It never fails . . .

[Searcaigh]

Back in film days I was sure to find something good after I hit 36 frames. From that I learned to stop shooting at 32 and keep a couple of shots just in case.

Mantas must know when to show off though, sitting at the end of Borneo Divers jetty on Sipadan back in 1992 drinking bottles of Anchor beer with two friends talking about our days dives as the sun went down, a manta breached and nearest camera about 100M away .... not that any of us would have managed to get a shot, but it was one of these jaw dropping moments that was at least shared even if we could not capture it on film.

I always carry my camera on check out dives otherwise I would be out of trim

 

[hroark2112]

I didn't bring my Contour (on the first night dive I've ever done!) in Bonaire. Of course we found an octopus.

I got lucky. We found him 2 nights later and I did bring the Contour. Lesson learned!!

 

[Steve_C]

-Had several nice photos on a NC wreck dive. My best nudibranch photo up to that time. Was doing my stop on the hang bar. Went to ascend and my wrist strap was there but not the almost new camera. The strap that came with the camera had parted. I now have a newer camera with redundant heavy duty straps.

-We dive in a local quarry which is dedicated to scuba. Good place to practice and meet some friends. There are legends of monster catfish even though we do not see even baby catfish. I usually bring my camera just to practice playing with the buttons. Decided to do a second dive close to dusk. I left the camera. Halfway through the dive I come upon the cat resting on the bottom. Dropped slowly down and laid on the bottom 4 ft away watching him for several minutes. He was very big. Easily four ft long or more. Never seen him again on many dives there since..

 

[freewillie]

Not really my camera. Long story short my daughter's best friend and her mother were on vacation with us in Maui and are also certified scuba divers. The mom had just bought a new dive camera for the trip. They (and us) aren't really morning people and getting up early for a dive boat going to Molokini crater is always and adventure on getting there on time. Halfway to the boat landing we realized she left the camera at the hotel. We did get great photo's but had to purchase a CD from the dive shop and use their designated UW photographer.

 

[randini]

I was DM an UW Photo course (of all things) so, of course, I didn't have my camera with me. Half way through the dive a Mola mola swims up and was right by the group checking us out. I pointed it to the instructor, who had only brought an ancient lil P&S with no lenses or strobes that he uses for demonstration purposes. He darted towards it, two students in tow and managed to scare it off. By the pictures I saw on the screens nobody managed to get anything decent. That was the first and, so far, last time I saw one in Chilean waters.

 

[lmorin]

Not so much a shakedown dive story as a manta story. I have seen two, both at Bonaire. The second was along the waterfront at Sand Dollar and seen below the cliff while drinking a beer at dusk. The first was also at Sand Dollar on Bari Reef. I had camera in hand, but the manta swam up from behind, slightly seaward, while I was looking shoreward at 35 ft. I did not see the manta until it was well in front of me and too far away for a photo. Still no manta photos.

 

[Guba]

It was at the end of a Gulf of Mexico dive (Flower Gardens) and back in the days before digital....that's right, you had 36 exposures per roll of film, so shots were carefully monitored and counted.
We were in the process of ascending the mooring line when I popped off my last shot, which was of divers strung on the line like flags in the current, and tucked the camera under my arm and prepared make the final stretch to the boat. And that's precisely when the biggest hammerhead I've ever seen cruised by within spittin' range, turned through itself to make a 180 and passed by AGAIN.
I think he knew I was out of film and was just rubbing it in. Thank heavens for digital cameras and high capacity cards!

 

[TSandM]

Fun stories -- keep them coming!

 

[dfx]

Regarding the thread title... Murphy's law is recursive. Deliberately not taking your camera in order to see something spectacular won't work

 

[jameseg]

Two years ago my wife and I were on the T&C Explorer II liveaboard. The evening dive of the first day was her first night dive ever, and she asked if I would leave my camera on the boat so as to pay extra attention to her. I agreed, and that dive we found an octopus right out in the open, sitting there seemingly posing for pictures. Only the second I had ever seen, with the first being almost 20 years previous, before I had a camera. We consoled ourselves by concluding that we'd definitely see another on the trip, but we never did.

Luckily, we've come across several on trips since then, so I've had plenty of photo opportunities. While a bit frustrating at the time, it was a good decision to leave my camera behind, as I now have a wife who loves night diving.

James