"Starboard Side Decks" I love diving wrecks because no museum in the world can bring a visitor this intimately close to the history that diving these places and seeing them with ones own eyes first hand can. Seeing the dilapidated decks and damage, you can only think of the chaos and calamity in the moments before her sinking. 1/160 • F/3.5 • 10mm • ISO-800 © 2021 Aaron Speare
Over a series of dives I've created a collection of photos featuring a shipwreck off Bell Island, Newfoundland. Her name is the PLM 27 and was lost during World War II. Setup: Canon SL3, Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye lens, natural light.
"Entering the Blast" The tragic moment frozen in time, the twisted and distorted metal is the impact blast created when the Nazi U-Boat 518 fired a torpedo at the stern of the P.L.M. 27 sinking her in just 60 seconds. 1/100 • F/3.5 • 10mm • ISO-800 © 2021 Aaron Speare
"Further Into the Unknown" Through the chilly waters of Newfoundland, divers continue their exploration. 1/160 • F/3.5 • 10mm • ISO-800 © 2021 Aaron Speare
"Scale of Shipping" The interest in attacking the ships at Bell Island were in great part because of the iron-ore mined on the island, by disrupting the supply chain this would put stress on the Allied war efforts. 1/40 • F/4.5 • 10mm • ISO-800 © 2021 Aaron Speare
"Her Bow" Amazing to think that in the span of 60 seconds the P.L.M. 27 found her final resting place on the sea bed just off Bell Island, Newfoundland. 1/160 • F/3.5 • 10mm • ISO-400 © 2021 Aaron Speare
"Frozen History" When the torpedo hit from U518 on the starboard side, 38 sailors managed to abandon ship and survive by swimming to the nearby island, however not all crew mates were safe, as she went down with twelve souls. 1/160 • F/3.5 • 10mm • ISO-400 © 2021 Aaron Speare
"On the Edge" There is always so much wreck to see and so little time, the P.L.M. 27 is a wreck that deserves multiple dives. 1/160 • F/3.5 • 10mm • ISO-400 © 2021 Aaron Speare
"Bow Windlass" Sometimes you don’t need a model to set the stage. 1/160 • F/3.5 • 10mm • ISO-400 © 2021 Aaron Speare
"Creeping Inside" It's something to a badge of honour wearing rust on your drysuit after a wreck dive. 1/50 • F/7.1 • 10mm • ISO-400 © 2021 Aaron Speare
"Lifeboat Down" As we are diving along the port side of the ship, my buddy looks over to me and points down, I flash him the “Okay” and we descend deeper along the hull, slowly the crippled remains of the lifeboat appears through the haze. 1/50 • F/3.5 • 10mm • ISO-800 © 2021 Aaron Speare
Learning how to dive in the cold waters of the Great Lakes, Aaron Speare quickly became fascinated with the “dark side” of diving. Try to penetrate further and dive deeper, the action camera footage he was capturing no longer satisfied him, leading to a natural progression of picking up a camera. When he isn’t getting wet in his free time, he is working professionally as a diver living the dream. Check him out: Instagram.
Additional Reading
The Airplane Graveyard by Ambassador Brandy Mueller
Underwater Wreck Photography Settings and Technique
Canadian Splash: Destination Newfoundland
Natural Light Photography Underwater
Black and White Conversion for Underwater Photography
