Bull Shark Smiles!

This is just awesome - click for detail!

What can I say but, Vinaka Christian!
 

Shark Diving in Fiji - Tom's favorite Images!

Very nice indeed!

I really like Tom.

Smart and yet humble, he is endowed with limitless enthusiasm, loves and knows Sharks and is a real good photographer both topside but also underwater. When checking out his portfolio, please bear in mind that many pics have been taken in modest to atrocious conditions due to the vagaries of this year's shocking weather, making them even more remarkable.

Please check out Tom's post, and also his website.

Enjoy!

Viking wins Ocean Art 2014!

"Bigmouth" Shot in Ørsta, Norway with Nikon D300

Congratulations!

Lill has just won the cold water category of OA14.
Attagirl, we're proud of 'ya!

Wobbegong and Spiny Puffer!

Click for detail!

Ouch!

That's one big mouthful of pain!

There are several crucial elements for great wildlife pics.

The first is knowing your subject matter - and when it comes to knowing Australia's underwater denizens, Mark is second to none. The second is perseverance and/or being in the right place at the right time - this one likely being the latter! The third is getting the shot which is where many, many image hunters fail. The fourth is composition and technique - and failing that, in this day and age, proficiency in post production.

All I can say is check, check, check and check!

Well done mate!

Why Professional Photographers Cannot Work for Free!

Only sometimes! Source.

This is rather epic.

Well said Tony Wu!

And since we're at it - mutatis mutandis, this also applies to our dives!

Unless they are filthy rich, researchers and legitimate Shark conservationists usually dive for free, and provided that they are willing to invest the required time, the genuine image pros get the royal treatment. The dreaded discount-demanding semis however not so much - much like we usually refrain from perusing the services of semi-professional lawyers and surgeons!

But I'm digressing.

Bravo Tony!

Lill - Photographer of the Week!

Well done Lill!

And of course there's a Fiji Bull Shark!
Story here.

For our Chinese Friends!

Mimic Surgeonfish, A. pyroferus, from Shark Reef.

Behold!

I obviously understand less than zero.

But equally obviously, it is a lovely program - and I would argue, this principally owing to the fact that Stephen and Takako are just simply lovely people!

Enjoy!

Fifty Shades of Ray!

Just stunning - click for detail!
Source.

Moce Allen!

Stellar viz, stellar pic! Source.

We just bid farewell to Allen Walker (and here!).

Thing is, his visit was certainly a big surprise.

Remember the Aliwal Shoal baiting controversy? Allen is the man who developed the Shark-friendly bait ball, an this on his own time and very much also dime for which he was then heaped with praise - but still, having publicly insulted all of his then friends, he is really the very last person I would have expected to ever grace our shores!

Anyway, tempi passati.

I must say that I've learned a lot, including all of the grisly details about that event where the blame cannot be only apportioned unilaterally, and I can certainly leave it at that. But above all, I got to know the man for being an accomplished Shark diver and a real Mensch, generous, witty as hell and with a big golden heart.

And the photography?

As probably South Africa's mot accomplished underwater photographer, Allen is nothing but uncompromising, both in terms of diligence but also quality, and getting the specific shots he was aiming for was certainly not trivial. Considering the fact that he only managed to attend a measly 5 Shark dives, the output has been rather spectacular, see above and on his FB page - but much remains to be done, meaning that we are all looking forward to his next visit, and this for a longer time frame!

Safe travels buddy and hopefully, see you soon!

The Big Five-Oh - simply phenomenal!

Epic - this is Blunt, one of our biggest females.

Doug's Water Column has just turned 50.

Well what can I say.

The man is one of the most respected, accomplished, most diligent (and never being happy with the results, most obstinate) underwater photographers out there, and quite possibly the best Shark photographer - and his unequaled articles are the result of countless hours of meticulous research and preparation coupled with more hours spent chasing those elusive images. We've only met relatively recently and the beginning has been challenging - but he has persevered, we're now older and maybe a fraction of a tad more tolerant, and I now count him among the people I trust and respect the most, and call him a close friend.

Here's the laudatio by DIVE Magazine - click for detail.

Totally agree!

You can read his brilliant essay about Shark feeding here, and here is his article about Shark conservation - both some of the best ever published on the respective subjects!

But above all, check out Water Column # 50!

Subscribing to DIVE is free and once you've done that, you can download, or simply check out the interview and Doug's incomparable portfolio of sea life, from the biggest to the tiniest.

Enjoy - I'm sure you will be amazed!

Damnselus wreckus urpictorius?

Source.

Damn!

Talk about being totally busted!

Warren has caught on to the total scam that is the Fiji Shark Dive!
It's actually not a Shark dive - truth be told, it is a Damnselfish dive where you may from time to time see a Shark in the background!

Case in point!

I must say, the man is a real sport.

Not only is he being swarmed (and nipped at!) by the darn Damsels, the weather has been absolutely atrocious with 40-knot gales and thick cloud cover, and with two more days of utter misery in the offing - and yet his attitude could not be more positive.

And the pics are awesome, too - especially considering the circumstances!

Kudos!

Sharktastic Fiji!

Great job!

A client just gave us this article.

It's by Dubai-based Simone Caprodossi who dove with us in October last year - way too late for substantial Shark numbers but obviously, still good enough for an honorable, and rather extensive mention in last December's Divers for the Environment, the dive magazine of the Emirates!

All I can say is, carissimo, grazie mille!

You can read the article here (Page 29ff of 43), and here are Simone's pictures from Fiji.

BTW - notice anything?

That Bull above SHARKTASTIC features one of those infamous Pseudocaranx that continues to tease us whilst stubbornly eluding capture!  

Pseudocaranx is an antitropical Genus, and Pseudocaranx guru Bill Smith-Vaniz has been salivating for a specimen ever since we first reported its totally unexpected presence here! We only see them in Winter, leading me to speculate that here in Fiji, they may be simply residing in deeper and thus cooler water, and that this is nothing else but P. dentex Or that they may be migrating up from NZ like the Humpbacks and the GWS.

But who knows and likely, who will ever know - or do you know how to safely pluck one off the nose of a big predatory Fish?

Anyway, here's one more, courtesy of Lill.

Click for detail!

And the background?

C'mon you omniscient naturalists and researchers - impress me! :)

Ozzie Sam - Best of Show!

Click for detail!

Bravo Sam!

One of his awesome Mako pics has just earned him the rank of Best Underwater Photographer of the Year in the prestigious Our World Underwater competition.

Kudos - and I may add, fully deserved!

Sam's new Facebook page is here!

Marty - just futzin' around!

Click for detail!

Right.

And this is how it looks when he doesn't!

Love'ya buddy!

Vitaly - nice!

Just found this by pure chance.

I had a look at those Reefies and thought wait a minute! 

Yes this would once again be by Vitaly aka Willyam Bradbury, and it depicts our legendary 4m safety stop - and, you may also wanna go have a look at some of the more spicy stuff he has been producing!

Nice! :)

Was this Mako Shot the Last the Photographer Ever Snapped?

Click for detail!

Total bollocks!

Ozzie Sam has finally released his epic Mako shots, e.g. here, here and here - and being the consummate Shark diver he is, he was never at risk and is doing extremely well, thank you very much!

And not only that.

This amazing shot of the Mako with a GWS is probably a global first, and insiders know that he's got a whole suite of simply stellar new GWS pics that he'll hopefully publish real soon.

Click for detail!

Enjoy Sam's pictures!

Marty's Sharks!

Three's a Crowd, by Marty Wolff - click for detail!

Wow!
We're currently hosting underwater photography royalty, and we were chatting about how the pros are being hurt by the hordes of camera toting amateurs, and how capturing, let alone selling unique pics from places like, say, TB has become virtually impossible.
And here comes this masterpiece by Marty Wolff.

And how about this one!

Lotta Bull, obviously from Shark Reef!

The recipe?
Like I said here, it starts with being a real photographer as opposed to just wanting to depict reality. But having witnessed him doing so, it then very much continues in post-production where Marty will apply his signature saturation and then something else that I'm not at liberty to disclose - tho a closer look at the Bull Shark pic may point you in the right direction. Add a sprinkling of experience and ideas about altered states of perception- et voilà, c'est servi!
Needless to say that I really like the dude! :)

Enjoy Marty's Sharks!

Lill photographing Bull Sharks!

Great pic - and now you know where and how it was taken!

This is way cool, check it out.



The location is obviously the SRMR.
This is the lower pit is in 25m that we use as an alternative to the usual location in 15m. We go there in the off season when the Bulls are extremely shy, when there's too much surge and also, when the theromcline with the clear water is deep like after a lot of rain.

Great pics and surprisingly good footage, well done!
Despite being one of the dreaded semi-professional uw photogs (would you ever consult a semi-professional lawyer or MD?), Lill is really one of us and is thus sitting in the hot spot, very much with a bodyguard at her side - so don't get any ideas here, it's simply not gonna happen!
Just saying!

Enjoy Lill's video!

Stephen and Takako - great Stuff!

Here's to some of the nicest and most humble people in the industry!

Full-time underwater photo journalists and Asian underwater icons Stephen Wong and Takako Uno have been to Fiji for an all-too-short visit and I must say, it has been rather epic. Suffice to say that they were able to awake my inner Fish geek and that I didn't miss a single reef dive, very much contrary to my usual fixation on Sharks.
And, it's been loads of fun!

They've just sent me a sample of pics from our forays.
They are a testimony to their talent and to the fact that given the necessary skills, it is possible to take a picture of our famous and much-depicted Sharks and still produce something completely unique, like the stellar pic of a Blacktip and a Whitetip at the top!
Well done!

Enjoy Stephen and Takako's pictures.

Viking Alert!

Check out the pic - scary, scary stuff!

Yes the BAD Viking is due soon!
We're still negotiating this year's terms of reference because a lot of things that were possible in 2009 cannot anymore be replicated, especially the camping out in the infamous pit - but we've developed some other equally exciting gigs for the professionals and I can't wait to let her experience the many changes and above all, the seemingly ever increasing numbers of Bulls!

In the meantime, check out this post.
It documents Lill's remarkable talent and versatility and I must say, I'm really looking forward to her contribution to the ongoing wallpaper challenge. There are more and more pics populating that category and with Peter having set this year's standard, she sure has her work cut out for her!
Anyway, enjoy Lill's pictures!

Great pic - but single Bull Sharks are so yesterday...