
Last Saturday, Eric and I did 3 dives at the Coronado Islands on the Lois Ann out of San Diego.
The islands are 18 miles south of the border in Mexican waters and are a short 2 hr boatride from Mission Bay.
For $85, we got in 3 dives, got breakfast, lunch, and snacks, and excellent service!
Eric already posted a short trip report and photos at:
http://echeng.com/ou.../00000218.shtml
I have some photos online here:
REEFPIX CORONADOS PIX - FUJI S2pro
With some more topsides photos to come. Of course I had to get the UW photos up first, right? :-)
This was my first time shooting all manual everything - strobes and camera, and I'm really pleased with the results.
The dive that we did with the sealions was in the shadow of the island and I was BARELY metering f4@ 1/60th or 1/90th with my Sigma 14mm lens. Eric was smart enough to switch to ISO200 - but it didn't occur to me until later. Maybe next time!

Underwater photography in cold water is much more challenging than in the carribean or indo-pacific, so I have to give Kudos to Herbko and other coldwater shooters (you misfits know who you are!). I find that I'm spending more time trying to stay alive than compose a shot. What with the cold, the surge moving you back and forth, and moving your SUBJECT back and forth too - things can get tricky.
Cheers
James Wiseman