One of the great joys of scuba diving and exploring our undersea world is the colour that is revealed by our dive lights. Marine life in both temperate and coral seas has a startling variety of colours that are remarkable to witness. But in general, the wider view and experience of being underwater is that of a monochrome setting – primarily of a green hue in temperate latitudes and of a blue hue in the tropics. The latter has often struck me as being similar to traditionally printed black and white images that are then selenium toned – a favourite way of working for me back in the chemical darkroom days.

Seeing in this way is akin to paring back an image to its most graphic simplicity and one that I enjoy exploring. The line and curve of light are of a different nature when colour does not distract. Here are some black and white underwater moments to ponder...