I certainly found myself with an unusual sense of apprehension and why not say it, a little nervous. In my 26 years of diving I had had the opportunity to interact in the water with impressive animals by size and reputation, but what I was about to face was a completely new challenge.
A real living battleship awaited me in the water, two and a half meters of pure muscle protected by the most resistant dermal plates, powerful legs topped with sharp claws and as if this were not intimidating enough, two huge jaws full of fangs.
Fortunately, there are still some places on this planet that for various reasons retain that wild, pristine, and virgin character. The archipelago of Jardines de la Reina, in Cuba, is one of those places.
Named by Christopher Columbus, in honor of the sovereign of Spain, Isabella the Catholic, this archipelago made up of661 islets and cays, is located south of the province of Ciego de Ávila and the closest human settlement is Júcaro, a small town about 60 kilometers away.
For years this was Commander Fidel Castro’s favorite place to enjoy scuba diving and therefore access to the public was completely prohibited. Subsequently in 1996, the area was declared protected and a special use regime was granted. Obviously, this decision and the efforts of the authorities and local communities have borne fruit since the abundance and health of the reefs and mangroves is completely amazing.
The relative remoteness of the mainland has kept the area in an enviable state of conservation, and its seabed holds predatory species that have practically disappeared in other areas of the Caribbean geography, such as the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)that was waiting patiently for me in the mangrove waters.
I silently entered the water on the opposite side of the boat to the one where the crocodile was and I prepared my camera, which this time would fulfill the double function of capturing the images and being my protection barrier. Controlling my anxiety, I circled the boat to approach the reptile head-on. It was not my intention to surprise or scare him and it was also my safest position. According to the indications received, I must always stay in front of him, where his field of vision is narrowest.
The total length of adults can reach six meters, with an average weight of 500kg, being the second largest crocodile in America in size, only after the Orinoco Crocodile of which individuals up to seven meters have been reported. Its head is narrow and long, with a slightly curved muzzle, from which the teeth protrude when the mouth is closed. The scales are light in color, while the legs are shorter, and the tail is highly developed.
Being just a few inches away with this true wonder of the wild world in its natural environment is a simply movingand exciting experience, hard to describe correctly in words. However, despite the emotions, you should keep a cool head and be constantly alert to the animal’s body gestures, in order to react appropriately as circumstances, dictate.
Despite all my apprehensions and fears, the animal was calm at all times and allowed me to photograph it both on the surface and at the bottom of the mangrove canal where it was found. A few moments after the interaction I could see that the crocodile felt comfortable if I respected a certain distance, since if I got closer than I should it moved away calmly. As in most cases of underwater photography the best strategy was to keep still and let the crocodile move towards me calmly spurred by its own curiosity. Without even realizing it, this circumstance, and the fact that I entered my “photographic mode” made me forget my fears and slowly began to enjoy the interaction.
I made all the images with a focal length of 16mm, which in most cases allowed me to capture the entire animal in the green environment of the mangrove waters.
After staying about 25 minutes in the water with the animal, I decided to get out of the water and leave it alone without stressing it. On the other hand, I was avoiding being in the water if another individual appeared, which would have caused the situation to become completely risky, given the highly territorial behavior they have, resulting in quarrels between individuals. My conception of these animals remains the same, they are powerful and certainly fearsome creatures, with which one must interact with the greatest of respect and safety, but their reputation as a soulless killer is undoubtedly exaggerated.
For scuba diving and underwater photography lovers, Jardines de la Reinais a true paradise. The conservation status of these reefs is unmatched in the entire Caribbean Sea. The state of health of the marine ecosystem is reflected in an explosion of life and colors in every corner and the number of fish is at times simply overwhelming. On its reefs there are thousands of photographic subjects, both for macro and wide-angle photography, and the diversity is such that at times it is difficult to decide what to photograph. This great diversity and quantity of reef life creates the ideal conditions for the food chain, and at the top of that chain are the true masters and lords of this group of islands, the sharks.
There is no need to look for sharks in Jardines de la Reina, sharks are found in all dive sites. As soon as the motor stops at any dive site, the boat begins to be surrounded by sharks and many times I have ended up hitting an individual while entering the water. During the dive, the divers are always surrounded by sharks, without ever showing aggressive or intimidating behavior. The areas of dominance of each species are clearly established in the ecosystem. Silky Sharks(Carcharhinus falcifomis) are in charge of quickly patrolling the surface waters with their elongated and tapered bodies, while at the bottom, the Caribbean Reef Shark(Carcharhinus perezi) is the dominant species and commands respect with its large body that can quietly reach more than 2 meters long.
To photograph sharks, you must adopt a fixed position somewhere on the reef and wait patiently. The natural curiosity of these animals will make them constantly pass near your position, which will give you enough opportunities to photograph them in different frames and circumstances. Don’t settle for just taking the customary profile picture of the animal.
The number and duration of sightings makes it possible for us to experiment with different types of images such as portraits, silhouettes and even try to take photos of sweeps with slow shutter speeds. Possibly the most difficult aspect of photographing sharks is lighting. The sharks of Jardines de la Reina have a grayish color on the back and their belly is completely white. This implies that we must be very careful with our exposure in order to avoid overexposing this area of the animal’s body.
As is customary in this type of photography, the lighting process will be established in two stages: first, we must correctly expose the background of the scene to obtain correct blues, and second, turn on the flashes and begin to illuminate the shark in the foreground at low powers and gradually increase the values as circumstances indicate .Photographing sharks is so fascinating that you can lose track of time and space.
At one point I was so focused making the shots that I did not realize that a gentle current put me in the middle of the action of a group of 20 silky sharks, to such a degree that I received several flaps and blows !
If you want to know and dive the Caribbean Sea in its true essence, as it was 80 years ago, without a doubt, Jardines dela Reina is a place that you cannot miss visiting.
