Page 101 - AlertDiver_Winter2013

www.alertdiver.com | 99
are only six or seven distinct types of personalities. With 7 billion
people on the planet, there must be a billion who think like I do.
Of those, I need 50 or 60 a year who are divers and photographers
and who have the means and desire to go on a grand adventure.
SF// Many of these trips are to very remote locales. Have
you or your guests ever been hurt?
AN// Thankfully, I have a perfect record with my guests. No
one has ever been hurt on one of my expeditions. I can’t say
the same for myself though. In 2002 on my way to Antarctica
I was walking down some steps on a ship. The seas can
be massive on that crossing, but we were actually in calm
waters. The railings were iced over, and I just took a bad
step. I had a 35-pound Pelican case with camera gear in my
hand, and I started rolling down the steps … hard. My head
hit the rail, and I ended up on the deck unconscious.
They called the ship’s doctor, and I got stitches, but I
was still in a bad way with a concussion. I needed to be
evacuated, but that couldn’t happen until we got to King
George Island air base. It consists of a gravel runway, and the
only way out is on a Twin Otter aircraft. They dispatch them
from Chile but evaluate the weather when they are halfway
there. If it is good in Antarctica, they will continue; if it’s bad,
they’ll turn back. Most of the time they turn back.
We called DAN® on the satellite phone, and everything
was arranged when we arrived at King George Island. I can’t
credit DAN with arranging the good weather that allowed the
evacuation, but they arranged and paid for everything else. I
saw the bill, and the evacuation alone cost more than $30,000.
DAN paid for the evacuation, the hospital in Chile and even
first-class airfare back home. We require DAN insurance for
all guests on our expeditions. We hope we never have to use it
again, but we are thrilled to know it works.
SF// How do you keep your images in circulation? Are
you active in the stock-photography business?
AN// I recognize going into trips like these that my yield
may be very small. When it is good, it is outstanding, but it is
not like you photographing queen angels in the Florida Keys.
There are no guarantees for me; I accept that.
That also minimizes my interest in stock photography
or other commercial outlets for my images. I have no
patience for applying the metadata and captions and then
organizing images and submitting them for the relatively
low rate of return on stock photos these days. I keep a small
selection of my very best in circulation and concentrate on
syndicating some stories after I do the trips. Europe and Asia
are particularly good markets for me at the moment — even
more so than the United States, in terms of photojournalism.
SF// I see from your website that you have a very active
travel schedule in 2013.
AN // Yes, I’m going on location for humpback whales, blue
whales, anacondas, crocodiles, sperm whales, sailfish and
marlin. You’ll notice when I talk about travel I talk mostly
about what the animal is rather than where it is. I will have
researched the location, time of year and infrastructure
necessary to get the job done, but in the end it is all about
the specific animal and how we can put the odds in our favor
to get the encounter and capture the image. AD
Clockwise from below left: Blue whale, Sri Lanka — The most thrilling experience of them all is to be so close, so safe, in the company of this
60-foot giant while freediving. Sperm whale, Dominica — A close encounter with Scar, the friendly sperm whale. Nile crocodile, Okavango River,
Botswana — Diving experiences with these giants are safe when led by experienced guides and at the appropriate time for human encounters.