Wall of Scad

Underneath Port Hughes jetty there is a school of yellowtail scad, the scale of which rivals any location in South Australia I've ever dived. I distinctly remember my very first dive here many years ago and how it took my breath away.

This is one of those locations full of amazing tiny creatures which draw you into the world of macro photography. It also has the large vistas of soft coral-covered pylons and those amazing schools of yellowtail scad cruising through them, demanding wide angles.

The first time I dived here I was focused on the macro and the little things and spent much of the dive ignoring the nudibranchs and following the scad, wishing I had a wide angle lens instead. Most dives since I've gone for wide angle.

Capturing good images of highly reflective fish is really challenging. It's like trying to photograph the dust on an old mirror in the dark. Too much strobe light and all you get is a blast of light right back at you with no detail. Too little strobe light and the details disappear into blue-green monochrome.

Perhaps I should make my next dive here a macro dive and explore all the amazing tiny creatures that live here, but I just know that FOMO will get the better of me and that wall of yellowtail scad will just tease me for the entire dive.


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