More of this stuff? No, thanks!Amos is a loose cannon.
I guess that one doesn't become one of the world's preeminent big animal photographers without a fair amount of chutzpah and bravado - and all the power to him for having gone out there and done it at a time when everybody said it was crazy!
I also hear that he's recently calmed down substantially.
But ever since the beginning, his name has been linked to controversy.
I first heard about him in 1977 in the Red Sea. That was when Na'ama Bay was just a beach with one public shower in the center and the Aquamarine motel in one corner. In those times, there were just a few big boats down there, the Finnish Apuhara and the Israeli Fantasea 1 and Sun Boat - and Amos was being mentioned in connection with the latter, some epic fighting and a gaggle of stranded tourists.
The trail of controversy then continued unbroken throughout the years, with news seeping out of a wide-ranging array of hot spots like Rurutu, South Africa and even Tonga. All very anecdotal as it was all pre-web and pre instant verification - but pretty much consistent with the picture that started emerging back then in the seventies, of a charming but pugnacious individual that would insist on having it his way - or else!
Case in point, the latest controversy from Guadalupe.
When I first heard about Amos' "feat" last year, I made a bet that it wouldn't stop there - and bingo!
It was a bad idea then and now that he's trying to do it commercially, it's absolutely reckless, short-sighted and stupid now! As Patric rightly points out, it just isn't worth it -not the money and not the risk- and may well destroy an iconic Shark diving hotspot forever.
Again!
The Mexican Authorities are already very skeptical about what's going on out there and these antics may well be the perfect pretext for stepping in and delivering on last year's threats.
But Amos is Amos and clients are clients - they will always try and push the envelope.
Patric is obviously smack in the middle of it and has to avoid getting too specific.
Yes, we're back to square one - somebody from within our own ranks is once again committing Hara Kiri and dragging the whole Industry down in the process!
Guadalupe isn't just around the corner where you can load your equipment into your car and go beach diving - to get there, you need a substantial boat and to go cageless, you need to start from a cage.
So who is the operator who has agreed to lend his infrastructure to this stupid undertaking? And what are the others going to do in order to dissuade him?
Undoubtedly, this will soon be revealed.
Fingers crossed that for once, the news will be good.
I guess that one doesn't become one of the world's preeminent big animal photographers without a fair amount of chutzpah and bravado - and all the power to him for having gone out there and done it at a time when everybody said it was crazy!
I also hear that he's recently calmed down substantially.
But ever since the beginning, his name has been linked to controversy.
I first heard about him in 1977 in the Red Sea. That was when Na'ama Bay was just a beach with one public shower in the center and the Aquamarine motel in one corner. In those times, there were just a few big boats down there, the Finnish Apuhara and the Israeli Fantasea 1 and Sun Boat - and Amos was being mentioned in connection with the latter, some epic fighting and a gaggle of stranded tourists.
The trail of controversy then continued unbroken throughout the years, with news seeping out of a wide-ranging array of hot spots like Rurutu, South Africa and even Tonga. All very anecdotal as it was all pre-web and pre instant verification - but pretty much consistent with the picture that started emerging back then in the seventies, of a charming but pugnacious individual that would insist on having it his way - or else!
Case in point, the latest controversy from Guadalupe.
When I first heard about Amos' "feat" last year, I made a bet that it wouldn't stop there - and bingo!
It was a bad idea then and now that he's trying to do it commercially, it's absolutely reckless, short-sighted and stupid now! As Patric rightly points out, it just isn't worth it -not the money and not the risk- and may well destroy an iconic Shark diving hotspot forever.
Again!
The Mexican Authorities are already very skeptical about what's going on out there and these antics may well be the perfect pretext for stepping in and delivering on last year's threats.
But Amos is Amos and clients are clients - they will always try and push the envelope.
Patric is obviously smack in the middle of it and has to avoid getting too specific.
Yes, we're back to square one - somebody from within our own ranks is once again committing Hara Kiri and dragging the whole Industry down in the process!
Guadalupe isn't just around the corner where you can load your equipment into your car and go beach diving - to get there, you need a substantial boat and to go cageless, you need to start from a cage.
So who is the operator who has agreed to lend his infrastructure to this stupid undertaking? And what are the others going to do in order to dissuade him?
Undoubtedly, this will soon be revealed.
Fingers crossed that for once, the news will be good.
2 comments:
"Reckless and stupid" if he is going to do it.
With only one trip under his belt with these animals and perhaps, if I am being charitable, a grand total of 10 hours "in water" with these animals at this site.
Does that qualify anyone?
I am assured by phone today and by Amos himself that PDF flyer sent to a perspective diver recently is "old" and that he does not have the time or manpower to change it.
That is why the offer is still in circulation and on first blush - seems valid.
You would have thought he would have at least tried to change the cageless offer after the flood of emails and discontent he received from the I.G operators in January and at DEMA.
Welcome to the dive industry.
Thanks for your post.
Frankly, I have better things to do with my time (as you know) and as such until anyone else has anything to say I am done with this.
Good on 'ya for breaking the story!
Indeed - seeing is believing!
And again, I'm stumped that some boat operator out there has obviously agreed to facilitate that shit - talk about shooting in one's own foot!
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