A small snail extends its brilliantly colored mantle over its shell as it picks its way through a field of cup corals.

I'm not sure what species it is; it looks like a Simnia, but with different colors.  I'll update this page when I find out for sure.  Meanwhile, if you know, please enlighten me!

This photo won 1st place honors in the Amatuer Macro division of the 1999 Pacific Coast Underwater Photographic Competition (PCUPC), which is held off the coast of San Diego each August.  Contestants are given 1 roll of film and about 18 hours to expose it; divers all work in the same conditions.  This shot was taken in surgy, pea-soup water, with less than 10 feet of visibility.  Which is why I chose to go really close-up.

Lens: 105 mm Micro w/+2 diopter
Film: Kodak E-100 VS
Depth: 65 feet/20 meters
Location: Point Loma, San Diego, CA
©1999 Garry McCarthy