Basic HTML Version
Photo Tips for Guadalupe
In our ship’s briefing the captain asked for any photographers on board to
raise their hands. I expected there might be six or eight of us, but incredibly
24 hands shot up. There were no nonphotographers on the trip. Of course,
the definition of “photography” varied; some divers used expensive, housed
digital single-lens reflex cameras with strobes, while others were perfectly
content to use point-and-shoot cameras with small, plastic housings. One
girl confirmed her photo passion was using a wet-case to protect her
iPhone. These sharks are such compelling subjects and the adventure so
memorable, one is compelled to take stills or
video by whatever means available. To that
end, here are a few tips:
1. The cages are fine for four people, unless
one of the four has giant strobe arms.
You don’t necessarily need dual strobes,
but if you use them make sure the arms
articulate easily around obstructions in
the cage. A single, quick-recycling strobe
is ideal.
2. I often used a 16-35mm zoom, but many of my best shots were at
35mm end, which meant the sharks weren’t always all that close.
Sometimes they did come within 2 feet, and those were my best shots
from the trip. Even in crystalline visibility, resolution and color will suffer
in photos taken from 8 to 10 feet away.
3. A fast shutter speed is a good idea. At least 1/250 second is advisable
because both the shark and the cage will be moving. Multiple shooters will
be jockeying for the best angle, and their in-cage movements may make it
tough to hold steady. All of this is exacerbated if there is surface chop as
well. Fortunately, modern cameras perform well with high ISO settings, so
operate at the highest strobe synch speed, and you should be OK.
4. Consider handholding your strobe. I like to be nimble in aiming my
strobe light, moving it backward to minimize the light on the sharks’
white bellies or moving it to the side if a school of shiny fish is situated
between me and the shark.
5. Some may choose to shoot with available light, and in the very shallow
water of a surface cage that will work fine. But this leaves the underside
of the shark in shade and won’t dramatically illuminate the teeth. It will
work, but better shots will come from artful application of strobe light.
6. Don’t forget about the video capability of your camera. Search “great
white shark” on YouTube and you’ll get about 25,000 results, a
confirmation of the validity of this subject for moving pictures. These
sharks are far more accessible today than they were a decade ago, and
the evolution of Guadalupe as the premier white-shark destination has
much to do with this.
But when stories of seasonally consistent encounters with
these huge fish and water clarity of 100 to 150 feet began to
filter back, dive boats equipped with shark cages and surface-
supplied hookah rigs became the next wave of Guadalupe
tourism.
For several years there were only a couple of rustic, albeit
seaworthy, fishing boats making the 20-hour steam frommarinas
in San Diego or Ensenada to the 22-mile-long volcanic island. But
lately, shark viewing in Guadalupe has ramped up in popularity,
and the fleet has improved dramatically. There are usually five
or six vessels anchored in the protected bay during the heart of
the season, which runs from early August through November
each year. Many of these are upscale liveaboards with multiple
surface and subsurface cages tethered to their sterns. Charters
are typically six-day, five-night affairs. Given the time invested
running to the island and the capricious nature of intimate shark
encounters, spending any less time would be counterproductive.
Regulations, too, have changed. In the old days, 45-gallon
drums of blood and chum were constantly ladled into the
sea to create a chum slick. This attracted sharks to the
boat, and tuna throw-baits were used to lure them to the
cages and, ideally, directly to the cameras’ domes. But these
sharks are now well conditioned to the presence of boats
and cages, which makes encounters exceedingly reliable.
The large quantity of bait is no longer necessary to attract
them to viewing distance. This is just as well since the
Mexican government has declared the region a Biosphere
Reserve, protecting not only great white sharks but other
important marine species including the Northern elephant
seal and the Guadalupe fur seal. The government contends
that excessive baiting of the sharks will change their natural
behavior and may even cause injury to them if they run into
a cage while aggressively pursuing throw-baits. So smaller
amounts of chum are now deployed but in different ways.
The end result is that shark encounters are dependable, and
viewing conditions are the best anywhere on the planet for
Carcharodon carcharias. What’s more, there are lots of sharks.
Dive boats have reported as many as 109 individuals in the bay
at the northeast end of the island.
THE IN-WATER EXPERIENCE
While the water clarity at Guadalupe is often exceptional,
the near-shore water can be quite turbid. Depending on
whether the currents are carrying elephant-seal detritus
toward the boats, visibility and particulate matter may affect
photographs. But overall, compared to the other global
hotspots for white-sharking (South Australia and South
Africa), Guadalupe is the king of clarity.
After the long trip out to the island you’ll want to spend
as much time as possible in the water once you’re there, so
be prepared to suit up for 69°F water. Most cage shifts are
60 minutes long, so gauge your need for thermal protection
accordingly. I have been comfortable in a 7mm wetsuit and
hood, but you will likely see drysuits on many of your cage
mates.
Most shark cages are designed to float on the surface
tethered to the stern of the boat. Breathing is done using a
surface-supplied regulator, and the boats will often provide
weight harnesses so the heavy load of lead required to offset suit
buoyancy near the surface is carried on the shoulders as well as
the hips. There will be long rectangular slits in the cage large
enough to accommodate a big dome but small enough to keep
the business end of a great white shark outside. Some boats also
provide subsurface cages. These can be suspended at 30 to 40
feet, allowing a different perspective of the sharks’ approaches
and even an upward view toward the other cages.
AD
www.alertdiver.com
|
69