Browsing Tags scuba
When The Water Is Life.
It has been a while since I have posted a piece in my blog, not from having nothing to write about, but for finding the time and the headspace to do it in a way which is fitting for my readers.
Ove the last while I have spent at least one day a weekend underwater, washing away the cares of the world. I have spent countless moments trying to find the right direction for the next major film exploit, and at the same time have watched on, inspired by some very eye opening efforts. I am coming to realise more that my journey from taking just photographs of the marine life I see, to capturing them as a moving image is not only critical to my audience gaining a better understanding, but it is also a very difficult exercise. A photograph, a great photograph can tell a story of many words, however a great video can speak so many more. Like a photograph it still needs to be special, to be something that few may have seen or which is charged with emotion and awaits that collective wow as it wraps the audience up in its cinematic embrace. I enjoy every moment underwater, whether it be the chill of winter where 8 degree Celsius water fills my wetsuit and gives me brain freeze as my body fights to warm the parts of me critical to my own survival, or the depths of summer where the heat has your body fighting off dehydration as it produces enough sweat to cool you down before you are able to immerse yourself in the cool water. Regardless of those conditions, I can only reassure you that the marvel of life I see is wonderful to say the least and for certain worth every bit of time spent. Read More →
Sharks and Humans – Education And Respect
Today I want to share my thoughts, once again, on a subject which needs to be addressed on a well informed and sensible level.
On the weekend, a scuba diver lost his life in Tasmania. He was the victim of a shark attack. The loss of his life will be a very traumatic thing for his family and I feel deeply sorry that they must go through this.
The Connection – Radio Interview.
A week and a half ago, I was extremely honoured to have my short film, Ocean and Earth – One Heartbeat, screened as a part of the Australian Ocean Film festival Melbourne sessions. It screened as a local independent film maker to full houses and it did look very nice on the big screen. As a part of the screening, I was there to do a Q & A with the audience which went down really nicely.
Whilst there I was lucky enough to meet a radio presenter, Jules Vines from radio 3MDR 97.1. She asked if I could do a radio interview for their sustainability show on the following Monday. I have attached a link here for anyone who may be interested. It is accompanied by some random film footage that I hope is not too distracting.
Please enjoy.
Where Are We At?
On the weekend I completed another rejuvenating dive in our wonderful Port Phillip Bay. Blairgowrie was the location and the amount of marine life reminded me just how healthy this place is. I have dived here on numerous occasions and as dive sites go, what can be found there is some of the most diverse ranges in the bay. Everything from numerous schools of fish, large bull rays, small rays, nudibranchs, squid, octopus, crabs, seahorses, as well as beautiful soft sponges and corals. It rarely fails to disappoint and it offers the most sheltered location in the bay, making it diveable on most every day except when very strong Northerlies blow.
Finding A Solution – Not Being Part Of The Problem.
Once again we have had a shark attack occur that has taken the life of a person, this time on the NSW coast. It is a sad situation, but is not one that needs to be dwelled upon by sensationalising it and whipping up a frenzied hysteria.
Whilst there are many more things that cause a loss of human life each day on this planet, I will not lower myself to list them, because like this, they need to be dealt with separately to reduce the possibility of reoccurrence in a responsible and sensible manner, and right now they suffer from the same condition which is ignorance of what we know, coupled with a human desire to live as we please. So instead I shall once again share my thoughts on what has happened and how we really need to address this alone.
Sharks – The Mystery Demystified.
For some time now people have been offering opinions in relation to how to deal with what appears to be a growing occurrence of shark attacks along our coast lines. Comments and solutions are offered in the heat of the moment with scant regard for the reality of the situation and usually amongst the hysteria whipped up by the media, or if not, allowed to filter through the media for want of a story that increases reader numbers. Regardless of what your opinion is, the conditions in which this is all fuelled are poor to say the least and in most cases do not provide a balanced view that would allow the people that do not know anything about the subject to form an educated opinion.
That we, humans, like to spend time in the water, which is not our natural habitat is one thing, and the ability to continue to do that must never be taken away by any other person. However this ability should also never be seen as offering us an exclusive right that is detrimental to both the environment and the marine life that does call the ocean home. Yes, the ocean is home to many other creatures that live there, and I believe they must continue to be allowed to live as they have for countless years without our intervention.
The Change
Today was a lone dive day, as my usual Sunday dive buddy had decided that the Solomon Islands was a better option than the wonderful Port Phillip Bay. To me it is a coin toss, but……………… Okay, it is not a coin toss.
My dive today with the prevailing South Easterly winds was a front beach choice, and my decision was my original haunting ground of Blairgowrie Pier. I have dived this location more than any in my 260 plus dives, and it has always offered something for those that look hard enough. Over time, dive locations transform, both naturally, and with the help of man, although the latter usually doesn’t do it a lot of help. This in my opinion is the case with Blairgowrie.
Where The Answer Lies.
The world we live in is an amazing place, so full of life that as best we know is found no where else in the known universe. It is diverse and every where we look species live alongside species surviving as only they know best as nature planned. As human beings we have developed an intelligence that surpasses all the other life to a point where we have become far too superior for our own good. Our intelligence has led us to develop many things that make our lives better, however there is one thing that through all the learning we have done that has been sadly lost, that is instinct. It is the most natural of senses that all creatures within the animal kingdom have maintained and it is crucial to their survival.
With total respect to the families of loved ones lost in shark attacks, I put forward this thought for people to consider and share. We are creatures of the land and that is our home. We explore many regions, and that includes the oceans which cover more than 70% of our planet. The oceans are home to literally thousands of species of living organisms, some of which are totally harmless, and others that pose great danger in the wrong situations. Early humankind understood these dangers and using the knowledge they had, they minimised the risks they faced in order to enter that domain if they so needed to do. Their instinct told them to be careful and with that they survived and thrived, however we have now become either complacent or carefree, and there seems to either be a lack of regard for what may happen to us, or we are accepting of the risks taken and take our lot as it comes.
Little Ray Of Light.
As the festive days wore away, I made my way to Flinders pier where I was hoping to dive once more with the weedy sea dragons and the large rays that frequent the location. It was a mild summers day and there was little to no wind to be had, which left the ocean almost glass like, except for the infrequent tell tale ripples that formed as the breeze brushed upon its surface.