Walrus Naps on Russian Submarine Hatch (Always bring a camera)

ChasCS

Reading stories such as these, easily brings a happy smile to my face.


Always bring a camera. These words of advice are repeated by photographers everywhere who know the best scenes always seem to unfold when you leave your camera at home.

In the case of today’s interesting photo of the day, the photographer and the person pictured seem to have been trapped above water, with plenty of time for picture-taking, while others may or may not be stuck inside the pictured vessel. As evidenced by the image, a walrus decided to take a siesta atop this Russian submarine. And its cozy bed just happened to be the submarine’s hatch. Were other crew members knocking at the door from below sea level? Either way, I’m sure this photographer was glad to have a camera:


Walrus Naps on Russian Submarine Hatch

Surprisingly, what appears to be a rare event is actually a common occurrence. Opportunistic sea mammals taking breaks atop submarines seem to be the frequent subjects of photographs. Some of the comments from naval officers on this have been hilarious:

“I hate how there was always one of them that wouldn’t get the $*&% off when you needed to get to the MBT vents or something.”

“The mental picture of a bunch of submariners trying to shoo a sea-lion off their billion dollar doomsday vehicle to perform routine maintenance is quite amusing to me. :P”

“Well we’d normally have several back there, and you’d run at them swinging something, and they’d all clear off. But there’d almost always be one alpha one that just wouldn’t f’ing leave and someone would have to get more brave/creative.”



Walrus Rides On Top Of Submarine



Sea Lions Atop Submarine

So, next time you’re tempted to leave your camera behind, bring it with you. You just never know when opportunity will knock. Or perhaps when you’ll need to do some knocking…



That is one very big SL!! ;-)

WestEndBoy

My Coolpix A is with me wherever I go.

ChasCS

@jshickele,
I sure miss my Nikon Cool-Pix 995... Thanks for the sad reminder.
Mine had "impact damage" and was beyond it's repair time, out of date, as it were.

Great little package that was... Enjoy yours!

WestEndBoy

Thanks ChasCS, and since it is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket even though it is DX, I bring it with me all (well most) of the time and never miss a shot).

ChasCS

Surprising, what good things often come in small Nikon packages.
Definitely considering looking at what the new Cool-Pix are offering these days.
Not that I Need another camera. But nice.

What is it about the Nikon A that makes it so popular among users? Aside from size/ease of carrying it.

WestEndBoy

I would not say it is "so" popular. The Ricoh GR (I believe) is almost as good for about $300 cheaper and it both meet my core requirement, best image quality possible that will fit in my shirt pocket. That is the appeal, but it might be slightly overpriced. For me the $300 did not make much of a difference and I got to stay in the Nikon family with consistent menus etc.

However, I would watch this model carefully, it could be the basis of an inter-changeable lens format.

ChasCS

Can the Nikon Cool-Pix A accept other lens options, or TC?

kyoshinikon

@jshickele,
Mine had "impact damage" and was beyond it's repair time, out of date, as it were.

Great little package that was... Enjoy yours!

"Impact Damage" is used as liberally as the LAPD uses "Obstruction of justice"

Maybe the AW100 is the answer lol



That second picture is priceless btw lol

ChasCS

Hi kyoshinikon,
That does appear as if it would be a decent little unit.,.
I like it

The price is also very Cool... ;-)
Thanks for the idea!

WestEndBoy

The AW110 (replaces the AW100) looks like a decent camera. But I have no experience with them. My point and shoots were from Pentax.

You are going to give up a lot by selecting a point and shoot over a Coolpix A though. As an example, my J3, using the Nikon 1 CX sized sensor, is a very lame focuser compared to my Coolpix A, the image quality only approaches my Coolpix A when the light is great and the Coolpix A's lens is superior (note it is a prime 25mm 35mm equivalent, not a zoom). Stepping down to a point and shoot is another, maybe two, steps.

If you are interested in a good underwater camera, the AW1 is the best money can buy at the moment. However, it is still a CX sensor and will not offer as good image quality as a DX sensor.

However, if you want an underwater camera that will fit in your shirt pocket, then the AW110 or one of the Pentax underwater models is the way to go - though the Nikon AW110 is smaller than the Pentax underwater point and shoots.

NSXTypeR

I dunno, male walruses get kind of scary when they fight amongst each other when they want to fight for mates.

Certainly would not want "death by walrus" on my death certificate, but this is kind of cool.

Photobug

Your right, male walruses are very scray when they fight. My wife loves National Geographic and I saw a special on Walruses. Love the shot of the walrus on the sub.

ChasCS

Yes, interesting article and pics.

In the first picture, the giant mammal appears to have a fresh cut on his right rear flipper.
The skin is hanging loose under a cut or abrasion.
I wonder if there was a recent fight, or perhaps it got bitten by a predator in the water?

They sure seem to be friendly, atleast, within this story .
Yes, but I wouldn't want to get too close to it either, to find out how fast they can move that blubbery body.
Those large tusks are very much bigger in real life.

ThomasHorton

I don't know if I would want to get that close to a wild Walrus.

I keep thinking "One reason Walruses are not extinct is that they are quite capable of defending themselves from predators". I would hate to catch a Walrus in a bad mood.