Wide Angle Wonder – Part I

People travel from far and wide to search out the incredible creatures of Lembeh Strait. While it’s certainly true that much of the Strait’s marine life is tiny, there is plenty of larger life to be found. Squid, cuttlefish, beautiful anemones, and giant frogfish are standard denizens of the area, and they make fantastic wide-angle photo subjects – and occasional lucky divers have even glimpsed passing larger marine life, like mantas and whale sharks.

Take another look at that mooring line – you may see large reef squid using it for a nursery. – Photo by Andrew Sallmon

Jewel-colored anemones with brightly colored fish are one of our favorite wide-angle photo subjects, and they can easily be found throughout the Strait. – Photo by Andrew Sallmon

Gregarious cuttlefish in size large are present throughout the Strait. Feel like someone’s watching you during your dive? You may discover one of these guys following you curiously. – Photo by Allison Vitsky Sallmon

Try lining up a diver next to a giant frogfish on a lovely sponge, and you will be able to capture a unique wide-angle image that is distinctly “Lembeh.” – Photo by Allison Vitsky Sallmon

Bangka Island, just north of the mainland of Sulawesi. The boat ride from Lembeh takes about an hour and a quarter if you go straight there, but it’s more fun to dive along the way and do three dives over the course of the day, conditions permitting. The weather obliged, and we spent the day photographing Bangka’s renowned soft-coral-covered reefs in crystal-clear water. – Photo by Dimpy Jacobs

Andrew Sallmon is a freelance underwater photographer and writer specializing in images and stories about marine life, scuba diving and the marine environment. His work has been featured in numerous books, dive, photography and lifestyle magazines, on calendars and posters, in dive and underwater photographic equipment catalogs and advertisements and has also been displayed in major aquariums and natural history museums throughout the U.S., including the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Smithsonian Institute.

To Check out more of Andrew’s work at  www.seait.com,

Allison began diving in 1992 in her home state of Florida, and she quickly became obsessed with the wrecks and reefs off of the southeast coast. Within 2 years, she was regularly immersed in the gorgeous spring-fed cave systems of central Florida.Her interest in photography developed more slowly, however: Allison only picked up her first compact camera in 2006 while planning a trip to the Solomon Islands. By the end of 2007, she had become addicted enough to upgrade to a DSLR.Allison’s photographic work has been recognized in numerous international underwater photography competitions and published in books and magazines on diving, marine life, and nature photography. Allison is also a gifted journalistic and creative writer, holding a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University’s renowned College of Communications, as well as a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Florida. To check out more Allison’s work at www.avitsky.com