Grinderman

Yup - you're busted, big boy. I will, however, write it off as bad debt for the price of a pint next time you're in London and your guilty conscience has allowed you to work out who I am.

Don't you owe me 100 Euros?

I travel with my Aquatica rig disassembled, but this thread has given me pause for thought. It does take a an annoying amount time to set everything up at the beginning of a trip, but I use it as an opportunity to make sure that everything is undamaged and fits together as it should. However, there was one occasion in Australia when the first dive was going to be the best – Cod Hole. Still jetlagged and in a heavy sea, I had to set up in 45 minutes before the dive. I had enough time, but it was a queasy, hurried experience. There's a venerable photo guru in the UK who advises no conversation whatsoever while setting up an underwater camera rig. "Tell people you're busy concentrating, and if they don't get the message tell 'em to b****r off!"

Very difficult call, but I'd say $500 a day would be a fair benchmark. Good luck!

Point taken and apologies to Ventsy. I should have read the opening message more carefully.

A little off topic, but I have a good condition 20mm lens and viewfinder if you're looking for something wider.

It would be very interesting to see if you manage to sell this kit for anything near its second hand value pre-digital. I know of very few people who bother to use this sort of kit these days, even though its optical standards were never surpassed. Tell you what, I'll put in a fairly mean bid of £450 for the body and wide angle lens. I accept they are theoretically worth a lot more, but I honestly can't see who would want them these days. No insult intended, but do let us know how you get on.

Paquito, you seem a nice enough guy, but to tell the truth I'm not quite sure what point you're trying to make. Strangely, you lay down a few platitudes about controlling your ego, then cheekily admit that you have hand fed silvertips. I'm not anti-feeding per se, but it is the most irresponsible approach, as it sets up a direct relationship between divers, the sharks and their food. I accept that a few people out there have sufficient experience to photograph great whites outside the cage, but I don't believe it should be encouraged or popularised. If such diving practice were to enter the mainstream, people would inevitably get hurt, and shark conservation would likely pay the price. Anyway, I wish you a great time at Gualaloupe. It is a magical place.

I've never been impressed by the 'outside the cage' gang. They claim it enable sthem to get better pictures and document different behaviour, but I dispute this because all the best white shark pictures I've seen have been taken from inside cages. If you're swimming around outsaide the cage, a greater proportion of your concentration will be on tracking the sharks and keeping yourself alive. Shooting from a cage is easy by contrast. Personally, I think the guys who make a noise about shooting from outside the cage should just be honest with themselves and admit they are doing it for the adrenaline hit, or to boast in bars...

I also think the Tok would be ideal, but you'll have to practice zooming under pressure. Things happen very fast at Guadalupe, and you may find the shark is right up at the cage while you're still fiddling with your controls. I got my best results with a 16mm fisheye when I was there. I only used flash on the last day, and although the failure rate was high, I got my best shots of the trip. The challenge is putting together a rig that doesn't get in the way of the other shooters, and which can be quickly pulled back inside the cage if a shark charges. That's right - many of the best pics come from cameras actually held outside the cage - as to when to whip your hands back inside...well, that's going to be your call. Good luck - it's an amazing place.

I too 'travel light' with Ralftech, though it does attract some unusual attention...

Excellent advice from Mike, who has more experience than most of us at this sort of thing. For my money, go wide and hope to get lucky. I'd rather have one amazing photo of a manta than 30 okay ones. 10.5mm all the way!

Honestly, Iggy, you're just a big girl, aren't you?

Fair point Iggy... So here's a hammerhead I took with a 20mm, plus a few more hammerheads with a 16mm.