We have all played in puddles as children. My love for water, however, never faded as I grew older, and when I immersed myself in nature photography as a teenager, I discovered a particular fascination with waterbirds. I was immediately faced with the challenge of how to photograph birds that spend most of their time in water or mud, far beyond our reach. I will talk about the tools and techniques I have experimented with over the years in an attempt to enter the habitats of waterbirds.