Streeeech

Ah yes, a Spanish Shawl... One of the more frustrating subjects for an underwater photographer. While they don't move around much under their own power, they do seek out spots where the surge is strong. They anchor one end of their body to the underlying substrate and let the other end flap wildly in the surge.

Now there are two ways a diver can approach this situation. You can let your whole body to be carried about by the surge and try to take a 'fly by' picture, or you can mimic the Spanish Shawl by anchoring your hand (I usually just stick my pinkie onto an exposed rock) and let the rest of your body flap around in the surge. Since the shutter lag of my age old camera is measured in seconds, my approach is more of the latter. A good stretch is great for your body they say...