Meeting John

Picture and text:  Rudolf Svensen

I have spent the last 9 hours on the train from Oslo to Stavanger and my body realy feel like moveing a bit around. With my camera in my left hand, I’m soon walking throug my garden and into the black waves which rolls onto the beach in front of my house.
I’m adjsting my mask while I wonder what kind of animals I will meet tonight. Maybe a John Dory? This fish from warmer waters has been spotted several times in Norway lately, and the prawn trawlers in the area have caught a lot this summer.
Down on 16 meters is there a termal split in the water. I stop for a minute and adjust some of my gear. While doing this I put my camera on the sea bed. A flat fish is rising from the sand under my camera when it hits the bottom. At first I recognize the fish as a flounder, but then it rotates 90 degrees around its own axis. I stare amazed at the fish. It's a John Dory! My first ever! While my pulse is increasing, I'm trying to get my camera ready while at the same time I need to hold the track of John Dory. He is obviously not a great swimmer and gives the photographer a good time capturing all the images he wants. Ten minutes later I switch of my camera and rest on the see bed, watching this beautiful fish. I was lucky today. Who knows what I will meet on my next dive in the area? And exactly the unknown makes diving such a fascinating hobby