When yours plans change for reasons beyond your control, it's not always bad. Sometimes it becomes the beginning of amazing stories ...
We were already on Sakhalin Island and were waiting to be sent to Moneron. But, the terms of our trip have shifted several times. Well, you can not just sit and wait, especially when you've already arrived to the Far East, and it's August and the salmon has already approached the mouths of the rivers.
We were helped by the whole team to go to the fishing camp in the Gulf of Mordvinov. Fishermen, nets, pink salmon and all that is happening around this. It was really interesting, because after the salmon everyone else goes - seals, sharks, birds and many others. On the other hand, fishermen and many kilometers of nets. This is what should be the main part of our stay there, but it did not...
We left the coast for about a kilometer. and dive near the main fishing net. And the first few seconds in the water changed our plans. But instead of the expected fish, tiny creatures come into view. 2,3,4 centimeters maximum. But they are many and they are amazing.
I've never seen sea angels in the water before. Only in photos. Given this, I did not immediately believe in what was happening. Moreover, that they can be so far to the south and at this time of year I have never heard. Still, they are associated with the polar seas and ice. And here in such quantity, and many of them are combined in pairs. About this in general very few people have ever heard, much less saw.
Since shooting salmon we were going to a wide angle, it immediately became clear that we need to rebuild our equipment. As you probably understand, being in the water this is not possible, and on a small fishing boat too. Therefore, the first hour we honestly sailed around the nets, constantly being in a cluster of angels. We saw the price paid by sea inhabitants for red caviar and red fish. In the nets, you could probably find all marine creatures of this region. On the site of a couple of dozen meters there were seals and herring sharks and crabs. A little later, I nearly joined to this rich collection.
From the movement of water the nets sags and in places almost lies on the bottom. At one of those moments, I was just covered from above. I felt like a fly in spider nets for a few minutes ... I had to leave all the equipment on the nets, including the camera, since it was simply unreal to release it, but to float myself. Then they cut it all out of the net.
But still we were terribly lucky.
After spending a little more than an hour preparing, we dived again in this place with the angels. Macro lenses, scuba gear and all that. The sea was smooth and calm, which was just a gift. After all, we had to photograph angels in the water column near the surface, almost without any landmarks. One way or another, you had to stay close to the nets, because otherwise there was a chance that the current would carry you to the ocean. And no one would find us in the ocean even in quiet weather. Too often there are thick fogs.
The same current slowly carried away the angels. Even during the time that we spent in the water, they became noticeably smaller. And if we had planned our trip to Mordvinov Bay the next day, we would not have seen them at all. All these thousands of sea angels disappeared, as if they were not. Just a few hours at one point of the ocean. We dived on Sakhalin and Moneron for almost 3 weeks. But we saw no more angels.
And these pairs of angels, and those tiny "backpacks" of caviar that some of them kept between the wings. We could never see it all if it was not accidental.
So if fate makes adjustments to your plans, do not complain, perhaps it's your chance)