Andalusian freshwater life

Staff · Issue 29, Mar/Apr 2006 · pp. 38–42

Products mentioned: Nikonos V, 35mm lens, CU001 close-up lens, Ikelite AiN flashgun, 2:1 extension tube

When I am climbing the mountain I ask myself if it’s worth it. It is four in the afternoon on a day in January. I have spent a lot of time looking for this species of amphibian. Recently I have met a herpetologist who knows a place where it can be found, but he only was able to come at this time. My accelerated respiratory rhythm has difficulties supplying the air that my heart needs. I carry my diving gear bag like a backpack, a pack of land photographic equipment on my chest, the lead weight belt as usual, in one hand a case of underwater photography equipment and in the other a 5 litre tank. We have to stop several times. The distance looks infinite. In the end, with plenty of patience, we reach the little lake (about 20 metres long). We leave everything on the ground and run to the edge, trying to see the aim of our quest. But we cannot see any specimens. After a couple of minutes do…