, turtles, and stingrays feel both cinematic and effortless. It’s a place where, as a photographer, you can focus almost entirely on composition and storytelling because the environment itself can provide much of the atmosphere and texture. I not only learned to see underwater on Grand Cayman, but to anticipate behavior, to understand light as it filters…