Students take part in scuba diving underwater photo shoot

A team of students entered the waters of the indoor swimming pool at the University of Texas Arlington recently to take part in their debut underwater photo shoot.

Despite having no previous scuba diving experience, the 20 students from the Focus student photograph group dived into the challenge with the help of the university's scuba diving instructor, Megan Ridley.

The Focus team approached the scuba diving department at the university about the proposed underwater photo shoot and the department agreed to provide the underwater cameras and the diving gear.

Image by: Foto Bob, en Flickr.

"We just really lucked out when the scuba department came up with that idea," explained Kathleen Jenney, the President of Focus and a photography senior. "There's no way students our age would have been able to afford that experience — to dabble in it and see if they like it without fully committing."

The photography group invited experienced models to pose underwater for them wearing full makeup and a long piece of cloth which added movement to their poses.

Kerry Butcher, the Focus Vice President and a photography junior, explained: "I was completely nervous. I had no idea what to expect at all.

"It was all very rushed at the beginning because there were so many people. Once you get used to it, it's really easy and feels completely natural. The only unnatural thing about it is you're very conscience of your breathing because you're underwater."

Jenney added: "In essence, you're like playing God. You can create your own artistic world under there and you have full control, even in spite of the loss of gravity."

The pictures were a success according to Scott Hilton, an adviser for Focus and a photography senior lecturer at the University of Texas Arlington.

"It's beautiful, the effects that light has through the water of the pool," he commented. "The models that were there, they were looking fantastic, and the students were doing very creative things working with the models. It's a gorgeous show."

Now that they have had a taster of diving, the students might want to join the thousands of global divers as they explore the world's underwater environment.

Image by: Duiken Redactie, on Flickr.

Scuba diving holidays are becoming increasingly popular, particularly among thrill-seeking youngsters, and the industry is seeing a rise in participants enjoying PADI courses.

There are plenty of exotic scuba diving destinations to choose from including the Caribbean, Red Sea resorts, the Maldives, Malaysia, Florida, Hawaii and Australia.