Socorro

The Socorro Islands (Revillagigedos Archipelago) are an amazing dive destination that we had the good fortune to visit in February aboard the Solmar V.  Often overshadowed by their perhaps more famous eastern Pacific cousins Cocos Island and the Galapagos, they are certainly a world class destination in their own right with some amazing diving and big animal encounters.

Humpback Whales, Dolphins, Manta Rays, Tuna and Sharks (Hammerheads, Galapagos, Silky, Whitetip, Silvertip, Whalesharks) are frequent encounters and these islands can claim to have some of the most diver friendly animals we have ever experienced.  The Dolphins and Manta Rays in particular appear to actively seek out diver interactions with the later basking in the jacuzzi created by divers bubbles.

Unfortunately due to bad weather we didn't manage to visit Roca Partida which is one of the three main islands of the archipelago and where the Solmar V went on to experience 2 months of in water interactions with a Humpback Mother and Calf.  Oh well, it looks like we'll have to go back again one day then doesn't it!! :)

Filmed by:  Simon Spear & Zoe Spear
Edited by:  Simon Spear
Music:  Requiem For Your Soul / Smartsound Royalty Free Music

Note:  This was our first trip diving and filming with the Sony FS100 and Amphibico Genesis housing.  We experienced significant issues with both the camera and the housing which meant that 90% of the footage we shot was basically useless.  This film has been made from the remaining 10% that was salvageable.  The majority of the footage is from the FS100 while the surface shots and a couple of underwater clips are from the Canon 7D.  If you would like to know the issues filming underwater with the Sony FS100 and the Sony NXCAM range in general then please feel free to contact me.

Magical Moments | Shark Attack!

This is quite a short clip for "Magical Moments", but it is not every day that you get attacked by a shark is it?!  Of course popular media would have you believe that if you jump into the sea then you will be devoured almost instantly, but despite their fearsome reputation these days there are just not that many sharks out there and they very rarely attack humans.  Very rarely, but not never...

So we were in the Socorro Islands recently, a wonderful place full of Sharks, Mantas, Dolphins and Whales which reminds you a little of what the ocean should look like without human interference.  One natural phenomenon that they have been seeing a lot of lately are baitballs, which is when fish group together for protection as they are hunted by a predator or predators working as a team.  The baitball that we encountered at Socorro was of juvenile Jacks which were being hunted by Tuna, Silvertip, Silky and Galapagos sharks.  

As soon as I'd entered the water I felt an almighty smack on my back and I was pushed underwater.  I assumed that someone had jumped off the RIB on top of me, but when I turned around no one was there.  I later found out from the guys on the boat that a Galapagos shark had literally jumped on top of me as soon as I'd entered the water!

The action was fast!  The bait fish were swimming everywhere in an effort to confuse the predators and make their escape.  It's not advisable to get into the ball of fish themselves as sharks will often lunge through with open jaws hoping to snag a fish and if you are in their way you could get a nasty surprise.  So when the fish start to congregate around you for protection you know it is time to try to move out of the way. 

The Baitball had broken up and I was backing away from a group of fish heading in my direction when the Galapagos shark from earlier made its return.  It had obviously taken a liking for the electronics in my camera housing because rather than following after the fish it diverted towards me and as I pushed it away it proceeded to take a chunk out of my brand new Amphibico housing.  It was the first time that the housing had been in the water and it was attacked by a shark!  Believe me that is quite an achievement!

So not really a shark attack on me, but certainly a reality check and a reminder that you can never become complacent when sharks are around and in hunting mode!  And remember - sharks are in far more danger from man that we are from them!

Magical Moments | Friendly Manatee

During cold spells Manatees head in droves for the fresh water springs around Crystal River, Florida as the water temperature in this area remains a constant 72 degF. 

On one exceptionally cold winter day a few years ago I managed to film this incredibly friendly Manatee.  They really are wonderful creatures and although it is illegal to pursue or harass or even touch a Manatee they will often seek out snorkelers and divers to interact with them and maybe get a belly rub.

Sadly their numbers appear to be in a steady decline so it is unknown how much longer we will be able to share experiences like this one.

Magical Moments | Common Dolphins

The west coast of Scotland is a truly magical place and it is one of the few places on earth where I feel totally at peace.  Something about the light, the air and the lack of people no doubt!

In June 2011 I spent a week sailing around the islands of Mull, Tiree, Gunna and Coll looking for Basking sharks.  We had some amazing wildlife encounters and (Baskers aside) one of the most special was with a playful pod of Common Dolphins.

Anyone who has spent any time out on the water around the UK knows just how unpredictable our weather can be.  The number of days I have spent in harbour looking out at rough seas is uncountable and up until that point the spring and summer weather of 2011 had been atrocious.  Yet occasionally, very, very occasionally we can chance upon perfect conditions and that day was definitely one of those days.

As we were heading out from the harbour of Tobermory over totally flat seas we came across this pod of anywhere between 50 - 200 dolphins.  I sat on the bow for an hour or more as the dolphins surfed the bow wave and played all around us.  Most people wouldn't even believe that encounters like this were possible in UK waters.  Truly Amazing.

Oliver Spear - Homo Aquaticus

 

For someone who is in love with water, watching your little boy or girl learn to swim is a joyful experience.  We first introduced Oliver to the water when he was 12 weeks old as part of the same structured training programme which enabled his big sister Gracie to earn her 100 meters distance badge only a few weeks after she turned 4.

From birth babies have a natural reflex to close their epiglottis whilst submerged underwater but unless trained they have normally forgotten this by the time they reach 6 months old.  The Homo Aquaticus (Aquatic Ape) theory has now been largely discredited, but it is nice to let your imagination run wild for a bit and imagine that it was our ancestors interaction with water rather than de-forestation in East Africa due to climate change that set man on a different path to the other creatures on our planet.

Magical Moments | Tiger Shark

During February 2008 we visited Aliwal Shoal in South Africa to film and dive with Tiger Sharks.  The 'blue water' shark dive that takes place at Aliwal has become rather famous and it is certainly one of the most adrenaline loaded diving activities you can undertake. 

The dive is baited with drums of chum so admittedly this dive is not to everyone's taste, however as a shark spectacle it is hard to beat.  You can see many dozens of Blacktips (C.limbatus) in addition to Dusky Sharks, Bronze Whalers, the occasional Bull shark and up to eight Tiger Sharks which is the most we saw on a single dive.    Very, very occasionally a White shark could turn up, but this is extremely rare.

I'm not afraid of sharks and I don't mean that in a bravado macho beating my chest kind of way.  I'm fully aware that even a moderately small shark could quite easily kill me if it chose to attack, but they don't, well at least they don't attack unprovoked very often. 

Diving with Tiger sharks in a baited situation however was the most unnerving experience I've ever had in the water.  They seem capable of lulling you into an almost hypnotic state and can come incredibly close to you before you are even aware of it.  As this is a mid water dive at times we had three or four Tiger sharks coming at us from all directions which certainly appeared to be co-ordinated behaviour.  Looking down and seeing a Tiger shark coming vertically up at you from below certainly gets your blood pumping and on more than one occasion I literally had a shark at the end of my dome port that needed to be pushed away relatively aggressively.  Great for pictures yes, but maybe not so good for your life expectancy...

In my opinion without dedicated safety divers this would be a very dangerous dive.  I've heard lots of unofficial reports of injury, some minor, some fairly major.  I've also heard of lax diving practices by some of the operators so this is definitely not a dive to be done lightly.  However despite the warnings it has to be said this this is one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had underwater and deserves to be included as a very Magical (if slightly unnerving) Moment!

Filmed: Simon Spear
Music:  Furnace (Smartsound Royalty Free Music)

Magical Moments | Flamboyant Cuttlefish Eggs

The instant that a bunch of cells sparks into life and turns into something much more than the sum of its parts is a truly Magical Moment.

We spent a couple of months during the winter of 2009/10 diving the famous Lembeh Strait which has become world renowned as a biodiversity hotspot.  When diving there it often feels like you are in Disneyland as one strange creature after another can be spotted in your camera lens.

A couple of days before Christmas 2009 we had been on a relatively uneventful dive by Lembeh's standards.  That all changed however when I spotted an upside down coconut shell and turned it over to see if anything had been hiding beneath it. 

To my surprise I found the inside of the coconut shell packed with tiny eggs with miniscule baby cuttlefish inside, probably not much bigger than a grain of rice.  I set my camera up, started to film and was stunned to see the baby cuttlefish moving around inside the eggs getting ready to be born.  Truly remarkable.

**  More footage of these Flamboyant Cuttlefish Eggs and newborn hatchlings can be seen in my film "Circle of Life"  http://youtu.be/U_bcFEyTVFk

Magical Moments | Mother & Calf Humpback Whale

The Silver Banks are world renowned as a Humpback Whale nursery that lie midway between the Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos Islands.  Every year from mid February until mid April female Humpback Whales take up resident at the banks to nurse their new born calf's before a long and arduous journey north to their summer feeding grounds.

During March 2010 we spent a magical week at the Silver Banks and we were privileged to spend nearly 2 whole days in the water with this mother and her calf.  The mother will sleep much of the time and will surface to breathe every 10 minutes or so.  However the young calf needs to breathe every few minutes and will surface much more often so if you wait calmly at the surface you will sometimes be rewarded with spectacles like this...

Personally I still believe that the week I spent at Silver Banks was the most memorable of all encounters I've ever had underwater.  At times you simply had to stop filming and just watch what was going on in front of you with an open jaw and when you got a chance to look closely into the eyes of these magnificent creatures you were certain that you were starring deep into their souls.

**  These Humpbacks can also been seen in my short film 'hope'

Filmed: Simon Spear
Music:  Prelude in Dreamtime (Smartsound Royalty Free Music)

Magical Moments | Friendly Turtle

Very occasionally while diving we are fortunate to experience a natural high so intense that it literally feels like it touches your soul.  With "Magical Moments" I hope to regularly share some of these amazing experiences that I have been lucky enough to witness.  All clips will be one shot unedited sequences - a moment in time never to be repeated, yet never, ever forgotten.

First up is a very friendly Turtle that I met last year in the Red Sea

Magical Moments | Friendly Turtle

I spotted this Hawksbill Turtle on a reef outside Hurghada towards the end of a Red Sea Liveaboard trip out to the offshore marine parks in the southern Egyptian Red Sea.

Due to the shear numbers of divers from the Red Sea resorts Turtles often get severely mobbed when spotted here.  Today however at this rarely visited reef I was completely on my own, so I had the opportunity to spend maybe 30 minutes just watching and filming him from a distance while trying to make him comfortable in my presence.  Eventually my patience paid off and he moved away from the reef where he had been feeding towards where I had been waiting for him in open water. 

I'd seen shots of Turtles coming right up to camera dome ports before and had always wanted to experience it.  The reality was as good as I'd ever imagined it would be as he came over, put his head right up against the dome port and peered straight into the lens of my camera.  A truly Magical Moment.

Nearly all species of Marine Turtles are classified as Engandered. Who knows if this ocean nomad will ever encounter a human again.  If he does lets hope it is a positive experience.

What Would You Say?

Our new conservation themed short film about our Ocean and just a few of the many challenges that lie ahead is now available to view online.  Hopefully it will get the grey matter working!!

As always best viewed in HD!!

Solstice - Scotland's Basking Sharks

I've been a little lax in posting any updates here of late, but I wanted to share a new film with you called "Solstice".  Here is the blurb and the YouTube version:

"Winter fades, Spring dawns and the seasons inevitably move on towards Midsummer, where an encounter with one of Nature’s true giants awaits...."

RED Scarlet X On Order!

I'm very excited as I have a RED Scarlet X on order with delivery hopefully some time in the next couple of months!  The Scarlet is the little sister to the RED EPIC and is capable of shooting at up to 4k (x4HD) resolution.  It certainly is a beast in a small package and I can't wait to get my hands on it!  Hopefully I'll be able to get it underwater some time during 2012!

EPICENTER

Hi all

Just to let you know that I've uploaded a new short film called EPICENTER.  It is an expanded version from the one first shown in Circle of Life that showcases Lembeh Strait, Indonesia and all the weird and wonderful creatures that can be found there.  I've had this project in my 'Things to Do' folder for months, but I finally found a few days to finish it off.  Enjoy!

Cheers, Simon

The Fin Trail - Updated Trailer!

Hi all

Just to let you know that an updated trailer for The Fin Trail is now online and can be viewed at:

www.thefintrail.com

Bahamas Photos Now Online!

The photos from our May visit to the Bahama Banks are now online!  Here are a few samples:

For the full gallery please visit here.  Enjoy :)

The Fin Trail Petition

The petition running in conjunction with our new feature documentary 'The Fin Trail' has now been launched.  Please visit here to sign the petition and help to end shark finning.

The Fin Trail

Hi all

I'm really excited to let you know about the new film that we've been working on, so here is the pre-production trailer for 'The Fin Trail'.

The Fin Trail is a Co-Production between Elasmo Films UK and Director Steve Bowles from Eyewitness Productions Ltd.  It will document an investigation into the global shark fin trade and will be the most revealing and hardest hitting shark film ever made.

For full details and a chance to help out with the film then please visit The Fin Trail's website www.thefintrail.com.

Awards for Circle of Life

Circle of Life has certainly been picking up some awards over the last couple of months!  Here is a full list and an embedded You Tube version of the film for those who have not seen it yet.  Enjoy! :)

34th International Wildlife Film Festival 2011

- Honourable Mention for Cinematography

Beneath the Sea Underwater Image Festival 2011

- Third - Short Film

Our World Underwater International Image Festival 2011 

- Gold - General Film
 

Eastern Mediterranean Underwater Film Festival 2011

- Winner - Professional Short Film
 

British Underwater Image Festival 2011

- Highly Commended - Mares Professional Category
 

Capture the World - 2010 Underwater Video Challenge

- Third - Short Film

International Underwater FIlm Festival Belgrade 2010 

- Third - Independent Producers

Red Sea Photos Updated

We've just returned from a week aboard Blue O Two's Blue Fin liveaboard in the Red Sea (looks like we got out of Egypt just in time!).  I'd actually forgotten just how much fun diving in the Red Sea can be, so it was great to be reminded.  We've updated the Red Sea Photo Gallery on the website so go take a look.

While Zoe was taking photos I was doing some more experimenting filming with the Canon 7D HDSLR.  It's a great bit of kit and provided you have the knowledge to shoot in full manual mode you can get some amazing results comparable with dedicated video cameras costing many, many thousands more.  To give you some idea of its capabilities I've posted a couple of random clips below which were all shot using MWB and natural light with no filters. 

Circle of Life

I've had to change tact a little with my latest film 'Circle of Life'.  Originally I'd planned to produce a 24 or 48 min documentary, but I've become increasingly bogged down with other (very exciting) projects and as these other projects are actually helping to pay the bills I'm finding that I can't turn them down.  I've therefore decided to publish 'Circle of Life' exclusively on our website for now as a series of stand alone but interconnected short films.

Please visit the Circle of Life webpage for full details.

Cheers, Simon

Palau

Well better late than never - here is my review of diving in Palau that was recently published in the Shark Conservation Society's biannual newsletter.  Obviously it has a shark bias, but its hard not to have that after a visit there!

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I'd always been intrigued  with any mention of the shark Nirvana that is The Republic of Palau.  Iconic names like Blue Corner, Big Drop Off, German Channel & Ulong Channel are world famous dive sites and nearly always come top of any 'best dive in the world' survey.  In September (09) when the news broke that the government of Palau had become the first country to declare their entire territorial waters a shark sanctuary, I knew it was time to pay a visit. 

I arrived in Palau after spending the previous 3 months diving around Indonesia and the Philippines.  The diving had been outstanding, yet I was somewhat despondent by a distinct lack of shark sightings, emphasising the massive depletion levels in this part of the world.  Everything however was about to change.  My first dive in Palau put me face to face with more sharks than I'd seen in the previous 3months/150 dives!   Schooling Grey Reef sharks, White Tip Reef sharks, Manta Rays & Eagle Rays.  There were a couple of sightings of Great Hammerheads during the three weeks I was there and I even nearly sat on a Bull shark, but that's another story for another day.  There was not one dive that I did not see a shark, most dives I saw 30-40 and some dives I saw literally hundreds.  Palau really was as good as I'd heard it to be.  Actually it was even better.  You rarely get to see sharks hunting, but I witnessed it on four or five occasions.  Large spawning aggregations of Unicornfish and Moorish Idols were getting relentlessly harassed and on one occasion in particular we came across a baitball of a mackerel type fish called Scad that literally blocked out the sun.  We sat for 40 mins right in the middle of that baitball while around 50 sharks took their breakfast, lunch and dinner.  A truly breathtaking spectacle and perhaps a reminder of how all coral reefs used to be before man came along.

For all its wonders Palau still sits on a knife edge.  Like many of us they have been struggling lately and they hope that shark tourism will be a route out of recession.  They certainly need to be supported for their stance.  Well run shark eco-tourism can be positive for all parties.  The tourists, the local economy and of course the sharks all benefit.  If however Palau don't see a marked improvement in their economy rest assured that the fishing fleets of the world are ready and waiting in the wings.  It would take maybe as little as a couple of years to turn Palau into 'just another dive location', rather than the incredibly special oasis that I witnessed during my time there.

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Update

Disappointingly I've been hearing strong rumours that shark fishing/finning continues in Palau waters with the fishing fleets using a 'mothership' set up outside of Palau's territorial waters to stop them having to land the sharks and fins in Palau.  Like I said these are just rumours that I'm hearing, but it shows just how hard it is to police marine areas even when protection is in place!

Red Sea Cancelled :(

As I write this I was due to be in the southern Red Sea looking for two sharks that have always been fairly elusive to me - Oceanic Whitetips and Hammerheads.   Well true to form they continue to be elusive!

I've always been a bit clumsy (some would argue very clumsy), but I think I have now set some kind of personal record in clumsiness.  As I was walking out of our front door last weekend I somehow managed to break the 4th and 5th metatarsal bones in my left foot.  Although I asked the doctor to 'strap me up' so that I could still go on the trip he looked at me sternly before instructing the nurse to encase my left leg in a fibreglass plaster.  Needless to say I wont be doing any more diving this year! :(

Well looking back it has been an incredible year with probably the best diving I have ever seen.  I'm currently beavering away in the editing studio working on a full length version of Circle of Life (you can see a preview here) in addition to a number of other projects that are rolling in, some of which are VERY interesting.  We're also in the process of planning next years filming which will mainly be in the UK, so time to get the drysuit serviced!  Thankfully the team at Emperor Divers allowed me to cancel my trip at short notice so I can rebook it and at least get some warm water diving in next year!  Phew! :)

Photo Gallery Back Online!

After being offline for a few months I've managed to get our main website's Photo Gallery back up and running and updated.

Updates include Indonesia, the Humpback Whales of Silver Banks, the Maldives and the British Isles with more galleries, notably Palau coming online as soon as I can find the time to organize the photos!

Here are a couple of samples for you to enjoy! :) 

Shark Conservation Society

The Shark Conservation Society was created to be a 'hands on' practical organization that seeks to further conservation through research expeditions and campaigns based on fact and to promote best practice when interaction with sharks is necessary.  This film gives a short introduction to the Society, a recap on past achievements and an indication of their future plans.

Shark Conservation Society

Palau - First Impressions

I'd been hoping for a lot from Palau. Over the years I've heard so many great things about the place. Almost every diver I've ever spoken to who has been to Palau ranks it as some of the best diving they have ever done and Blue Corner in particular nearly always comes out top in any list of top dive sites in the world. So lets just say that I had high expectations. Yet after only four days of diving in Palau I've seen enough to realise that I don't think I had set my expectations high enough!! The diving really is that good.

This is just a first impressions write up, so I'll give you one example that has already blown my mind. We were diving along 'Ulong Wall' making our way towards the 'Channel' when we came across an enormous baitball getting harassed by some Golden Trevally. The sheer size and numbers of fish in the baitball were astounding and in addition to the Trevally it was getting pounded by twenty or so large Groupers, Napoleon Wrasse and Snappers. Then the Sharks rocked up and all hell really broke loose!

Maybe a dozen Grey Reef Sharks were darting in and out of the baitball joining the other predators and prey in a mesmerising dance. We hooked on with our Reef Hooks and spent the next 40 mins inside and on the fringes of the baitball with a front row seat to the breathtaking spectacle.

It's a fairly silent world underwater. Yes of course you hear your constant 'darth vadar' breathing and on busy dive sites you often hear an incessant banging and rattling from dive guides as they attempt to keep their groups under control, but I've never heard noise from fish before. As the frightened fish in the baitball moved into overdrive to avoid becoming prey a deep rumble could be heard, so deep and loud that you could feel it as a vibration in your chest. A most strange experience. Add that to the screams of delight from me and Zoe and you have quite a racket!!

So Palau. Well we've got another two weeks of diving here before I finally make up my mind, but what I've seen so far certainly indicates that it could be even more special than everyone told me it would be!  :)

Red Blue RIng Octopus Mystery Deepens....

Hi all

Well I'm getting some interesting feedback regarding the Red Blue Ring Octopus that we saw at Lembeh. One suggestion is that the colour shown could be some form of fluorescence captured by the filter that I was using on my camera at the time which is an interesting idea. Reports have also come in of a Pink Blue Ring being spotted before, but none so far of a Red Blue Ring. Also interestingly the Blue Ring did at times revert (in flashes) to its more 'common' beige/brown colours shown below:



Before once again reverting to the red colour shown here and in previous photos:



So the Mystery deepens! Feedback would be really appreciated!


UPDATE:

Ok some reports of Red Blue Rings are starting to come in from the Lembeh area. I'm passing all my info onto a couple of experts to see if there is anything particularly interesting about this, or if it is just a storm in a tea cup! I'll let you know if anything comes of it...

Cheers, Simon

Lembeh Strait, N Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi, Indonesia is world famous for its 'muck' diving. There are not many pretty coral reefs there and volcanic black sand makes up the majority of what is an often featureless underwater landscape. It may not be pretty, but this place is mind blowing.



From the moment you enter the water you are almost guaranteed to see critters and creatures that you've only dreamed of in your imagination. Pygmy Seahorses, Mimic Octopus', Wonderpuss, Frogfish, Hairy Frogfish, Flying Gurnards, Mantis Shrimps, Dragonets, Sea Moths, every conceivable type of Scorpionfish and all types, shapes, sizes and colours of Nudibranch and Crustaceans. There is little coral cover and therefore not many places for these critters to hide which makes spotting them and perhaps more importantly photographing and filming them an absolute delight.



We've spent the last 4 weeks in Lembeh diving, filming and photographing our way up and down the dive sites. I've never had a more productive trip for the quality and quantity of images captured. There were only a few dives in the whole time we were there that were not incredibly special. It was rare if you didn't at least once on a dive spit your regulator out in amazement at what your guide had found hiding away and sometimes you had a never ending procession of willing models just lining up for your attention.



Despite all the incredible moments one does stand out more than the others. I'd never seen a Flamboyant Cuttlefish before this trip and they were top of my list of targets to film. I'd never in my wildest imagination expected to find their eggs hatching and the tiny juvenile cuttlefish starting to hunt only moments after birth. I got to spend maybe 20-30 mins watching and filming this incredible spectacle. The miracle of life happening right there before our eyes. It was one of those special moments that happen while diving that will live in our thoughts forever and we feel so privileged to have witnessed it.



It is certainly going to take a lot to beat our time in Lembeh. We're spending a week more or less off diving in the Philippines right now but our next destination just may be one of the only places in the world that could be a step up.

The Republic of Palau.

One things for certain and that's that we are going to have a hell of a time finding out!!

Cheers, Simon

Red Blue Ring Octopus??

Hi All

Just a quick request. Has anyone seen or heard of a Red Blue Ring Octopus? I've seen beige and yellow before but never the colour in the photos posted below. If anyone has any info then I'd appreciate an email as I'm struggling to find out anything right now!

Bunaken Marine Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

It's been almost 5 weeks since we left the Island of Bunaken. Christmas and New Year have come and gone, but due to a crazy schedule and severe internet connection issues I've not had time to give an update on our time there. Well here it is - better late than never!



The Bunaken Marine National Park was established in 1991 and has helped to minimise the threats to this unique area of high marine bio-diversity. Don't be fooled though - this is not a pristine environment. Fishing is still allowed inside the park boundary and the lack of shoaling predatory fish and other large predators appears to be a direct result. Blacktip and Whitetip Reef Sharks are present in small numbers, but appeared wary of divers. Some environmental damage is apparent in the park, but most of this is historical and when in excess of 20,000 people are dependent on the park's resources for their livelihoods you do need to take a pragmatic approach to what is and what is not possible in conservation terms.



On the plus side Bunaken has great vis and some of the most spectacular and healthy coral reefs you'll ever see. Ripping and sometimes bizarre currents can make diving here a challenge. You can be zipping along a wall only to come to a dead stop, be sent up or down and then thrown back down the wall from where you've just come. This is not uncommon, but on two occasions in particular we experienced the most intense upwellings and down currents we've ever known - literally seat of your pants diving!



So yes we enjoyed Bunaken. We enjoyed it a lot! But after 4 weeks we were overdue a move and ended up on the other side of the North Sulawesi peninsular diving in the Lembeh Strait. Now that's a story that will have to wait until another day..... :)

Ahhh the Maldives...

Ahhhhhh the Maldives, what a great place to Dive!


In two weeks we must have seen 40-60 Grey Reef Sharks, White Tip Reef Sharks, Juvenile Blacktip Reef and Nurse Sharks, Stings Rays of all shapes and sizes, Eagle Rays and had Manata Rays literally dancing over our heads. The fish life is just as prolific as I remembered it to be with huge schools of Jacks, Snappers, Fusileers and Triggerfish. Despite the virtually constant currents it is also a nice macro spot and we saw lots of different Flatworms, Nudi's and even Frogfish and a couple of Peakcock Mantis Shrimp.



Well the first leg of our trip is over, we're home for a week regrouping and sheltering from the rain then we're off again next week. Next update from Bunaken Marine Park, N.Sulawesi!

Oh Dear...

Well I just got home to the news that Tigress Productions (working for the BBC) have nicked a Shark Conservation Society idea and now plan to send Monty Halls up to Scotland towing around a rubber seal looking for White Sharks. Here's the link to the SCS release.

We're on the move....

Well the time has come and we've packed the dive kit, checked the camera gear, got lots of new gadgets to try out and we've even managed to fit a couple of T-Shirts into the suitcases!

We leave for the Maldives on Sunday at the start of a four month filming expedition taking in many of the hot spots of world diving. November will see us camped in the Bunaken Marine Park, N. Sulawesi before moving onto Lembeh in December. January we arrive in the Philippines where we will be filming around Puerto Galera before heading off to Palau for three weeks to experience its many iconic sites. Then to round it all off we head back west to the Caribbean where we are heading out to the Silver Banks to film and swim with the Humpbacks that congregate there from Feb-Apr each year.

It's by far the longest duration trip we've ever undertaken and all this with Gracie who turned 1 last weekend! I'm sure there will be a few ups and downs, but really how many downs can there possibly be? :) Time and internet connection permitting I'll try to post some photos and video to keep you all updated to what we've seen on our travels....

Cheers, Simon

Climate Change

As part of the research for our next broadcast length film I've been reading up extensively on climate change scenarios and it's pretty scary stuff. Here are some facts that may make you sit up and think:

Lets get this straight from the start. All the talk of stopping Climate Change has ceased. If you listen carefully all the talk now is of limiting Climate Change and the mitigation of the more extreme realities that it will bring. Climate change is happening right now. Earth has had wild fluctuations of climate in the past but the main difference here is that man has no historical record of this experience because our history spans only a few millennia. The last time man was around and there was a major climate shift in pre-history, humans were very nearly wiped off the face of the planet and the entire human population could have been reduced to only a few hundred individuals.

At the upper estimate our Climate could increase by 6 degrees centigrade over the next century. The last time that there was that much variation in our climate was during the last Ice Age when the earth was 6 degrees colder and ice sheets a kilometer thick covered Europe and North America. Imagine what a 6 degree increase could do.

There is a lot of talk about reducing carbon emissions (the main driver for climate change) and returning them to a level that will slow the rate of change to allow our planet and us in particular to adapt to the new world that we will live in. In the real world carbon emissions are actually increasing, but not only that the rate of increase is actually accelerating!

A recent article suggests that Earth's sea level rise has been greatly underestimated over the long term. With the carbon we already have pumped into our atmosphere sea levels will eventually come into equilibrium 25 meters higher than they are today. 25 meters. As divers we know exactly how deep, or how high 25 meters is and its a scary proposition.

These are just a few snippets from a long list of predictions. Some of them could be accurate and some will undoubtedly be wide of the mark. One thing is for certain though - things are going to change and it wont be in some distant future: we will be sitting right there in the front row experiencing it in our lifetime. Makes you think eh?

You Tube Channel

Hi all

Just to let you know that we've resurrected our You Tube channel. You can find some of our old favorite videos there, but I've also just uploaded a couple of short films that have not even made an appearance here or on our main website yet!

View from the Blue You Tube Channel

Cheers, Simon

Sharks in British Seas Trailer!

For anyone who has not seen it yet on our main website, here is the Trailer for our DVD 'Sharks in British Seas' available now from www.elasmofilms.com

Sharks in British Seas

Green Sawfish Footage

I've been working on some Green Sawfish (Pristis zijsron) footage over the last couple of days. As far as I've been able to find out it could be the only wild footage of this incredibly rare shark relative in existence, so I'd be very interested to hear from anyone else who has seen or knows of any other footage that could be floating around the archives.

Cheers, Simon

Porbeagle Blues

Well I've just had a very frustrating week in Cornwall. The Shark Conservation Society's (SCS) annual Porbeagle Expedition was severely disrupted this year as we were blown out for 5 of 7 days and the 2 days that we did get out were pretty awful conditions to find sharks in. Based on the conditions of the last 2 years I'm starting to believe that we were incredibly lucky to have such good sightings in 2007 and it's becoming obvious why no one else has managed to film these sharks successfully. It's a good advert for the SCS though and epitomises what the society is all about - never taking the easy option, going out and doing what others shy away from, asking questions and getting answers. Still a nice trip to the Caribbean wouldn't go amiss now and then!

Water Baby!

We've just returned from a great 10 days in Spain where we were photographing and filming our 9 month old daughter Gracie swimming underwater. Some of the results were pretty stunning, so I couldn't resist posting a few previews here for you all to enjoy!



Being able to close their epiglottis when submerged underwater is an amazing ability that babies are born with but without training by the time they are 6 months or so, they will have forgotten and could potentially be in danger when in and around water. Needless to say that Gracie has been having swimming lessons since she was 10 weeks old!



We'll post a full gallery on our main site once we've had time to wade through all the images.

Cheers, Simon

Awards for 'Sharks in British Seas'

Hi all

I'm really excited that 'Sharks in British Seas' has begun to pick up some awards! :) Our film placed 3rd in the Professional category at the recent 'British Underwater Image Festival 2009' and this morning I've just heard that we received an 'Honor of Distinction' in the Broadcast Film Group A category at Celebrate the Sea 2009! These are the only festivals that we've entered into so far, so I better get my application forms filled out and enter a few more!

Cheers, Simon

Today is World Ocean Day

Hi all

Well today is World Ocean Day once again and now more than ever the world needs to become aware of the disaster that is currently unfolding on the high seas of our water planet.

To mark World Ocean Day, today sees the release "End of the Line", a dramatic new film by director Rupert Murray based on the book by Charles Clover. The film looks at what is happening with commercial fisheries right now and the consequences of over exploitation of our marine resources which within the next few decades will lead to the collapse of commercial fisheries worldwide. The film is not all doom and gloom though and this final out come is not set in stone, so the film also looks at what can be done to turn around this dire situation and what action needs to be taken to avoid a worldwide catastrophe.

You can find more details at the films website and the Underwater Channel are currently showing an in depth preview on their website.

Spread the word on World Ocean Day.

Cheers, Simon