Page 74 - Underwater Photography (January-February 2020)
P. 74
Dreamland or homeland?
by Lorenzo Buccio
Every time we surf the net or Follonica beach, Thyrrenian
read a scuba magazine we see many Sea, Italy
corners of paradise: far away islands
in the middle of the ocean, mysterious One of the pearls of
reefs or muddy bottoms with plenty Mediterranean sea is the Tuscan
of macro treasures. We plan a long archipelago National Park. In the
trip, take our precious camera, strobes park there are beautiful dive spots
and housing and begin the search for quite literally everywhere, from
the perfect shot. That’s fair enough, Montecristo, the island of Dumas’s
it’s the dream of every diver, but what Count that is completely protected
about the ordinary homeland dives? from tourism, to Giannutri, Gorgona,
Today I want to describe one of those. Pianosa, Giglio and finally Elba, with
Rather, I want to describe one of the more than 40 dive centers and where
less significant seabeds you can find this year the Italian National Trophy The typical fishermen’s houses just on the beach have been transformed into
in the sea. of Underwater Photography was held. concrete buildings during the Italian economic and industrial boom of the sixties
Why? Because we mustn’t From Elba, the biggest island, and seventies. Originally, behind the seashore there was a dune environment,
forget that every dive is, or can be, a move your eyes to the continent, and ecologically important for maintaining biodiversity.
beautiful dive. Beautiful because if we you will find the gulf of Follonica. Nikon D200 – Vivitar Series I 19-35mm f/3.5-4.5 – 35mm – f/13-1/250-ISO 250
pay attention we can find interesting Follonica is a little touristic city
animals everywhere or curious that in a year can host about half a in order to block waves. I will talk
behaviours to observe. Beautiful million tourists. Originally this big now about photographic dives on this
because the experience from everyday gulf had plenty of Posidonia oceanica artificial reef.
dives can help the way we will dive meadows. This plant has an important
and take pictures when we visit a nursery effect and is a good habitat for Shallow is worst
dreamland. a lot of fish and invertebrates.
As a result of economic and When we dive we know that
urban development in the sixties, the mastery of buoyancy skills is crucial
meadows slowly slowly began to for taking good pictures. Not just
disappear. Coastal erosion become to protect delicate corals but also to
more and more important and for that preserve the reefs naturalness, but
reason in front of the sandy beach has also not to stir up the silty and muddy
been built a submerged artificial reef seabed. Diving in a shallow dive spot,
Issue 112/74 www.uwpmag.com
