Photography in ripping currents.

OK, so we find ourselves trying to take pictures of those Mantas, Hammerheads, Sharks, etc. in a ripping current off some deep drop-off at some tropical wall somewhere. You are stuggeling to hold on to your photogear and any wrong move with your head will take the mask off (you have been there, no?). Besides locking yourself into the reef with elbow and knees (for somebody could take your picture and make you look bad ) Leaving the camera size out of the equation (I still miss my Nikonos), what diving technique have you found to work best in getting good shots in such horrid conditions? Curious minds want to know

Bo

Stop shooting and enjoy the dive.....

There is no excuse for locking itself on anything, photographing or not

As UW-Photography/video got so popular, the behavior, to consider the own pictures more important then marinelife,

will leade to catastrophic results.

A very good example are the dive sites around Hurgada on the Red Sea, where you find more knocked off corals

on the seabed than alive ones where they belong.... There it's not only the "work" of uw-photographers, mainly the

instructors and guides are to blame because the don't control their students.

I see a lot of divers thinking that a uw-camara is a passport to do what they should have learned not to do,

to touch marine life.

Chris

Depends. I have been in strong currents, more drift diving, and I look ahead and keep an eye out for things I see in the distance and hope for the best, have the shot set up as much as possible before hand. Will turn back into the current when just past what I saw and try to hold position for a couple of seconds and try to get a shot (maybe 2-3 if lucky and something worth the effort). I have tendency to play conservative when it comes to a shot vs perhaps hitting coral or the reef. When in doubt, I let the shot go and at some point there will be a better time and place. I have an amazing collection of shots I never took If there is a choice between keeping my regulator in my mouth, my mask on or hitting things, those all trump a photo or video.

When shooting video, I have just turned the camera on and gone for a ride along the way over the reefs and some fun footage as the reef and marine life whips by and some amusing shots of divers just enjoying the ride.

Hi Chris,

There are a few things you can do when the ocean decides to dance with you. Go with the flow, you can't fight it. Well I guess you can but you won't win. You can play though, you can partner in the dance. If your comfortable and relax there are some things you can do so you don't have to resort to damaging the reef. There is usually a difference in current with depth. On shallow reefs like off the east coast of Florida you will usually find a much slower current right next to the bottom. This can allow you to slow down and take a few shots then pop up a few feet to catch your buddies. I've passed guys 3 times on the same dive and they never did figure out how that was possible.

On a night dive on the Yongala years ago it was ripping so hard we were flying like flags in the wind going down the line to the aft davit. I've never seen a current like that before or since. But even then there was a small counter current that allowed you to circle the wreck like a merry go round if you paid attention and took what she gave you. In places with structure like Coz you can almost always find a spot in the lee to shoot whatever comes rolling by.

Short answer, if I'm struggling, something is wrong and I try think about a different approach.

Equipment wise, if I know there is a current I will use shorter arms and really mash the clamps. I don't like it when the strobes get bashed together because the arms fold up in the current. If a down line is in the plan I might also clip off the rig with a short tether to a d-ring. Just in case I need both hands.

And as Drew says, if she wants to take you for a ride, sometimes it makes sense to just smile and go along. You can decide to dance with her but she's still going to lead.

Cheers,

Steve

Just like Steve says, you'll always find the slowest current closer to the bottom. Look ahead, try to anticipate the slacks behind coral blocks and duck behind them where you'll often find plenty of subjects which are also looking for quieter water too.

For bigger subjects out there in the current there's only two options. Go with the flow or if the subjects are resident (say on a cleaning station) use a reef hook but only attach to rock or dead coral and ensure the line does not foul anything. Once attached I put a squirt in my wing to hold station above the reef. I clip the line onto a small d-ring in the centre of my chest strap so as to present a symmetrical profile to the current. Stow the hook and line away completely when not in use.

Use a reef hook. Hook into a rock (not coral) and sit there enjoying the current whipping past.