cage diving & polecam photo tips

Hi all,

I will soon get the oportunity to cage dive with tiger sharks (assuming they show up this time...) and would like some tips from those who've done it before (tigers, whites or whatever). I plan to attempt shots from within the cage and shots with my newly built polecam from the boat. I shoot with a D200 + aquatica + 8-inch dome. wide lenses incl. 10.5mm FE, 15mm FE, 12-24mm (not too keen on it) and 17-55mm.

1. shots from the cage:

lens choice: was thinking 17-55mm to start, though for close passes i may want my sigma 15mm FE or even the 10.5mm FE. suggestions?

strobes: was thinking 1 strobe on a 5" arm to keep it simple. would people reccomend 0, 1 or 2 strobes? It is a small cage (2 ppl and its tight) and I hope to minimize the size of the rig, but a little fill light seems a good idea.

it will be right at the surface, and vis is usually fantastic out there (100-150ft) though when chumming the water can get quite churned up with bits of chum.

2. polecam shots

my new polecam is crude and heavy (mouting bar weighs 4+ lbs) and requires kiddie armbands strapped around the base of the handles to stay afloat. it is fired with a piece of fishing line and I have yet to properly test it.

The idea is to set up the shot when the shark is going for the bait near the boat. I was thinking my sigma 15mm FE and maybe a strobe for fill. thoughts??

Should I preset focus (if so, at what distance?) or set it on group pattern and hope for the best?

any thoughts on how to not get my camera eaten by a tiger shark? other tips/ things i haven't considered?

thanks!

Chris

Book a trip on the SHEARWATER out of West Palm Beach FL, USA and you can just stand on the bottom and they will swim up to you. We use 15 mm Nikonos, 16 mm & 10.5 housed Nikors.

Hi Chris,

I think that you lens selection seems about right. Starting with the 17-55 will allow you to shoot some shots while you get used to the sharks and they get used to you.

I have to agree with Allan about going on Shearwater if you want reliable tigers in great viz. Here is a vid that Eric shot of me with a tiger on one of those trips.

Also I wouldn't go in the water with such big sharks without being with such experienced operators. Personally I feel that an experienced operator is safer than a cage.

Regarding pre-focus - have a read of a recent Berkley White article in Fathoms magazine - which covers the subject well for big sharks.

Anyway there are far more experienced shark photographers than me round here - so I'll let them chime in!

Alex

I do not think that one can stress enough how important it is to choose a good operation. In the Bahamas, for Tiger Sharks, as Alex said, go with Jim Abernathy. There are one or two other operators and you should absolutely avoid them - both because of safety and the inferior quality of the tiger experience.

With Jimmy you will not need a polecam.

I agree with the 17-55 or even a fixed lens like the 16mm works great.

Also I wouldn't go in the water with such big sharks without being with such experienced operators. Personally I feel that an experienced operator is safer than a cage.

 

 

Regarding pre-focus - have a read of a recent Berkley White article in Fathoms magazine - which covers the subject well for big sharks.

Thanks guys for the tips, I have seen some people’s pics from the shearwater trips only to drool all over my keyboard. I also meant to subscribe to Fathoms after I saw it at dema last year, I will do that and get ahold of the issue with the article too. beautiful mag i remember.

I appreciate people’s concerns regarding the operator so please let me clarify:

I am going out with a group of local researchers finding tigers (seasonally Aug-Oct) over a seamount 13 miles off Bermuda. The seamount rises to 200ft and they regularly anchor in 250-350ft so there’s no “standing on the bottomâ€. These guys have received grant money to tag and monitor our local tigers as little, if any, research has been done on Bermuda’s sharks in the past. They have invited me out to shoot for articles in our local paper & sister magazine as well as provide them with professional quality images to promote the research project.

While the project is still young, it is quickly growing as interest in our local sharks moves beyond fishing for sport. One aim of the project is to try and dispel myths about sharks and teach people about the threatened nature of these beautiful animals. This is where I come in with the paper/magazine. Perhaps we can reduce the number of people that want to catch and kill tigers purely for sport.

Here is the infant site for anyone interested: http://www.bermudasharkproject.com/

Given all that, the plan is still to take shots from the cage with the 17-55mm and use the polecam for shots as the shark is going for the bait – cause everyone wants to see a frame full of teeth (well, maybe not THAT close with the 15mm FE). I have been out with them twice this year with minimal shark action and no shark pics... The trips I couldn't make were the successful ones with mutiple taggings.

I am especially curious about strobe use. In the youtube vid alex linked, they don't seem to mind the constant strobe fire. Did you find that true? Ours do seem easily spooked and I'm not sure about the strobe.

Any other tips are greatly appreciated. Cheers,

Chris

here's a couple pics from the last trip with no sharks... all shot with the 17-55mm the first 3 at 17mm and last 2 at 55mm (last one is a wahoo). I've never seen anything like this day... there was NO wind, it was like glass out there (13 miles offshore), the vis was about 200ft and the BLUE...

Wow, was that wahoo hooked, or free-swimming? That's an awesome shot.

James

Looks and sounds very cool. From the trips I've been on with Abernathy to Tiger Beach, the wild sharks are definitely a little more cautious than the sharks that are there frequently and are used to the divers, or as Jim Abernathy calls them, his 'supermodels'.

Why don't you contact Jim Abernathy, he probably knows Tigers better than anyone, and he may be able to help with both luring the sharks in, and photo info.

Wow, was that wahoo hooked, or free-swimming? That's an awesome shot.

 

James

Thanks.

it was FREE SWIMMING! Don't think I could shoot a hooked one... I actually had to shoot the weigh in for a big wahoo tournament the week before for my paper... that was tough and I like this shot better!

We had a lot of time while waiting for the sharks that never showed up and after numerous attemps finally got close enough to shoot a 'hoo. I had to free dive down about 25ft to get close enough.

Loftus: I will send Jim an email as I'm sure he could offer some tips, thanx.