Hello,

I edited a short video form my diving trip to the Azores last summer. I know that a few cuts need to be faster, but there wasn't enough good material ;) I left out B-roll from above water etc. on purpose, because I wanted to show just the dive, without preparation of the chum or anything else. Everybody knows how it looks like, when five divers get ready, jump into the water and they throw blood and fish guts next to you.

I would love to hear your honest feedback and critique :)

I absolutely really like the whole video. Short enough not to step out early and long enough to get an good idea how it was there. The cleaner the went into the gills and the shark that had to check out very closely whether the lens is something to eat or not. Great!

Can you tell something about the dive center and the location? Looks like quite cold water but impressive clear.

Wow, I didn't imagine you would encounter blue sharks that large there.

I'm not a fan of slow motion; yes, perhaps with some faster cuts you could keep it under 3 minutes. The images are very beautiful. I like:

• the sun rays piercing the water

• the pastel blue color, which is absolutely not 'electric'.

• the backlit shots don't have that 'evil' magenta that often appears with compressed codecs.

Did you use N-Raw? Did you set the White Balance (WB) underwater or in post-production? I noticed from the kit and the lighting on the shark that you are using Keldan blue filters. Did you use a Spectrum filter on the lens? What type? From the video, I can't tell what depth you are at.

Thank you in advance

@danka94 lovely images! I quite liked the whole video.

Really nice! I love the soft highlights and the colour is beautiful!

The Azores is an amazing place

Nice video.

Looks like Condor bank near Faial island about 2 hours away from the Island.

@fruehaufsteher2 I was in Pico 2 years ago, try to book princess alice (4 hours from shore) but the weather was not favourable.

Its requirement to make pre-dive so they see your skills underwater, the currents can be strong sometimes.

The condor is shallow dive, theres no anchor line (the reef is about 180m)

The princess Alice bank is about 32m they launch anchor line but if the place is too crowded the last boats will be anchored at the edge of the reef, and the last thing you want is to get your boat adrift while you are secured and line with sharks getting their bait at the end of the line.

Both places are very weather dependent

I recommend Haliotis dive center for this type of dives, its open sea, make sure the boat is not a small zodiac or is too crowded

https://www.discoverfaial.com/experencias/mergulho-com-tubaroes/

ps: Santa Maria is another spectacular Island of azores, especially at whale shark season (august to October)

Edited Tuesday at 11:19 PM1 day by Nando Diver

Been there there in summer 2025, spend a few days in Pico and Faial, had overall 4 dives on Condor Bank, between 2 and 8 sharks in parallel.

For the diving itself, @Nando Diver has given a great overview 👌

The only thing I'd add is: ask the dive centers about their rules & processes before diving. Some give you the briefing short but before every shark dive, some give you an extensive briefing before your first shark dive of the entire stay. Some allow strobes & video lights, some don't.

I can definitely recommend CWAzores in Pico, very professional, fairly priced, nice staff, really knowledgeable.

I cannot recommend the dive center I've been to in Faial (Seariders).

Edited 21 hours ago21 hr by Fabian

Thank you all for your kind words!

As some of you have said, yes it is Condor Banks and another, older spot (I don't know the name, have to ask my buddies). We did four dives in total (2x2days). The vis. was quite good, around 25m maybe. The temp. was good, around 21/22°C, in a two piece 5mm wet suit with a hoodie and gloves (required!) no problem. The depth varied, but was limited to 15m due to the line we were clipped on.

@Davide DB I tried to limit the slow motion, but I simply love the slow shots of sharks crusing by haha Yes, I shot in N-Raw, 8K60fps ind N-Log. The files were huge, but color grading was a breeze. I did a manual WB at around 10 meters, but kept it there, because of the constant vertical change in position. The lights are 4XR Ambient lights with an extra 6m Ambient filter. No filter on the lens.

As some said, yeah the rules are strict. Bight colored fins or other heavy contrast equipment needs to stay on land. You must wear a hoodie and gloves for low contrast. Lights and strobes were no problem with us, they told us, that they can get nosier with that additional magnetic fields.