Flying

Among the most famous of early underwater photographers was Jack McKenney. Jack was not only a prolific photographer, he served as Editor of Skin Diver magazine and produced a number of underwater films — a tradition his son John carries on today.

The equipment in this very famous photograph suggests it dates from around 1981. The diver on the left is Sandy Hootman; the diver on the right is Sari McKenney.

In today’s more environmentally-sensitive times, few of us would want to interact with a manta ray in quite this manner. Nevertheless, Jack’s photos did a lot to establish that mantas were, in fact, gentle and curious, plankton-eating giants — not man-eating monstrosities (a reputation they had just a few decades earlier).

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