Anglesey, the small island with big potential

Anglesey is a small island, separated from the rest of North Wales by the Menai Strait. Anglesey is also a paradise for underwater photographers and divers alike. As it is such a small island, it is easy to travel from one side to the other by road or by boat, and offers both shore diving and boat diving, for beginners and more advanced divers. If the wind blows out one side of the island, then go to the other! If you are on a budget, you can mix boat diving with some great shore diving, with one of the best shore dives being the Menai Strait, diving right under the famous Suspension Bridge - but make sure you get your tide times correct as the currents can be hazardous in this narrow stretch of water.

Frogfish Photography has spent the last 2 weekends on Anglesey, camping in the evenings and diving during the day. We shore dived Menai Strait and McKenzie's Pier, and we chartered Quest Diving to dive both sides of the island. Puffin Island, on the east side of Anglesey, is always a favourite due to a resident population of Grey Seals, who are playful and like to approach the camera. This time we had very bad visibility due to an early algae bloom - but even that did not lessen the fun we had with these playful creatures! The east coast also offers the wreck of the Royal Charter, where you can always hope to find gold!

The west of the island offers some great diving, and we had incredible visibility (close to 10m) on the reef, where migrating spider crabs are arriving and dogfish swim amongst a host of great marine life. For those that like their rusting metal, then the Kimya is also nearby. This is an easy going wreck site, less than 10m deep, so there is plenty of light and bottom time (if the tide times allow)

Anglesey is well worth a visit for a weekend or longer. If you want to join a group of divers then there are a couple of events coming up: The Big Scuba Trial and the NUPG Summer Splash In. Frogfish Photography also organise regular boat trips - so get in touch if you would like to join us!

Get into UK Underwater Photography

I have worked with a lot of underwater photographers of varying experience recently, advising on and selling housings, strobes & accessories for their cameras. I have spent hours teaching photography and photographic techniques to people who want to take underwater photographs. When I ask them where they do their photography, more than half say “in warm blue water”. So many underwater photographers refuse to try UK waters – they are missing out on some of the finest opportunities for underwater photography anywhere in the world.

“It is colder than tropical waters” – It is colder, which is why you want to invest in good scuba equipment that keeps you warm. One example is the Waterproof 5/7mm hood, which changed my whole attitude to diving in cold water when I first tried it! For great, warm gloves that you can still use your camera and strobe controls look no further than Fourth Element

“It is unpredictable” – true British weather is not the most reliable - but there are plenty of good real ale pubs along the coastline to while away a windy day.

“It is dark and green” – so a light or some kind and a strobe will restore the colour and light and if you select a high ISO, then some of the “grainy” effects can be really atmospheric, or stay shallow where there is more colour and it is lighter

“The visibility is poor” – yes it can be, but as much of the diversity around the UK are ideal for close up macro, then the water column & particulates are at a minimum and even a small strobe will give excellent photographs

My key titbit of advice? Get advice from experts, join your local underwater photography group (BSoUP, NUPG, EMUP), ask your local underwater photography centre or dive club. 

The image below is a composite from a few UK dives taken in 2010, just to give you a taste of how great diving can be around this coast, just get in and give it a go!