The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

THE WATERS of the Bahamas serve as the focal point of Scott Aranha’s love for photography. At an early age Scott became fascinated with what was hidden beneath the ever-changing “blue window” of the sea.

Last Thursday at Jacaranda House Scott opened a new exhibit featuring his underwater photography, “My Deep Blue View”.

“I started diving when I was about eight or nine years old. My dive instructor’s wife was an underwater photographer and I started to do what she was doing. I started to play with a little toy underwater camera and I had a great time with it,” Scott told Tribune Entertainment.

Scott became a certified diver at a very young age and at the age of 18 he visited Indonesia for an extended vacation diving at Raja Ampat. He stayed for eight weeks, calling Indonesia one of the greatest places to dive in the world.

“I started playing with photos and it has grown from a Summer hobby to my everyday life where I go diving at least three times a week. It has become less of just taking a picture to more like capturing the atmosphere of the attitude of the animal and all of that. It is a real challenge under water because you have a whole lot more to do. You have to adjust each of the lights and everything but it is a whole lot of fun for me. These are all real photographs and they are all from the Bahamas,” said Scott.

On display are moments captured with sharks, turtles, reefs, and other underwater creatures. While others shun the risk of diving beneath the blue, the 21 year old Scott said there is no fear when you know how to handle yourself.

“As long as you are aware of your surroundings and the fact that the shark or whatever the predatory animal happens to be is in charge in his habitat, you know how to stay out of its way and observe it. You are not completely safe but you are as safe as can be. It all has to do with your personal awareness,” said Scott.

“With the sharks we go down with a box of bait, so obviously on those dives we are looking for sharks. Other dives, for example, we get photos of turtles; and we go down on the reefs that we know are healthy with good population and we look in the cracks and find things to take photos of,” said Scott.

As the owner of a 55 ft charter yacht, Scott said he also caters to dive and fishing charters where he gives people island experiences; whether it is in the Berry Islands, Exuma, Andros or wherever they want to go.

“We do snorkelling, feed the pigs, see the iguanas. As far as I am concerned, it is sharing the bounty of our backyard with the world and showing them what this country has to offer,” said Scott.

With underwater art, Scott said he wants to go as far as it will let him go. He said if he can freely give up everything else to do underwater photography and nothing else all day, no one would ever see him without a smile on his face.

“It’s an incredible experience and every time I get in the water it is a rush that I don’t get any where else. It is just exciting and it is always different,” he said.

“I do some photos above the water but the thing with photos up here is that everyone does them and this right here is just so much different and it takes so much more dedication and time. There are other people who do this yes but not the masses. You don’t see thousands of people posting photos of underwater art. It is incredible to see people surprised when they see this,” said Scott.