Udo van Dongen 6 Posted March 15, 2006 Hi All, In June i'll go to southwest England for a Basking shark-, reef- and wreck diving/snorkling trip. Can anyone recommend me on which lenses to use? I own a 10.5 mm fisheye and a 50 mm Macro now. Perhaps a 10-20 mm or similar is a necessity? Thanx, Udo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted March 15, 2006 As wide as possible. The Basking sharks swim in crappy viz... so you want to get as much compression as you can get. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Udo van Dongen 6 Posted March 16, 2006 Hi Scubadru, Did you or anyone else on the forum ever dive/swim with a basking shark or a comparable size animal? Are they well approachable? So far, i never had any experience with an animal of this size. thanx, Udo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Kay 65 Posted March 16, 2006 Please be aware that in the UK Basking Sharks are a protected species by law. Whilst you can drop into the water and allow them to approach, they should not be targetted nor hassled. As yet I am unaware of any significant problems having taken place but it is as well to understand that the authorities can take action should problems ever occur! Most good shots I've seen have been taken on fisheye lenses whilst snorkelling (although when ever I've seen a Basker I've used a 20mm (on film) or 12~24 (on digital)). I've only seen them 3 times - once off the Isle of Man (where the Basker swam past once), and twice in the Outer Hebrides (the second time was totally unexpected and the Basker had evidently swum over to find out what our bubbles were - disconcerting to look up and see a very large shark 2m above you, mouth shut so it was not instantly obvious what it was!). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robbarker 0 Posted March 16, 2006 The most important bit of kit is your own RIB and skilled handler, who can drop you in front of the basking sharks. Go in snorkelling kit, not diving kit, and use a 12-24 or similar. If you buy the lens from Alan James (www.marine-cameras.com) he'll probably give you some tips to get shots like this: http://www.marine-cameras.com/gallery/Bask...arks/basker.htm Rob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Simonsen 0 Posted March 17, 2006 The 16, 10.5 or a 15 on a Nikonos. Sounds like fun! Steve Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Udo van Dongen 6 Posted March 17, 2006 I have a 10,5 mm Fisheye, but i was wondering whether a 10-20 mm or similar would be preferable because of some zoom flexibility in case that appoaching will be too hard. I think we'll go at the end of june to Porthkerris. Porthkerris divers should have some experience with the basking sharks. I'm looking forward to it a lot!! And if they're not around at that moment, i assume that diving over there must be awesome as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
