Let There Be Light

Yesterday while diving I crawled under a big ledge looking for a grouper that I’d seen swim inside but it was too dark to see anything in there.  Last year I started using underwater video lights made by a Swiss company called Keldan and I’ve been very happy with them.  They’re entirely self contained so there are no cables to the camera body or to battery packs.  Simple and well-designed.  Anyway I turned on my light, a little nervous about what menacing creature might be staring back at me.  At first I didn’t see anything but then, in the very back, I saw a funny looking rock that looked suspiciously like a turtle shell.  I scooted a little further in and shined my light on a sleeping hawksbill turtle.  Hawksbills are considered to be the most beautiful sea turtles and their shells are highly prized for decoration and making combs, hair clips, jewelry, etc.  They are considered to be highly endangered and, as usual, man is their biggest threat.

Hooray for turtles!  And video lights to film them!  Here’s a page out of the Keldan light brochure – that’s me on the far left.  They’re very cool lights and if you’re looking for an underwater light at some point, they deserve serious consideration.