Aquatic Life Snapshot – Barker Group Network

Sometimes, it takes a little work to find the precise underwater treasure that you seek. How do you get started?

Searching in the right place usually yields results. Aquatic life comes in a variety of shapes and colours.

There are many varieties of marine plant life. Some are awash with colour but how much you will see is dictated by how far you find yourself below the surface.

For divers this is a familiar issue. Colours appear less vibrant the deeper you go. On a bright day at 10 metres you will see much of the colour with natural light. By the time you reach 20 metres, colours are much less vivid. Down at 30 metres, you will need your dive torch to see colours in their full glory, otherwise a blue tinge will dominate.

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The diver faces a dilemma. Longer or deeper? Quantity or quality? Longer is better – isn’t it? Deeper is shorter but somehow more alluring. There is, however, the matter of colour.

Colour is lost with depth and depth has implications for dive duration. The amount of nitrogen absorbed by the body increases substantially with depth. For this reason, the maximum dive time available at 10 metres is significantly greater than that available at 30 metres. Colour rendition is impaired with depth and so is dive time.

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