Olive Rockfish

Back to underwater shots for a bit.

I'm pretty sure this is an Olive Rockfish (Sebastes serranoides) though it's possible it's a Yellowtail Rockfish (Sebastes flavidus). They're rather difficult to tell apart from photos. This picture was taken at Point Lobos State Reserve in Carmel, CA; one of my very favorite dive sites. Point Lobos is a no-take reserve and as such is one of the best places to see large, adult rockfish like this specimen. Olives tend to congregate in small schools and are usually found up in the kelp column. They often mix with the more numerous blue rockfish. Getting close enough to them to get a shot like this with the 105 micro requires patience and a bit of luck as they are a bit shy.

Nikon D200, Nikkor AFS-VR 105 Micro, Subal Housing, 2x Sea and Sea YS350 strobes.
ISO 100, f6.3, 1/250 strobes (probably) half power.