Regulators and U/W Photography

Guys, just wanna find out something ... when shooting into the sun, the bubbles we blow out from the 2nd stage can often get in the way of our photos. So what do you do ??

a) Hold your breathe and wait

b) Dun care, just blow out and edit later

c) Stuff two tubing either side of the 2nd stage and pull it backwards (quoted from some websites)

Thxs

I hold my breathe and wait:) Also when I shoot macro cause I sometimes scare fishes with bubbles...

Holding You'r breath usually does the trick!

Karel

Guys, just wanna find out something ... when shooting into the sun, the bubbles we blow out from the 2nd stage can often get in the way of our photos. So what do you do ??

 

a) Hold your breathe and wait

b) Dun care, just blow out and edit later

c) Stuff two tubing either side of the 2nd stage and pull it backwards (quoted from some websites)

 

Thxs

d) Rebreather

e) "Old school" two hose regulator

Hold your breath, It's worth it for the shot!

Holding your breath works...but a rebreather can make all the difference in the world for a photographer or videographer!

Free diving?

Since upward shots are often wide-angles, the bubbles are going to appear, no matter where they bubble from. In shallow water they can disperse while you hold your breath, in deep water they can ascend far enough to merge into the surface.

Rebreathers sound good, but I'm old and medical (and paranoid) enough to distrust equipment that makes your brain fuzzy (hyperoxia, hypoxia or hypercapnia) at the same time as it's trying to kill you. The standard instruction, to monitor the unit regularly and frequently, isn't too compatible with concentrating on first-class photography, when the viewfinder (should?) claim all your attention...

Tim

Eve with closed-circuit rebreather, inevitably you will find that you need to ascend a little with an upward shot and some gas will expand and need to escape.

I found the most impressive thing on diving with a rebreather that the fishes don't

be scared anymore. You can swim easily in between a swarm of fishes and they don't mind

about you and this makes rebreather very interesting for photo and video. (at least in the Red Sea)

Hold your breath is the only solution due that a 2 hose regulator blows bubbles on your back and they get

in the vision too when you shot upwards. Two hose regulators work well while shooting horizontal

or downwards.

BUT, holding your breath is a absolute No No while diving, so take extrem care to keep you level!

Chris

I found the most impressive thing on diving with a rebreather that the fishes don't

be scared anymore. You can swim easily in between a swarm of fishes and they don't mind

about you and this makes rebreather very interesting for photo and video. (at least in the Red Sea)

 

Chris

I too have been diving a closed circuit rebreather and taking pictures for the last couple of years. Even though I do agree that fish generally are not as spooked by divers with rebreathers, I have also found that body language has a lot to do with it as well. Even with the rebreather, if I'm swimming directly at a fish, it will interpret this as an aggressive action and act defensively. However, when I swim along side fish, they generally do not interpret my actions as an aggressive posture and are more at ease.

My experience tells me that the lack of bubbles is definitely an advantage underwater, especially when very close to fish; however, when approaching fish with a camera, whether diving open circuit or a rebreather, developing good non-aggressive techniques is the determining factor.

Another factor to consider...I use an electronic closed circuit revreather, which fires a selanoid every several seconds, as needed, to keep my oxygen level the setpoint I have entered into the computer. That selanoid makes an slight electronic popping sound which also contributes to scaring the fish. I can manually inject oxygen, but then I would have to take one hand off my camera and reach down to add oxygen periodically. Some manual rebreathers have a valve, which you can adjust and set to a predetermined rate, and it will slowly bleed oxygen into the loop, which minimizes the the number of times in which you have to reach down to manually add oxygen.

With all that in mind, and with all the additional maintenance and risks that comes with a rebreather, I wouldn't even consider going back to full-time open circuit diving, especially not for photography, because the advantages, including the lack of bubbles, are just too great!

Or a twin hose: