We went to Turks and Caicos on the Sea Dancer. The top of the wall is at 55 or 60 feet, so we spent a lot of time under the boat, decompressing. Looking up into the sun, I got the idea for a picture, but the boat all by itself was pretty boring, and the divers on the hang bar didn't look particularly graceful. I asked the divemaster if we could go out between dives, and I'd lay on the bottom (about 50 feet down), let all the air out of my BC, take a deep breath, and hold it while she dived down to me -- she'd start her dive when my bubbles stopped. I asked her if she could get to within ten feet of me, and she thought she could. She didn't make it that far, and now I'm glad she didn't: I like it this way.

Nikonos III, Nikon 15mm f/2.8 lens, f/8, 1/60, Kodak Royal Gold 100.

This little guy chased me all over the bottom. We'd been on the Kona Aggressor for a week, and we were finishing up with a couple of shallow morning rubble dives. Broken coral and lava chunks covered the bottom. We picked through it, turning over rocks, checking things out, and putting them back carefully so we didn't blow the cover of whatever was underneath. The dragon eel stuck his head up and I headed in his direction, expecting him to run away, but that wasn't in his plan. I'd sneak a shot, and he'd try to get closer to, I suppose, nip my fingers with those sharp, transparent teeth. I'd back away and the whole thing would start over.

You've seen all those pictures of moray with their mouths open, looking terribly fierce. Once you've seen a few morays, you realize that they usually are pretty docile. Dragon eels are a whole different thing. Lucky they're only 12 to 18 inches long.

Nikon F, 105mm f/4 Micro-Nikkor lens, Ikelite housing, 2 Ikelite 150 strobes, f/16, Kodak Ektar 100.

Nikon F, 105mm f/4 Micro-Nikkor lens, Ikelite housing, 2 Ikelite 150 strobes, f/16, Kodak Ektar 100.

Nikon F4, 105mm f/4 Macro lens, Aquatica housing, 2 Ikelite AI/n strobes, f/16, Kodak Ektar 100.

Nikon F4, 105mm Macro lens, Aquatica Housing, 2 Ikelite AI/n strobes, f/16, Kodak Ektar 100.