Have a question.

[tomhooper]

While I am very comfortable with land based photography, I have very little experience underwater. Almost none. I will be in Cozumel in 2 weeks and was hoping some of you could give me a few tips. I will be using a Rebel XT with 18-55 zoom. I have no underwater flash and don't have time or desire to buy one at this time. I will be using a Fantasea housing so the on camera flash will not work. Any suggestions as to focal distance, aperture and shutter speed, and ISO settings would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[guillermo]

Shoot as wide as you can and stay close to the surface. Without flash you will loose the colors as you go deeper and also the more water you have between the camera and the subject. Salt water is full of particles so your sharpness will also suffer the farther you are from your subject. Try some shots where the subject is between the camera and the surface for some nice silhuetes. 18mm on a XT may not be wide enough. If you can rent a 10-22 for much better results. The flash is a necessity for colorful underwater shots. Have fun Cozumel is great.