By Vladimir Brezina
This week’s Photo Challenge is Surprise.
Kayaking around New York Harbor, we see many surprising things. And one of the most surprising, hidden in a narrow Brooklyn creek, is the wreck of an entire, respectably-sized submarine. The Yellow Submarine of Brooklyn has a fascinating history—involving a crazy but surprisingly well-developed scheme to salvage valuables from a famous sunken ocean liner—that I’ve already written up here and here. So I’ll just post a few photos—
... kayaked the waters around New York for more than 15 years in his red Feathercraft folding kayak. He was originally from (the former) Czechoslovakia and lived in the U.K. and California before settling down in New York. He was a neuroscientist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He died in 2016.
... is a kayaker and technology researcher at Nemertes Research. She's an erstwhile engineer, particle physicist, and science fiction writer. She was born in California and has lived in Italy, Norway, Hawaii, and a few other places. She currently resides in New York City.
 | CurlsnSkirls on The First Leg! |
 | Johna Till Johnson on The First Leg! |
| Johna Till Johnson on The First Leg! |
 | Marilyn Albright on The First Leg! |
| CurlsnSkirls on The First Leg! |
| Johna Till Johnson on Looks Like They Made It! |
 | Pit on Looks Like They Made It! |
| Johna Till Johnson on More Scenes From the Nort… |
| CurlsnSkirls on Halfway There! |
 | Larry Jensen on More Scenes From the Nort… |
| Johna Till Johnson on R2AK: Scenes From the Northern… |
 | Frank Winters on R2AK: Scenes From the Northern… |
| Johna Till Johnson on Halfway There! |
| CurlsnSkirls on Halfway There! |
| Johna Till Johnson on And They’re Off! |
Wind Against Current 
A few years back there was a russian submarine staying in the harbour in Victoria, BC – always amazed at how many people could fit in that tight space! This one looks like it is slowly sinking…
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Yes, it capsized on launch in 1970 and was never the same since…
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Oh, it’s a NICE one!
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:-)
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Vlad, I love the surprise of your red kayak pointing to the submarine in the first photo – neat!
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When in doubt about a kayaking shot, insert your kayak’s bow ;-) (Actually, people come to hate that because it’s so overused.)
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Great shots… :-)
As “ideflex” said above “amazed at how many people could fit in that tight space” – there’s no room for the crew to argue… ;-)
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I don’t know what size crew this submarine was intended to have—probably not too many.
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What a great relic! I’d be surprised if I paddled upon one of those too!
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They are pretty rare :-)
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Wow. What a surprise – great photos too.
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Thanks, Suzanne!
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise! « MKG- Memories-Keepsakes-Gifts
it’s gorgeous in a rusty kind of way
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And all the barnacles are a distinct plus :-)
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Whoa! Who would have ever thought? Love the contrast of the kayak and the rusty old submarine. Now I can’t get the song out of my head, “We all live in a yellow submarine…” lol
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Thanks for mentioning that! I might have to add a soundtrack here…
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise « patriciaddrury
Wow, how interesting, and I loved your previous post about the ship graveyard too, and the background info on the submarine.
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There are lots of surprising things in odd corners of New York Harbor…
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I think I want to get a kayak. I am surrounded by canals here in south florida. I think I’d be afraid of getting my camera wet, though…
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Go for it! Many things can only be seen by kayak—like this submarine, and birds hiding in the vegetation that faces the water…
As far as getting the camera wet goes, yes, it’s an issue. The camera will get wet somehow, sooner or later. I only take my big, non-waterproof camera if I need it for a specific purpose—e.g., to photograph birds—and keep it in a dry bag most of the time. But the rest of the time I use a waterproof camera. The quality is not as good, but it’s still pretty good for general photography. Most of the kayaking photos on this blog were taken with a waterproof camera. See more here, for example.
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I have gotten close but not as close as you!! Great lighting!
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You can only really get close by boat…
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Surprise! | Mirth and Motivation
OH my! I love that story. Grew up in NY and my father was born and raised in Brooklyn and believe it or not I’ve never hear that story, Yellow paint, my word!!
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We didn’t know about it until quite recently, either. New York has so many stories that you can discover if you know how, or just by sheer accident… :-)
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Yes, very surprising, and i though new york was all tall buildings, thanks MJ
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The really tall building are only in certain spots, like downtown and midtown Manhattan. Most of the city is fairly low, though dense. But then there are parks and of course the water…
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Now that’s a surprise! :-)
¸.•*¨*•.♪♫♫♪Happy Holidays to You & Yours!.♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸ ♥
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Eliz
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And to you and yours, Elizabeth!!
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Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Christmas Surprise Triage at Grandma’s | Humbled Pie
What an interesting place to paddle.
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It is! One of many such around the harbor…
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That looks like straight from a movie scene.
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It does, doesn’t it? :-) Happy Holidays!
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How cool! You didn’t find any Blue Meanies in it, did you? Happy Christmas! Solstice, Festivus, Happy New Year and Happy Tuesday!
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Hopefully all the Blue Meanies are imprisoned inside, and can’t get out! Happy all of the above to you too!! :-)
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I didn’t know about this, but, having lived on Staten Island, it’s no surprise – what might be a surprise is the consistently high quality of your photographs when you go out on the water (or around the city). It’s my loss for not getting over here to see them often enough. Your blog is a delight, it really is! Happy Holidays to you & yours!
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Thank you so much for this lovely comment—so encouraging! :-) Likewise, Happy Holidays & New Year to you and your family!! :-)
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