Search the Community

The study, published last November in the scientific journal Plos One, is anything but superficial: a team of researchers from different fields and different universities analyzed the title of all 272 episodes aired from 1988 to 2020, and, due to the unavailability of video material prior to 1991, viewed all available episodes in full, that is, as many as 201. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0256842 The researchers first assessed the positivity or negativity of the title of each episode, both through analysis of the individual words that make up the title and through an assessment of the context in which those words are employed. Then, they went on to view the available episodes, evaluating multiple aspects such as the content of the episode, the truthfulness and accuracy of the information, the professionalism of the hosts and "experts," multi-ethnicity, equal representation of the sexes, and the shark species named. While sharks are more often portrayed negatively than positively, limited conservation messaging does appear in 53% of episodes analyzed. Results suggest that as a whole, while Shark Week is likely contributing to the collective public perception of sharks as bad, even relatively small alterations to programming decisions could substantially improve the presentation of sharks and shark science and conservation issues. The researchers conclude that although Shark Week can become a very important tool for scientific awareness and dissemination with positive spin-offs for shark conservation, for now, it is only a very big and spectacular missed opportunity. And it is precisely its protagonists who pay the greatest price. My post 6 years old:

Hello, Last april, my wife, my 5 year old daughter and I went to Marsa Alam, Egypt. We really enjoyed this destination : very nice hotels, warm water and very good snorkeling very near from the hotel : turtles, rays, dugong… So, great to enjoy first snorkelings with my daughter. So, we thought that it would be great to come back in august for 2 weeks and to split the trip in 3 : 1 hotel near the airport 1 hotel near Sataya in order to try the dolphins trip without having to take a car or a bus for 3-4 hours the same day => probably Lahami bay hotel 1 last hotel near the airport Our goal : mainly snorkeling (including dolphins) Sadly, the tragic tiger shark attack occurred early June in Hurghada . So, we are not sure if it is a good idea to come back to marsa Alam. Since I’m a dad, I see danger more often… What do you think about this choice? Is there any beaches / spots “safer” than others? I don’t think so regarding the red sea size and the surface that can be covered by tiger sharks… Thank you for your advice and your help.

Hi Divers Sadly we can't dive in Thailand these days and I miss it badly. But it's given me time to do something I've wanted to do for a long time, to rewatch and rank my favourite underwater documentaries. So I made a video about my top 10 favourites. What's your favourite? Check out my video:

Have you ever seen a Diver Narcose And Go Crazy? Narcose Diver Go Crazy!!!

Blue shark shot around sunset 20 miles south of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Shot August 24, 2018.

Hi all, I'm looking forward to trying out my new rig, but would love to go on a boat which is catered for photographers. Doesn't have to be overly serious, but someone who's able to position the boat in a decent manner to make it easier to try and get head on shots, or have a boat with fresh water etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as at the moment we have the following ear marked, "On Isla Mujeres", due to the bigger boat and less of a propensity for sea sickness (yes, even the hardiest of sea scurveys get sick on these boats). Thanks!

I've always felt that it was hard to get close to big animals like sharks and that more reach is required over something like a mid range zoom. Alex had talked about using a 60mm lens behind a dome for sharks and on a recent shark dive in Yap, I decided to try my old AF-D 60mm macro Nikkor on my D850 behind a Zen 170 dome and 70mm extension. I could of used a smaller extension, but it was what I had. The results were quite stunning, I felt. You do need clear conditions to have it work out though, but AF was fast and I had lots of range. The longer reach shortens up the background too. I also switched back and forth from FX to DX mode to see how that felt. I think it's probably more valuable for macro work with the 60 to get more DOF and will try that next week in Palau.

Here is a longer version of my latest dive trip to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, the most remote group of islands in the world. Great manta diving but very limited viz https://youtu.be/ggDAaxqr1jw

Hi there, new here and want to share a glimps of one favorite dive location, namely Palau in Micronesia. Enjoy

Favored by summer vacations and some spare free time I had the time to write down some thoughts from the couch. I don't know if it's the right place to post my ranting. even if I will not write about gear I'm going to write about video after all. When I subscribed to Sky, the largest European satellite broadcaster I couldn't wait to see their nature channels. After few months I realized that only few shows were worth watching. But I never paid particular attention at it. Well, until few days ago, when I saw the Discovery Shark Week. A shark kermesse aired by Discovery Channel every year. By chance at the same time I saw the short documentary Gombessa IV Genesis. Wetpixel wrote a small news about it here. Basically it is a short documentary based on Arte amazing long format Le mystère Mérou re-edited with sharks as main subject. Gombessa IV expedition is just finished and I could even follow them on their Youtube V-log. Let me start off by saying that while I'm passionate about diving and underwater filming I'm able rarely to follow marine documentaries aired by Discovery, NGC, History, etc... I find them mostly targeted to casual public or the average Joe who don't know nothing about diving or marine biology. Let me be really clear, nothing wrong on this. Informing lay people with the most suitable language is the main task of science journalism. Actually seeing these shows (I think show is the proper term, not documentary) some doubt arises. How much oversimplification can we afford in the name of accessibility? How many fake infos can we afford in the name of a wider public audience and spectacularization? In other words, where is the balance between audience and correct information? I see that Wetpixel almost mentioned one part of the show here but I'll try to be clearer. Some example: several documentaries shows of the Discovery Shark Week were shoot at the Bahamas. Some of them at the famous Shark beach. Why the hell every two minutes do they have to remember me that the diver or the camera operator is risking his life doing this or that? They are in the same place where every year thousand of apprentice divers party with the sharks bringing back home their pretty photos and family video! Internet is flooded of these videos. Music, editing, dialogues, everything rotates around shark diving dangerousness. Even when the diver is in the cage we clearly see that video operator is outside and everything is fake as Disneyland. At the end of the show my mother and my little son thinks sharks are dangerous. Therefore other questions arise. Shark week official declared goal is to show how amazing this endangered creatures are... but after 45 minutes spent remarking how dangerous are those activities are we sure that the usual sentence at the end of the show filled with "amazing... endangered... protect..." is enough to put across the message on shark preservation? Frankly speaking it's just a boilerplate on a format focused on maximizing the audience. Three shows were focused on shark attacks. I'm done with sharks and surfers. Please. Basically in one week only one show documentary was worth to watch: Blue Serengeti. We know, to attract shark we need baits. All of the shows were doing indiscriminate use of shark feeding or chumming. I'm a practical guy so I will not do a crusade against it but how is possible that in a documentary show there is no mention about opinions or disclaimers on this controversial practice? By the way, reading two Wetpixel's articles about the poor traveling octopus I understand that balance between audience and correct information should be a topic dear to Wetpixel but then I see that there is a double aspect even for them. Chumming is ok for Wetpixel. I take note of it. On the topic it worth reading this page of Sharks and People: Exploring Our Relationship with the Most Feared Fish in the Sea, University of Chicago Press, p. 160 I'm not fighting against this show. I'm using it as an recent example of what I don't like in nearly all shows about nature aired via satellite or cable: The most dangerous creatures of ... (fill dots with an ecosystem of your choice), Spiders vs Snakes and so on... On shipwreck dives is no joke either! I still remember watching History Channel's Deep Sea Detectives touching wood. Bottom line is that it doesn't worth without someone who risk his life (actually, most of the times someone who acts like risking his life). To summarize, IMHO I find there is a more general "format" problem on USA productions. It doesn't depends on documentary filmmaker and operators involved. They are professionals who sell their images later tailored on their needs by production companies or they directly produce what the market asks for. USA productions prefer a format that is kind of an hybrid between a reality show and a documentary. When did all of this started? IMO French productions I cited above are on another league. I'm not speaking about money involved but the plot, storytelling in itself. Breathtaking images and events still depicted in a very realistic fashion. I participated to some documentation and exploration projects and reality on the ground corresponds on what I see on them. Scientific facts and message to the audience plays always a main role and everything revolves around them. In some respects the viewer is considered an adult person fully capable to understand what's going on. Things seem easy because they are good at them but emphasis is rarely given on character's ego or risks involved. From a storytelling perspective these documentaries mix the old David Attenborough BBC understatement with the superman challenges of Yves Cousteau. Sad to say that French are the only one in Europe to put money on these productions devoted to the sea. Maybe something else form BBC. On the shipwreck topic I could cite U455 the lost submarine. Again a French director with an international production. Maybe it's just me. I'm European and I feel these kind of storytelling more inline with my way of thinking. Yet speaking about fiction, USA storytelling doesn't seem to suffer from these problems. Its language is universal and it spreaded across the world. Maybe when we speak about documentary there is a cultural gap to reduce after all.

Hi there, My new video, make in New caledonia, see and tell me what do you think about it

This might actually be the right place to share this, so feel free to have a look at the video of my trip to Cocos Island in October. The gear I used is the following: Panasonic GH4 Panasonic 7-14mm Nauticam NA-GH4 Nauticam 6" Dome 2 Keldan Luna 4x Let me know what you think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0KyjuLri9k

hello I present you my new video : Diving in New Caledonia The program in this video: Time lapse , school of fish , snappers , surgeon, trevally , manta ray , shark Wall and many others .... Feel free to share your thoughts. my website : http://zentof.perso.sfr.fr/

Hi, Well for my first post, I introduce you one of my new vidéo: PELAGOS On this vidéo you will see manta ray, shark, snake...and more.I'm just an amateur but i try to do my best.No filter , but clear water. Enjoy!! and tell me if you like or not, what can i improve( my english , sorry i'm french).This vidéo is available in HD My website: http://zentof.perso.sfr.fr/

While out and about in Dallas, we stopped for lunch at The Porch. http://www.theporchrestaurant.com/ It's an excellent restaurant with tasty indulgent menu items. I happened to notice that the specials board had "Grilled Black Tip Shark". As one might expect, this bugged the heck out me. This morning I remembered this event and I went to their website and emailed the managing partner. I provided links to Shark Angels and to Shawn Heinrich's web page showing the devastation caused by shark finning. About an hour after I got to work, I received a call from Justin Beam, the general manager. He said he and the executive chef discussed the matter and had looked at the links. He said they would pull the menu item immediately and never offer shark again. I thanked him. I wanted to share the positive experience. Granted, this restaurant is part of the Consilient Restaurant group, which focuses on local farm to table type restaurants. Anyway, we now have two more people on our side. BTW, the restaurant group consists of some pretty good eateries: Hibiscus Fireside Pies Victor Tangos AF+B (Ft. Worth) If you are in the Dallas area, they are worthy of your business.

One of my favorite dive spots on the planet is Roca Partida, which is part of the Revillagigedo Archipelago (sometimes called the Socorro Islands). When I was there last month we had ripping currents which make photography challenging. The upside is that strong currents sure bring in the sharks. Here is a short video I made while desperately trying to hold position. https://flic.kr/p/nvAqBR Enjoy, ...STeve

Just sharing another 'in 60seconds' edit featuring some shots from Hawaii at a FAD. Enjoy!

I just posted the a video from a recent Palau trip: http://www.peterwalker.com/palau.html It is a HD online video (hosted from Vimeo) so you will need a fast internet connection or wait patiently for it to buffer. I do have a couple of other online videos in the pipeline (Caves, Jellyfish Lake) but this is the "mating aggregation" video so I focused on uploading this one first. Thanks to David Cheung of ScubaCam for putting this trip together. Regards Peter Camera: Canon XF100 Housing: BS Kinetics Makla Takan Editing: Final Cut Pro X 10.1

We have 3 spots left (1 male, 2 shared cabin) on the Rocio Del Mar live aboard for the February 15-23rd trip to Archipielago Revillgigedos (Socorro Islands). You must arrive in Cabo, Mexico on the 14th. Price of the trip is 3295USD. This trip was sold out, but 3 people had to drop out. This is a trip for advanced divers. Socorro is all about big animal diving; leave the macro lens and diopters at home! We expect to see giant Pacific manta rays, Silky Sharks, Hammer Heads (Great & Scalloped), Galapagos Sharks and White tipped reef sharks. Tigers have been seen occasionally. Additionally we expect to see dolphins, huge schools of jacks and giant tuna. We have chosen this time of year to go to Socorro (my 6th trip there) because we feel that it will give us the best opportunity to encounter humpbacks (and their calfs) on SCUBA (no guarantees :-).) If you are interested, please contact me and I will answer any questions you have regarding the trip. There is also a lot of information about the trip and the boat at www.rociodelmar.com. (some of my images from past trips are there also.) I would love to meet some new divers and share this incredible place with them.

textile t and I (brothers) had the awesome experience to film a Great White Shark feeding while en route from Santa Cruz Island clean up dive. Youtube or Vimeo for your viewing enjoyment. This is a rare occasion, especially on the So Cal Coast. We were going to snorkel with the carcass and an 8 ft blue shark, until the big boy showed up. This shark probably had 10 feet on me, and we estimated the whale carcass to be about 30 feet, so you decided how big the shark was. Thanks for watching! Divers for the non profit group, Ocean Defenders Alliance, were treated to a surprise on the way home from two amazing clean up dives in the national marine sanctuary and national park of the Channel Islands near Ventura, Ca. A VERY LARGE GREAT WHITE SHARK was filmed by the group feeding on a juvenile dead Whale, approximately 30 feet long. Video from both above and below the waterline can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/75744010 In addition, Ocean Defenders Alliance (ODA) has a news worthy campaign itself. After securing tedious, but necessary, permits. ODA has been authorized to work within the National Marine Sanctuary of the Channel Islands National Park. ODA's mission is to remove abandoned "ghost" fishing gear that continues to fish once it's been lost. Volunteer divers protect their own backyard by diving to remove the debris. In a time when regulations restrict even the removal of trash and NPS is cutting staff, patrols, and budgets, ODA steps in to fill a much needed void to protect our oceans. More video is available of the efforts if needed. Thanks!

Hi Everyone, I have a few spots left on a trip down to South Australia to cage dive with the Great Whites. It is an awesome trip and the bottom cage is absolutely a must do experience. Here is the blurb and info. http://ginclearfilm.com/dive-with-great-whites/ Or email me on jon.shaw@ginclearfilm.com

Hi All, I'm so new to photography, both UW and topside. All advice helps... Im still waiting on my strobes, and I'm not able to expose much color in my shots. All our wrecks are 90-120' and I've been converting to black and white to get a bit more pop out of a greenish photo. I'm just looking for general advice from whoever wants to help out. AP_Caribsea-120701-1939.jpg by A_Papa, on Flickr This was shot with my d7000 (sea and sea housing) with /nikor 16mm fisheye @ f/5.6 1/160 ISO400. Thanks!! Annette