The Caribbean Islands Underwater

	For some people the Caribbean is palms, pastels, and patois.For other people the Caribbean is a geographic location bounded by the Leeward and Windward Islands, South America, Central America and Cuba. Since I spend so much time underwater for me the Caribbean spreads out much further. For where ever there are Queen Angelfish, Reef Butterflyfish and Nassau Groupers the fish and I are at home in the Caribbean.
	We both enjoy the clear warm waters and beautiful colors of the tropical seas.Some of the best diving in the Caribbean is in the Cayman Islands. There are no rivers on these basically desert islands to cloud the waters with run-off, so you find an average underwater visibility of over 100 feet. The walls drop steeply off the sides of the islands into the Cayman Trench, one of the deepest ocean trenches in the world. A short distance off the islands the sea is over 4 miles deep. Nutrients are carried up the wall from the abyss to make the waters uncommonly rich for tropical seas. Sealife abounds, and because of the almost perfect conditions, one of the most common forms of sealife is the scuba diver. The Caribbean pushes north along the coast of Florida. From the coral reefs of the Keys to the Gulf Stream waters of the Palm Beaches. Here the fish of the Caribbean find a habitat that suits them. And I find a habitat that suits me as well. Marine life state parks, marine preserves and artificial reefs and the fish and invertebrates they support abound in South Florida. So it is no coincidence that divers as well fill the waters both in Florida and in the nearby Bahamas, the most visited coral reefs in the "Caribbean". The color in the Caribbean is mainly in the sponges. I like to feature colorful sponges or divers interacting with the fish in my wide angle photography. Royal blue water, careful lighting and an upward angle capture some of the feeling that divers get underwater.
	I love the fish of the coral reefs and their interdependence. I find that my favorite macro shots are the shots that feature interesting behaviors, like the cleaner wrasse on the eye of the squirrelfish.
	Sometimes beauty is found in surprising places. This little Blenny is at home in an industrial reef. Serendipitously in our quest for oil we have built habitat which life in the sea finds friendly indeed. The undersea legs of oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are teeming with life. Amid the constant thunderous noise, toxic runoff and the ever present danger of predators in the open water just beyond the safety of the structure, there exists a complex community of tropical life. Everything from sharks to corals call the rigs home and for the diver the commotion and noise means that the noise of the regulator is ignored and the wildlife go about their lives without regard to the intrusion. A unique opportunity is presented to see large predators feeding in the schools of baitfish that call the rig home.