Underwater Etiquette

[philmayer 0]

Yes, I know I'm bringing this thread back from the dead, but a lot of folks are getting ready to begin their dive season, so I thought it would be a good time to bring this back up.

 

 

Last year was my first year shooting underwater, and only my second diving.

 

I've been pretty lucky so far.On my two trips to Florida, all of the dives were unguided. I had to find a buddy for each dive, but I generally find a pair of divers to join, then they're not as concerned when I don't stay too close to them. On my trips to Roatan and Belize, the boat dives were all guided, but everybody I dove with was from my local shop, and there aren't many photographers.

 

I try very hard to share my subjects with others. I'll shoot a few frames of a subject, then look around to see if anybody else wants in. If the subject is something special, I will let the other divers around me know so that they can see, even if they're not photographers. If it's a subject that the guide found, I'll wait until everybody else has had their fill and moved on. Then I can take my time shooting and allow the subject to relax a little. I've missed some shots, but the subjects and I are more relaxed this way.

 

The important thing for me to remember is that diving is not a competitive sport. We're all there to have fun.

[diver pete 0]

As a guide and someone who teaches underwater photography within the tourist industry I have found the idea of a photoguide invaluable. If I am guiding a group with photographers included I have found that generally the photographers are happy to poodle along at their own pace. I would still feel it was appropriate that the guide checks out the divers on their first dive or so to ensure safety and respect to the environment. I have found that guides that insist that people in their group follow two by two in an orderly fashion are simply not confident in their own abilities to assess whether someone can dive independently of the group. The guides inability to do their job properly should not dictate whether someone has an enjoyable experience or not. As for the centre operators that have endorsed this follow my leader style of guiding, I say to you, employ good instructors and guides. Encourage adequate site briefings and responsible practices and offer photo guides at reasonable rates to those who need them. Remember that your customers will return if they are treated well and enjoy their underwater experience. I hate being herded around like cattle.

My tip to photographers is simple. Show the guide and operator that you are a responsible diver, willing to take care of yourself, your buddy and the environment and they should be quite happy to let you do your own thing and move at your own pace. This is the secret of achieving the ideal shot and the perfect dive holiday. Or pay a little extra to an operation that uses photoguides and understands that we do not all need to be treated like cattle!

[Iggy 0]

The important thing for me to remember is that diving is not a competitive sport. We're all there to have fun.

In the case of finding a subject I want to work hard, and render to whatever view or vision I have of it, I believe it is the others around me who should practice good etiquette rather than suggesting I must, by way of sharing the find, before I have satisfied my photographic goals.

 

I am not saying I would do this with a subject found by a guide or on every subject otherwise, but I think it is time to stop believing there is something wrong with a photographer who locates a subject or image and wants cover it as completely as possible.

 

I don't see any difference between that and the topside photographer who climbs the hills and sets up his gear before me so they can shoot, whatever the subject may be, from the very best location at what they consider the optimum moment. I have never asked someone who beat me or lucked into a photo op like that to step aside and give me my turn, and I would never expect an uw-photographer to share his special find with me either. I might hope for that, but I wouldn't expect it and I certainly wouldn't think I was entitled because some sense of etiquette suggests I should be. It's his/hers to shoot or share or just enjoy watching and none is required of them just because I happen to be on the same boat or in the same ocean.

 

Oops....was I ranting?

 

Sorry....

[Kelpfish 15]

What lionfish said is exactly my rule. However, like Martin (NW DIVER) said, I have not specifically approached divers on their activities, but I have informed divemasters and group leaders of poor behavior. I define poor behavior as something that really makes me mad and is an obvious selfserving, like wacking certain fish so they do a defensive display, etc. On my last trip to Roatan, my wife and I brought fending rods to use as our finger on the reef because they don't allow gloves there. Surprisingly, they hadn't seen them before and thought they were for prying up rocks and doing damage to whatever served our diving purpose. In Lembeh, they recommend these tools, in Roatan they frowned on them due to a lack of awareness and knowledge. By the end of the trip we felt like the most unwelcome couple at CCV while all the time the 12 inch poles were to limit our engagement with reef structure, corals and shoot more effectively from midwater while hovering in current. But as far as wide angle things go, I just shake my head when someone just swims through my frame because

 

1. They don't know better

2. They don't care

 

Number one is usually the issue, but in a wide angle environment, especially if you are shooting a fisheye, it's very hard for a diver to "go around" due to the len's coverage. So I don't necessarily think that the area "is mine", while macro is a different story. I.E,. Lionfish's comments. I don't believe in the scuba police theory but I do believe in the dive leads policing fair and practical behavior underwater. Discuss things with the guides if you see something way wrong and let them do their jobs.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Joe

[Islandbound 1]

This post is interesting to me in another way. Here in the islands south of Japan its quite often the spear fisherman who is competing against you for the reef. While there are alot of scuba tourists who do come here from China, Japan, Korea etc most of them tend to stay with the local guides in specific areas. Most of the best areas are largely unused by these groups, however the fishermen here seem to know these areas and its not uncommon to be dodging a fishing lure being reeled across the top of a reef.

[Iggy 0]

Number one is usually the issue, but in a wide angle environment, especially if you are shooting a fisheye, it's very hard for a diver to "go around" due to the len's coverage.

That's a good point, but at least in regard to my comments I was speaking about accessing the subject and not about divers in the field of view. People will get into the field of view from time to time and I don't think it is ever their error or neccessarily their responsibility to vacate. Heck, they could be setting up their own shot without even knowing what I'm doing. I've always just waited until they and their bubbles cleared before making my shots

[andrew73 0]

Iggy,

 

Sometimes you'd have to be very lucky it's just bubbles they leave behind instead of finning up the silt bottom that would make you wanna throttle them once topside!

[CamDiver 5]

Wooo Hooo,

A potential bag of worms subject. I'll tackle this one in my head on approach. If I happen to piss anyone off here I'm sorry in advance but being in the water daily in Palau I get to see a lot of differing behaviors.

 

I guess there will always be two opinions to every situation. That of the photographer and that of the non photographer. For someone to be hovering on a reef enjoying an encounter with a Turtle or whatever can get pretty miffed when an image collecting, lets call them "snapper", diver hurtles out of no where in their attempt to get the perfect shot. No one person here can say they are completely aware of everyone and everything on the reef at any given time as they snap their shots or roll their video heads.

 

I guess the only way we can avoid as much negative confrontation, yes I've seen people attempt to fight underwater!, is for us as a group to asses each situation before we go in to take our shots. By saying asses the situation I mean take a look around and see if you will be about to swim in front of a dive group watching a manta at a cleaning station to get the shot. If you will be obstructing the groups view what do you do?? That in itself is the deciding point here. If you do happen onto a scene first then I can only hope that the divers turning up after you will see that you are in the midst of collecting your imagery. If they then choose to ruin your shots, again that shows their mindset on the issue.

 

I once had a "snapper" swim from behind me, over my shoulder whilst filming to get a shot of the manta I was in the process of shooting. Completely blocking my shot I grabbed his fin to make my displeasure known. His response? He shrugged it off. I found him and asked him topside why he acted that way seeing that I was shooting. "I wanted to get some shots" came the response. Go figure.

 

I have seen people, professional people, people we all hear about on a daily basis, people deemed to be at the apex of our profession, I have seen certain individuals in those ranks hold a complete disregard for other divers, the marine environment and the well being of their subject. Those individuals who walk over healthy hard coral plateaus dragging heavy filming gear and tripods, those who choose a comfortable 'seat in the reef' blocking the show at a shark feed to get their photos, those who sit on Manta cleaning stations waiting for the mantas to show, those people know who they are. For these people, and others deemed not so famous, to then take a stance as being all innocent and an advocate for non-intrusive diving practices in the search of photographic records is just a complete bag of crap.

 

We all want to get images. What separates one from the 'Coral Stomping Snappers' of the world is not one's ability to shoot a scene, its not one's ability to be the worlds best exponent at neutral buoyancy, what separates you from a 'Stomping' loud mouthed "I wanted to get the shot" jerk is the reverence that you offer to the marine environment. Its the respect you show your subject, its the knowing when you're bothering the wildlife and having the discipline to back off, there's always another day. Its also the way in which you interact with your fellow diver.

 

If you show respect, you in turn will be respected.

 

2c well spent!

Cheers,

Mark.