| UK Diving Photos | |||
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Diving in the UK offers a rich variety of marine life, some of which are shown below. |
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Cuttlefish These beautiful creatures are members of the Cephalopod family, which also include octopus and squid. They are able to change colour according to mood, which is a fascinating sight to witness. After the females lay their eggs they die, and their bony remains can commonly be found washed up on beaches or seen floating on the surface.
Shot taken on Miown wreck in June 2007 using a Canon EOS350D in Sea & Sea housing, YS90 strobe, YS30 slave strobe and 60mm macro lens.
Picture © Sarah Iles June 2007 |
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Lumpsucker A macro shot of these unusual fish (see below for more information).
Shot taken on Worthing Wall in April 2007 using a Canon EOS350D in Sea & Sea housing, YS90 strobe, YS30 slave strobe and 60mm macro lens.
Picture © Sarah Iles April 2007 |
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Dogfish Dogfish are members of the shark family and are a common sight in UK waters. The females lay their eggs in autumn time and after 9 months the baby dogfish hatch. The empty egg capsules are often seen washed up on beaches and are colloquially dubbed "mermaids purses".
This shot was taken on Worthing Wall in April 2007 using a Canon EOS-350D in Sea & Sea housing, YS90 strobe, YS30 slave strobe and 60mm macro lens.
Picture © Sarah Iles April 2007 |
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Lumpsucker These unusual looking fish are deep water species, only venturing into the shallows to spawn. Once the female has laid her eggs, the colourful male sits and guards them for several weeks, whilst the female returns to the deep.
Commonly seen in spring time, this particular shot was taken on the Miown wreck.
Picture © Sarah Iles April 2007 |
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Miown wreck A shot through the boiler section on this small wreck located off Shoreham Harbour.
Picture © Sarah Iles April 2007 |
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Sea Mouse An unusual species that is rarely seen, the Sea Mouse is actually a type of Polychaete Worm. Covered in 'hairs' this is where it gets its name. The 'hairs' are iridescent around the edges, clearly seen in this photo.
Also seen in this shot is a Brittlestar in the left foreground.
Picture © Andrew Bellamy 2006 |
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Tompot Blenny A comical looking blenny very common throughout British waters. Abundant in warmer summer waters, they can be very bold and territorial, warding off any unwanted visitors from their home. They are easily recognised by their distinctive eyes and branched protuberances above its eyes. This particular one in the photographs was quite happy to sit and pose while its photo was being taken! Taken on the Pentrych wreck, Shoreham using Canon EOS-350D in Sea & Sea housing, YS-90 strobe and YS-30 slave strobe. © Sarah Iles July 2006 |
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Jewel Anemone A close-up shot of the Jewel Anemone colony growing on the spare propeller on the Pentrych wreck, July 2006. Rarely seen in Sussex waters, this beautiful species has varying colour options and are more commonly seen in South Western areas of the UK. Taken using Canon EOS-350D in Sea & Sea housing, YS-90 strobe and YS-30 slave strobe. © Sarah Iles July 2006 |
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Candy Stripe Flatworm Commonly seen species of flatworm, about 5cm in length. Photo taken on Arial wreck off Shoreham in July 2006 using Canon EOS-350D in Sea & Sea housing, YS-90 strobe and YS-30 slave strobe. © Sarah Iles July 2006 |
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Common Lobster A close-up shot taken on Silo Reef, June 2006. Lobsters are becoming a rarer sight in Sussex waters due to over-fishing in recent years. Photo taken using Canon EOS-350D in Sea & Sea housing, YS-90 strobe and YS-30 slave strobe. © Sarah Iles June 2006 |
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Sea Loch Anemone As the name suggest this species of anemone are only found throughout Scottish sea lochs. Centre colour can vary to the soft peach seen here to bright orange on others, making them resemble fried eggs! Photo taken in Loch Long, Scotland using Canon EOS-350D SLR in Sea & Sea housing + YS-90 strobe. © Sarah Iles May 2006 |
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Conger Eel A misunderstood species, Congers have an unnecessary reputation for being aggressive. In fact a very shy species, they can grow to very big sizes in the open sea and are a common sight throughout UK waters. Photo taken in Loch Long, Scotland using Canon EOS-350D SLR in Sea & Sea housing + YS-90 strobe. © Sarah Iles May 2006 |
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Moon jellyfish Another commonly seen species of harmless jellyfish around UK waters. Photo taken in Loch Melfort, Scotland using Canon EOS-350D SLR in Sea & Sea housing + YS-90 strobe. © Sarah Iles May 2006 |
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Dahlia Anemone A colourful species of anemone found throughout British waters. You can also see some Lightbulb Sea Squirts on the right of the picture, so called due to their distinctive look. Photo taken on the Isle of Luing, Scotland 2006 using Canon EOS-350D SLR in Sea & Sea housing + YS-90 strobe. © Sarah Iles May 2006 |
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Plumose Anemone A large impressive anemone seen throughout UK waters in various colour variations. Photo taken in Loch Long, Scotland using Canon EOS-350D SLR in Sea & Sea housing + YS-90 strobe. © Sarah Iles May 2006 |
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Velvet Swimming Crab These small crabs are found throughout Sussex waters and are easily identified by their distinctive blue colouring and red eyes. Photo taken on SW Rocks site, Shoreham with Canon EOS 350D SLR in Sea & Sea housing + YS-90 strobe. © Sarah Iles April 2006 |
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Fanworms Widely seen in Sussex waters, fanworms extend their 'fans' to collect food. They retract when threatened as seen at the bottom of this photo, and come in a wide variety of colours. Photo taken on SW Rocks site, Shoreham with Canon EOS 350D SLR in Sea & Sea housing + YS-90 strobe. © Sarah Iles April 2006 |
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Dead Man's Fingers A type of soft coral, Dead Men's Fingers grow on rocks & wreck structures throughout UK waters. Alongside is a colony of brightly coloured sponge. Photo taken on SW Rocks site, Shoreham with Canon EOS 350D SLR in Sea & Sea housing + YS-90 strobe. © Sarah Iles April 2006 |
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Edible crab Commonly seen on wrecks & reefs tucked into crevices. Photo taken with Sony-DSC T1 compact digital + YS-25 strobe |
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Common Lobster Photo taken on Worthing Wall July 2005. This one was very inquisitive of who was taking it's photo! Photo taken with Sony-DSC T1 compact digital + YS-25 strobe |
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