They venture on “liveaboard” dive boats, like those of the well known Captain Wayne Hasson, who certified Mike and Ann, and is the Managing Partner of the world’s largest fleet. According to Mike, the most beautiful underwater scenery and reefs are at depths of 10 to 60 feet. However, Mike claims, “The first question most non-divers ask a diver is how deep do you dive?” To that he answers, “every dive has a different profile (how deep and how long). Most sport divers today use computers that tell them how deep and how long they can stay down to avoid decompression sickness. When you do multiple dives during a 24 hour period, the computer also handles these calculations, but an individual’s personal fitness and health also come into play.”

Image # 979580

Deep dives (over 100 feet) are generally not the best dives when it comes to seeing a lot of undersea life. The deeper one dives, the less sunlight is able to penetrate. And, since light provides the key ingredient for coral and other living organisms to grow, life becomes scarce at greater depths. However, there are still reasons to dive deep. Mike does this when there are opportunities to see (and photograph) rare creatures, such as Blue Ribbon Eels in Fiji, The Black Corals in the Caribbean, or better yet, WWII ship wrecks in Truk Lagoon. He ventures places intermediate divers are not likely to go, such as the Tuamotu Islands in Tahiti. The Islands atolls sport ocean currents that draw the fish life, but can be quite treacherous for humans. Mike warns that less experienced divers, who often have trouble equalizing their body pressure to depths, and take longer to descend cannot manage in strong currents. To pass diving in currents that run from 2 to 6 knots requires a group of divers to all jump off the tender and descend quickly at the same time. “The nutrients and fish life that run in and out of these ‘gateways’ provide a perfect haven for sharks. It’s a photographer’s dream to see 50 to 200 sharks on a single dive.” Ann ventures along in these dangerous waters to serve as a model to give balance and size perspective to the photographs.

The splashes of vibrant color and eerie shapes catch your eye when you view Mike’s photos of the Fiji purple Soft Coral and Golden Damselfish or the Thailand Andaman Sea Honeycombe Grouper, or the Honduran Blue Bell Tunicates. Evermore strange is the photo of the WWII Japanese sailor skull, gas mask and Soft Coral. No wonder Mike’s images are popular in galleries.

Image # 979587

Copyright images are courtesy of Mike Ricciardi
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