TIPS FOR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY IN CAVES

1) Bring as much light as you are able to safely carry. Position light away from the camera lens to avoid backscatter.

2) Plan where you want to photograph the cave so you have enough gas for your photos and your exit. Sometimes, I complete setup dives to plan my final dives. If you have a buddy, he or she can carry an additional light source to add ­dimension to your image.

3) If high flow from a spring is a concern, take small point-and-shoot ­cameras, GoPros or ­mirrorless cameras to reduce the amount of drag.

4) Both macro and wide-angle ­subjects abound in many cave systems, ­although macro subjects can take considerable time to ­locate. Wide-angle ­subjects include rock ­formations, buddies and ­passageways.

With more than 20 years of diving ­experience and 28 certifications, I’ve been cave diving for only five years — just long enough for me to fully understand the risks and to experience my first setbacks. On one dive, my ­remoteness from the surface left me feeling unnerved. Only my training and trust in my equipment helped me to exit safely from that dive. I have reached penetration distances up to 2,200 feet and am not yet comfortable exceeding this limit.

However, the lure of ­photographing passageways like those found in ­Roubidoux Spring compels me to return each season. I am excited by the opportunity to discover new structures and find the few blind ­crawfish that inhabit Roubidoux. Since the conditions in Roubidoux are ­always changing, no two dives here look the same. The cave appears to ­always be changing, creating a thrilling ­discovery each time.

My favorite dives are the ones when I have been working hard with the OCDA because I work toward a goal that supports exploration and conservation of ­Roubidoux Spring with a group of fun and talented ­divers, a rewarding challenge for any qualified diver.

Read About Jennifer Idol's Explorations of Roubidoux Spring, Missouri