"Night
Life in a City of Corals"
Could you imaging diving in
a cave and having it illuminate as bright as daylight? It is possible
with the HMI lights, available May 2004 at the Underwater Palau International
Photo Festival.
HMI lights, originally used
as a cool substitute for high heat producing carbon-arc lights,
this day light balanced light has become the standard of the motion
picture and still photography industry.
Four times more efficient
than other lighting systems, HMI are the most advanced concept in motion
and still photography, the same quality and intensity of light that
you would expect to find in a studio.
The two lights are connected
with a 350ft underwater cable to a surface generator supply source.
Providing 1,200 watts of power, the color temperature is 5,600 K.
During your "Night Life
in a City of Corals" night dives, the scene becomes most surrealistic
with a special UV filter (280 nanometer) attached to the lights. Corals
and fish become amazingly colorful with this UV filter.
It's a special treat for photographers
to use the lights and filters that the pros at National Geographic use.
