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THE GREAT WHITE SHARKS OF GUADALUPE: PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

Blue water, white sharks photography workshop with Charles Hood

Maybe you are a beginner with a relatively modest camera system, alternatively you could be a pro-am with the latest digital SLR complete with custom housing, or maybe you are somewhere in between. You may have already completed an underwater photographic course having gained all the theory and completed a week’s shoot in warm waters. You may have got some great pictures and now you want to try your hand at capturing the ultimate image – a great white shark portrait. Let the lessons begin.

First you can forget about any macro lens – don’t even bother to pack them or the port. So the first decision to be made is how wide? Unlike reef diving, often this question cannot be answered until on site so a selection of lenses is ideal. Sharks move incredibly quickly: they may appear cumbersome on the TV but they certainly aren’t when up close. When you have an eighteen footer moving at anything up to 20 km/hr coming straight at you, one doesn’t have time to think about which end of a zoom lens to select! So pre-planning is essential. Then there are the problems of shutter speeds, apertures, exposure compensation and sensitivity to think about. Do you go for a fill-in flash and restrict your shutter speed or try natural light? What about particles of chum in the water that may cause back scatter? Where is the sunlight at the time of day you will be in the water? The boat will orientate itself into wind so you have to make the most of the cage you are in – this will undoubtedly lead you to adapt your set-up for each dive. We also need to consider cage logistics; there’s no point in having the perfect shot ruined by a long hose dangling in front of the lens!

Oh, and, by the way, once all this has been considered, we can now discuss framing … As you may be beginning to see, there is a lot more to shark photography than first impressions may give. Three days of continuous cage diving may seem a long time, and indeed it is. However, in terms of shooting time it goes incredibly fast so having someone to hand to guide you through getting the most out of your camera is a distinct advantage.

Over the past 30 years Charles Hood has captured on film most of the worlds big sharks, whether it be from a cage or free-swimming. Sometimes he only had a few days to get a result, so planning and pre-setup are essential. Of course, nowadays, with the advent of digital technology, we can review the images we have taken after each dive, but understanding the characteristics of the picture is vital.

When we used film our work was finished when the film had been exposed. Now, shooting with digital, our work begins after the shutter has closed! Understanding pixels, curves, levels, hue, tint, colour balance, RAW, JPEG, TIFF and sharpening are a must for creating an excellent result, once the camera has exposed the initial image.

This is why, during recent years, Charles Hood has been ‘highly commended’ and ‘specially commended’ in the Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition for his images of sharks, and perhaps you could do likewise. So, whether you are an absolute beginner or a serious amateur, why not take up the challenge? All you require is a digital camera and waterproof housing, a pack of memory cards or preferably a small laptop computer and last, but by no means least, the enthusiasm and skill to capture one of the world’s ultimate apex predators on film….or rather on CCD (but it just doesn’t sound the same).

Charles, an accomplished underwater photographer and journalist, will make yet another visit to Guadalupe Island to lead this tour, which is his choice for the most photographic and exciting shark encounter on earth. Charles will be on hand for informal photographic discussion and critique. Underwater photographers of all levels will certainly benefit from Charles’s knowledge and experience.

The large quarter deck has a special camera table and bench-style tank racks with good-sized gear-storage bins below. There are four rinse tanks (two for cameras/computers and two for dive gear) and two freshwater showers. The stern features a broad, full-width dive deck with a super-wide, in-water ladder to facilitate easy exit from the water, although two 7-metre inflatable pangas are used to drop and retrieve divers at specific sites, if need be. Nitrox is available at an extra charge. The owners of Solmar V have created a boat that combines the service expected of a deluxe resort hotel with the special requirements of a luxury liveaboard diving vessel. Three gourmet meals are prepared and served daily, along with pre- and post-dive snacks.

Although Solmar V can take up to 22 passengers, a maximum of 16 are taken to Guadalupe to allow for maximum cage time. Solmar V operates 2 four man cages using a proprietary swivel system which hooks to the swim platform making it very easy and safe to get in and out of our cages even in rough weather. The submersible cage allows us to descend a little further into the realm of the Great White Shark. Although the submersible cage lowers to only about 6 meters below the surface of the water, it provides a completely different perspective to your shark diving experience. A safety diver escorts one diver at a time on these 20 minute rides. The view offered by the submersible cage is a photographer’s dream come true. Special techniques used by the operators mean that Solmar V offers superior encounters with Great White Sharks compared with most other boats and is the key reason for our choice of this particular liveaboard.

It is also possible to explore the coastline of Guadalupe, looking for seals and birdlife, with Solmar V’s resident naturalist, Geronimo.

OUTLINE ITINERARY

Day 1: Continental Airlines morning flight from London (Heathrow) bound for San Diego via Houston, arriving in the evening. Overnight at the Holiday Inn.

Day 2: Depart the Holiday Inn, San Diego at 0900 bound for Ensenada, Mexico where Solmar V will be waiting. Midday arrival at Ensenada and immediate departure for Guadalupe Island.

Day 3: Arrival at Guadalupe should be about 0600. After the cages have been set up, prepare for your first encounter with a Great White Shark! Cage diving all day.

Days 4-5: Two more full days of cage diving and photographing the Great White sharks. Depart Guadalupe at about 1800 on Day 5.

Day 6: Arrive back at Ensenada at midday, from where you will be transferred back to San Diego. Delays at the border crossing into the US at Tijuana mean the northbound journey takes much longer than the southbound, so arrival back in San Diego may not be until late afternoon or even early evening. Overnight at the Holiday Inn.

Day 7: Continental Airlines morning flight from San Diego bound for London (Heathrow) via Houston.

Day 8: Morning arrival at London (Heathrow).

£2200 San Diego/San Diego (price provisional, to be confirmed) 

Includes:

• Transfers by road between the Holiday Inn, San Diego and Solmar V at Ensenada. 

• 4 nights cruise on Solmar V on a twin/share basis with full board. 

• Three days of cage diving.

• Services of Charles Hood as group leader.

Single Occupancy Supplement: If you are travelling alone and are willing to share a twin cabin with a fellow passenger you can avoid paying any supplement. If you prefer to have a cabin to yourself a £1050 supplement applies (price provisional, to be confirmed).

Deposit: Initial deposit £200, with a further £600 at 12 months before departure, for San Diego/San Diego arrangements.

Please note: For those travelling directly from Europe, overnight hotel accommodation is required in San Diego at either end of the cruise. These stays are not included in the tour cost. We can reserve rooms at the Holiday Inn or elsewhere. Airport transfers are not included. Taxis are freely available.

Flights: From about £454 to San Diego.

HOLIDAY COMBINATIONS: This is the best time of year for diving Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. It is easy to fly down to La Paz and enjoy the California Sealions, Manta Rays, Scalloped Hammerheads and huge schools of fish for which the area is famous. Whale Sharks are regularly encountered at this season. Talk to us about the possibilities.