X-Scooter Shots from this weekend on the LA Area Oil Rigs

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Mo2vation

Relocated to South Florida....
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Selected shots of the X in action on the Oil Rigs from this weekend (10/11/08) - dive report here: Link

Full 10/11/08 Rigs gallery here: Link

Enjoy.


Ken


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Strobe Check - we always do a strobe check on the drop. These are usually just throw-away shots, but sometimes they're keepers. I'm feeling her gangstah lean.





Chica hanging - this is her at about 125 right before I handed off the cam to her. Its pretty dark down there.





Shots of Kenji - its not easy being a subject, so I just started mugging for the camera. I was laughing so hard my mask was totally flooding (as you can see...) I then did some drive by zoom-zoom that she shot.











Dette scoots through a cloud - I motioned to her to scoot through the cloud, and as she sped off to make the turn I realized I didn't know if she was gonna zoom under the rising cross bar or thread the needle. Of course, she chose to thread the needle through the "V" at top speed!





Checking out the Cross Bar - there is stuff hanging from all of the cross bars. Often the stuff is hanging my mussle fibers, so it sways in the surge and swell like a speed bag in the Gym.




East Side Buddy - We moved to the east side of the rig toget the sun at her back, and I wanted to shoot against one of the many Star Braces. As we were shooting this Sheephead came over and hovered the whole time, generally being a pest. She finally turned and smiled at the camera with her big ol' buck teeth.





Corynactis Stop - these aggregating anemones are all over the rigs, in many colors from pink to coral to purple. They are among the most striking features we see down there. In this shot Claudette is just showing off her buoyancy chops.







Cross Bar Buddies - Claudette was checking out the cross bar and the speedbag, and some sheephead came over to see what all the fuss was about.


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Play Time! At the end of every scooter shoot, once I have checked off the list of shots I want, it turns into play time. Claudette goes off and improvises and I grab shots. Some of our fav shots have come during play time. Here are a couple of my favs from this trip.


School is out! - chasing the schools of baitfish with a scooter. It really gets no more fun than this on the rigs.




Sea Lion Spin! - its always a blast to spin and play with the doggies. In this shot Claudette is looking for the guy that was just there, while another one drops in for some fun.




School is still out! - she can't get enough of splittin' the bait fishies. in the shallower depths (35 - 50) is was gin clear.
 
Great pix
 
A few more

Chica at the Star Brace - there are several of these Star Braces on the rigs. I moved us to the East Side on dive two so we could get the sun at her back so we could get a good brace shot in the background and simply key shift to get her in the foreground.




More Corynactis - these anemones are really beautiful.





Cloud o' Fish - its really striking, the number of fish on the rigs.




Another Ken shot - this is me trying to pose. After thousands of shots, Claudette has become a pro. I'm just not comfortable at this yet. But my X1 was raging down there. Its so good to have that thing blasting while diving the rigs.




Split School - this was shot deeper than some of the other school shots. Very cool effect when the school splits down the middle like a theater curtain.

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Thanks for the cool shots, crisp and sharp.
Real pleasure to watch, wish I was there...
What is the round box next to the lamp on the Goodman handle?
How deep is it there?
Has any fish ever been caught in the prop while going through a school?
 
Thanks for the cool shots, crisp and sharp.
Real pleasure to watch, wish I was there...
I love taking the cam into places most people don't take their rigs - scootering, through the surf, deep on the rigs, etc. We have fun and often come away with some memorable shots.





What is the round box next to the lamp on the Goodman handle?
That's a thumb handle for the light. I call it a "thumby" - its made by Deep Sea Supply (we dive their stuff exclusively.) Here is a link to the product: thumby Its a great device for scootering, as it makes it very easy to hold the light in your right hand while on the trigger. I usually sling back the deathstar (my cam rig) on my left, so I often scoot with the light in my right hand.




How deep is it there?
We dived a couple of different rigs that day. One is in about 250 feet of water (all photos in this post) the other in about 650 feet. Its a bottomless dive either way, so I'm very careful tossing the camera around, clipping it off to scoot, etc, etc.





Have any fish ever been caught in the prop while going through a school?
HAHAHAH! Only the dumb slow ones. Usually the little ones in the surf zone, as we enter and blast through the surf with the scoots, once in awhile we'll get some baitfish chop chop.

I've made calimari rings a couple of times, too when the squid are running. But baitfish like these - they're fast and very skittish. They always part and let us through.


Thanks


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Ken
 
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