Participant Journal

I've recently started travelling with a small router and setting up wireless networks on boats. Participants with computers connect to the wireless network and add their throughts to a collaborative, onboard journal. On this particular trip, we ended up docked at West End for an entire day, which resulted in an a flurry of activity on the Wetpixel forums. It may seem strange when a bunch of shark divers are reading and writing to a forum while sitting right next to each other in a cramped boat, but it sure was fun. :)

As soon as our network access was cut off, I put up a page to continue our dialog, but it didn't quite take off like I had hoped it would. I guess people were too busy photographing sharks...

too many computers!

Hello, Wetpixel Bahamas trip participants! Please leave your messages here. This journal will be posted on Wetpixel at the trip's end.

-- posted by Eric Cheng @ Thursday, March 16 2006, 07:34 pm

Today was the day I made my first dive w/ the Magic Filter! Yes, it worked.

-- posted by James Wiseman @ Thursday, March 16 2006, 07:37 pm

Great success for the Magic Filter today. Even James can get great images with it.

-- posted by Alex Mustard @ Thursday, March 16 2006, 07:40 pm

Not so fast, doc! The Magic Filter is truly successful when the REDS of someone who failed a driving test (TWICE!) actually turn out RED. I'll give it a shot tomorrow.

- Filter.Challenged.aLV

-- posted by al vinjamur @ Thursday, March 16 2006, 07:43 pm

Look how happy James was after using a Magic Filter!

James "Giraffe" Wiseman
photo: Jim Abernethy

-- posted by Eric Cheng @ Thursday, March 16 2006, 07:45 pm

Hello Boyos,

Man it's been like 12 hours since anyone asked me to tell them again about my gladitorial combat with a voracious Sealux-biting Tiger Shark? I'm thinking this could maybe lead to a new PADI underwater photographer specialty course called "Fight or Flight - How to photograph big sharks that seemingly want to bite you"

-- posted by Jett "Tiger Shark Gladiator" Britnell @ Thursday, March 16 2006, 07:49 pm

Jett...Your camera is worth millions!

-- posted by aLV @ Thursday, March 16 2006, 08:04 pm

OK, so I'm relishing my role as the "class clown." Should I? OK, no more tongue-sticking-out or "hairy hand" poses anymore!

-- posted by James Wiseman @ Thursday, March 16 2006, 08:08 pm

James....you look like a self-realized elasmobranch!

-- posted by aLV @ Thursday, March 16 2006, 08:15 pm

I don't know if they were salty, but there were certainly pirates ashore on Walker's Cay. Alex

-- posted by Mustardoni @ Friday, March 17 2006, 02:43 pm

We just had a few hours in the water with bull sharks in the shallows at Walker's Cay. Four bull sharks were there milling around, two of which were absolutely enormous. The bulls were accompanied by oversized nurse sharks and two, fast-moving, black-tip sharks.

By the end of our stay at Walker's, the water level at the pipe (where the bait was sitting) had dropped until it was barely 8' deep. At some point, James noticed that there were some snorkelers on the beach, getting ready to enter the water. With the help of a 300mm lens and a 2x teleconverter, we verified that the group was led by none other than shark "expert" and sell-out, "Dr." Erich Ritter! We left the area as they started entering the water -- I'm sure they were there to practice the yoga techniques that undoubtedly help to keep the sharks calm. Or, maybe they were after footage for "Anatomy of a Shark Bite, Part II!"

-- posted by Eric Cheng @ Friday, March 17 2006, 02:46 pm

Those bull sharks were certainly massive. Such bulk and power. The Magic worked a treat on them, although I also shot with strobes on my second dive. Awesome to be able to get so close. A real privaledge. The water was cold though. And speaking of bull - Ritter still has one skinny leg. Clearly visible in the pix.

-- posted by Alex Mustard @ Friday, March 17 2006, 02:52 pm

Sharks' brains are as old as consciousness ie., 350x million years add or delete a bunch! Being from the land of the Yogis I can aver that Sharks indeed have a sense where they can detect Yogins that can drive around their heart beats as they well damn please. Of course, the gear box these Yogins use to accelerate or decelerate their heart beats is of an extremely proprietary nature. All this can be achieved by standing in the waters of Walkers' Cay and chanting the secret Elasmobranch mantra - also proprietary and known only to the chosen ones. Sigh!

-- posted by al vinjamur @ Friday, March 17 2006, 02:52 pm

Used to be that sharks ruled the seas. We could swim anywhere and spread terror just by allowing our dorsal fins to splice the oceans surface. Today, however, a bunch of underwater photographers from aboard the vessel Shear Water splash in and boldly dangle bait crates stuffed with dead fish in front of us. What's this world coming to?

Kindest regards,

Bull shark #2...aka one angry dragon

-- posted by Walkers Cay Bull Shark @ Friday, March 17 2006, 03:14 pm

Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Chomp...Chomp...Chomp.

...oops...some antacid, please!

- aLV

-- posted by al vinjamur @ Friday, March 17 2006, 06:58 pm

Yee-haw! Just been to the rodeo. And jolly smashing it was too. Carib Reefies and Black Tips - including a very fat pregnant male! Just a recreational dive. Eric was shooting bubble rings when I saw him. Oh and James got humped and had his air turned off. I shot some black and whites.

-- posted by Alex Mustard @ Friday, March 17 2006, 07:05 pm

Great shark action and good friends...what an awesome day fellas. Alex's Magic Filter rocked on the shallow dive with bull sharks!

-- posted by Jett Britnell @ Friday, March 17 2006, 07:06 pm

I have footage of the humping and air-turning-off. It should be exciting to see...

This journal is like a frickin' Magic Filter ad! Buy one. You won't be sorry. :)

-- posted by Eric Cheng @ Friday, March 17 2006, 08:44 pm

Alex Mustardoni submitted some photos of Aquaman (Jim Abernethy) working the bait crate:

-- posted by Eric Cheng @ Friday, March 17 2006, 09:27 pm

Today was the best day so far. And the standard had been very high already. Today we came to the Beach. Which quite frankly is the best shark dive in the world. The day started with wrangling, followed by three dives with the lemons (gorgeous creatures) and tigers (big girls). I shot the 12-24mm both with and without strobes. Then switched to the 10.5mm, which I am much more at home with. The day was finished off with some swim platform wrangling - also known as playing chicken with tigers, which I certainly lost. Great fun shooting on the swim platform a dusk with the wetpixel boys.

-- posted by Alex Mustard @ Saturday, March 18 2006, 07:57 pm

Fantastic dives at Tiger Beach! I had a pretty exciting bump from a big tiger, and was actually bitten lightly on the hand by a lemon shark who seems to be blind in one eye. No blood was drawn, but it scared the crap out of me because my attention was focused on two large tiger sharks around me (one on each side).

Like last year, wrangling was lots of fun. We actually had a large tiger do a Shamu right on the swim step! After another day of this, I believe that Dr. Mustard may no longer flee to the safety of higher ground when a big shark comes in on the line. But we'll see, tomorrow. :)

-- posted by Eric Cheng @ Saturday, March 18 2006, 08:10 pm

The Lemon and Tiger sharks were amazing today at the Tiger Beach! Tiger Beach ranks as one of the best shark dives in the world.... I'm convinced Jim Abernethy offers one of the best shark diving expeditions in the world... nay not the world...in the the entire freaking universe!

-- posted by Jett Britnell @ Saturday, March 18 2006, 08:18 pm

Day 2 at Tiger Beach -- AMAZING! I am just up from the first long dive of the day, and there are 6 tigers and over 15 lemons down there! One of the tiger sharks is the very definition of a "player," coming in repeatedly and (calmly) doing tight loops around selected divers. The cute little tiger known as Mini-T is also around, as is a tiger named "Kate" who is surrounded by a school of large cobia. When I first saw Kate and her entourage out of the corner of my eye, I thought it might be a school of dolphins (they have that sort of look to them, for some reason).

Al had his strobe mouthed by one of the tigers. He's going to be a hero when he returns to New York! :)

-- posted by Eric Cheng @ Sunday, March 19 2006, 02:06 pm

Phew! Tiger Beach with JASA is the best action dive in the world!

I will never part with the DS125 strobes that were bit by a Tiger Shark. The teeth marks and the scrape along the FStop Depth chart will be greatly treasured because they look cool but it probably was a test bite. I could see the Nictating membrane opening and closing and could hear my hear beat in my head! The dive was fantastic. I guess the Tigers are probably conscious of who the weakest person in the water is ie., Moi! No wonder everyone on the boat was telling me to get back right in!

Oh, Strange things happen on the high seas! I decided to retire for the night and was greeted by this huge plastic roach in my bed! Thanx guys...it was awesome!

- aLV.ToBeWetpixelTripGroupie

-- posted by al vinjamur @ Sunday, March 19 2006, 02:09 pm

Simply stunning. Wow. What a morning. A total privaledge to be here at the Beach today.

-- posted by Alex Mustard @ Sunday, March 19 2006, 02:57 pm

U guys want me to to get back in the water. So nice, but I know why!! You could then have the previlege of shooting live bait (aka ME!).

The action is sick! It is such a privilege to be with Aquaman, Jim and the crew of the Shearwater with the Wetpixel triumvariate of Eric, Alex and James...and of course, the elasmobranchs.

OK...Now, I would like to send white flowers and condolence cards to all the people that did not make the trip. :(

Hey, Eric...could I have the worlds' mailing list!?!? Please!

- aLV

-- posted by al vinjamur @ Sunday, March 19 2006, 03:30 pm

Ahhhhhhh...Tiger Beach. Chalk another one up for the Magic Filter! Simply a superb final day of diving with the tigers and lemons. We had a "player" today and she is perhaps the most photographed tiger shark on this trip. Thank you Eric, Jimmy and the whole gang for an amazing shark expedition. JASA Rocks!!!

-- posted by Jett Britnell @ Sunday, March 19 2006, 05:01 pm

If anyone buys the Magic Filter after reading this trip report, I get commission. Right, Alex?

Hey, Al! Get in the water!

-- posted by Eric Cheng @ Sunday, March 19 2006, 07:19 pm

I am sitting next to shark fiddler Wiseman and he is in love with the shark. We are gonna have to call her Sarah so he doesn't get in trouble if he talks in his sleep back home.

-- posted by Alex Magic Mustard @ Sunday, March 19 2006, 08:38 pm