New Jersey

Herb Segars · Issue 67, Jul/Aug 2012 · pp. 61–64

Products mentioned: Canon F-1, Aquatica housing, Ikelite 225 strobe, Canon 20mm lens, Canon 50mm lens, Nikon D200, Subal housing, Ikelite 125 strobes, Nikon 12-24mm lens, Nikon D100, Nexus housing, Sigma 28-80 lens, Nikonos V, Ikelite 50 strobes

It was one of those magical moments – unexpected and short lived. I was lying face-to-face with a goosefish (monkish), Lophius americanus and felt grateful the anglerfish tolerated my presence. In the blink of an eye, the goosefish lurched forward and settled down with its prey – a startled black sea bass, Centropristis striata. This happened in the days before digital, and I had about a dozen frames of unexposed film. As I focused and pulled the trigger, the goosefish devoured the black sea bass. With a full belly pushing the remainder of its body off the bottom, I prepared to shoot my last frame. As I squeezed the trigger, the goosefish belched; spewing fish scales into the water column. I started laughing so hard that I almost lost my regulator. The entire encounter lasted less than three minutes. The wait for processed film took the better part of a week and I prayed that all my sett…