Chris Crumley Blog

Erica Gunter won an Illinois Model Contest with prizes including a week for two in Cozumel, Mexico and a one-day location shoot with an advertising photographer.

The connection to me? The show's organizer, Sherry Smith Reichart, was a creative partner with me for seven years shooting tropical and underwater photo illustrations for stock, editorial and advertising uses.

We spent all of the day on the east side of the island and used a variety of settings. This is a frame done at a beachfront out-building for the Chen Rio Restaurant Bar.

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With a shoulder in the sand at about 90' looking up, this is the bow view of the sunken minesweeper C-53 Felipe Xicotencati in Cozumel, Mexico.

The ship was built in 1944 and was part of the U.S. Navy during WWII (USS Scuffles AM-298) and through the early 60s. In '62, the Mexican government bought the 184' ship with a 33' beam and renamed it. Thirty-eight years later (1999-2000), it was de-commissioned and sunk as a scuba diving attraction.

Before sinking, the ship was stripped of dangerous equipment, cleaned and large holes were cut in the sides and upper decks. The holes allow diver access to well-lit upper deck passages for shallow wreck exploration.

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Divers won't ordinarily see this school of redear herring since their home turf is in shallow water (8-12' deep) near the shore. They seem to roam between the cruise ship docks and the entrance to the southern small boat marina. I don't know how many are in the school, but it's way into the thousands.

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