Submerged Eastern Painted Turtle

When the water is clear and the lighting is good, you can sometimes get good looks at turtles even when they're submerged like with the 1st picture of an Eastern Painted Turtle [1]. And although it can take some patience, if you can't see the turtle clearly while it's underwater, they do have to at least poke their head out of the water periodically to breathe, like in the 2nd picture. (Note this strategy doesn't work on fish.)

Generally speaking, I'll usually only get decent submerged pictures when my subject is pretty close to the surface. Most ponds and canals have water that's murkier than a swimming pool [2].

Here are older underwater photo successes of a Red-eared Slider and an Eastern Painted Turtle. Don't give up on a picture just because of a little water.

May 11, 2023 at Great Swamp
Photo 282421257, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

May 11, 2023 at Great Swamp
Photo 282421265, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] Reminder: If you see scutes separated by prominent light-colored lines that are almost straight from left-to-right, you've got an Eastern Painted Turtle (at least here in New Jersey).

[2] If your swimming pool is murkier than natural waterways, it's probably time to up the chlorine.

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