Won a Palme d’Or at the The World Festival of Underwater Pictures at Marseille
Me with my award in front of a Jacques Cousteau poster
Just got back from the 37th The World Festival of Underwater Pictures in Marseille. This was the first year I participated, submitting shots for the color photography, black and white photography, portfolio (10 pieces) and website categories. To be completely honest, I was a little disappointed to find that my photography work was ranked middle of the pack in just about every category (and rightly so), but I was overjoyed to find that I had won the “Prix du Site Web Artistique 2010″, which is for the most artistic web site of 2010. You can see the results here: http://www.underwater-festival.com/. It’s in French, but my name and site are listed.
It was great to come home with something, and I learned a lot from the experience. Now all I have to do is get back to work on my photography. It’s a pretty tough competition, and I have a long way to go to get where I want to be with my photography work…
I just want to say thank you to everyone who supported me and encouraged me throughout the last year, especially my family, and of course all of the good people over at the CIPA; without whom none of this would have been possible.
By the way, I’m not the only one from the CIPA who came home with an award. Guillaume Nery managed to win the “Prix d’Insolite” for his “Free Fall” film. Congratulations to Guillaume for yet a another award for his beautiful film. Watch the film here.
Below are the photo submissions that I submitted to this year’s competition:
Weekend 9-22-2010
Oeuf au plat with crowd of Oblade
Well, I got back at it this weekend. Felt good to finally be able to spend some time in the water and do some diving. The last month has been a real whirlwind. I had a great time in the ‘States, and got in some quality time with the family, and that is always a good thing but I really fell behind at life. Since I got back, my life has been pretty stacked up with work, but I finally feel like I have been able to dig myself out just enough to get things back to normal.
Anyways, I got more oeuf au plat shots this weekend. They are invading over here. I have seen them almost every weekend I have been out for a couple of months now. Everyone I have talked to tells me that they are normally only rarely seen, but this year they are everywhere. Is this an effect of climate change or changes in the ecosystem? Or could it be just a fluke? I hope to learn more on the topic.
Weekend Shots, TF1, Oeuf Au Plat, Wide Angle Issues, and More…
TF1 Cameraman shooting the CIPA this weekend
Well, this is going to be my last post for a bit. I might pop on to link to the CIPA TV appearance if it gets online, but no photos for a few weeks since I will be “state-side” until mid-sept.
TV appearance you ask? There was a news crew that came out for one of the major French TV stations (TF1) on Saturday to film the CIPA (my diving club). I assume there were mostly there to catch Guillaume, but they were shooting the whole club, so I think I’ve got a good shot to make my French national TV debut in the near future. I have no idea when the piece is going to air, but I will post it when I get it.
Other than that, the weekend was a good mix of awesomeness and frustration. I had a great couple of outings this weekend, with lots of stuff to shoot, but I had some issues with my new replacement Fantasea BigEye G Series lens that made me miss a lot of shots. I chipped my old one (which I NEVER had a single issue with), and I had to pony up to get it replaced since I found it an incredible tool. To make a long story short, my new one came, and it seems to have either some errant moisture inside it, or some sort of subtle chemical stain on the inside of the glass that likes to ruin photos. It is not fogging that I am having a problem with. Moderate fogging I could probably deal with; it is a definite defect that really sucks. I have reached out to Fantasea technical support to get it resolved, and I will keep you all posted as to how it goes. [Update: I posted an email to support, and they responded within a few hours on a Sunday, which is a good sign. They asked for a receipt, and a photo of the defect, which I promptly supplied.]
“Méduse œuf au plat”, or egg jellyfish
Last but not least, after having seen my first “Méduse œuf au plat”, or egg jellyfish a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon at least seven that I counted earlier today. When it rains it pours I guess. As of a few weeks ago, I had never seen one, but now I’ve seen at least eight in the last few weeks. I wasn’t too pleased with my shots from last time, and while not perfect, I am quite a bit happier with the ones I got today.
Enjoy, and I’ll be back with more shots in late Sept.
The World Festival of Underwater Pictures In Marseille Is Coming Up
37e Festival mondial de l’image sous-marine
Just finished getting my submissions together for the 37th World Festival of Underwater Pictures (Festival mondial de l’image sous-marine) at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille. This year is pretty special, as this would have been the 100th birthday of the great Jacques-Yves Cousteau. It promises to be a big to-do, and I’m looking forward to it. Entries are due September 15th, so if you haven’t gotten yours in, get them in in now. The show itself is from the 27th through the 31st of October, so start getting your bookings in order now. See you there!
Site: http://www.underwater-festival.com/index-en.html (french: http://www.underwater-festival.com/index.html)
Rules: http://www.underwater-festival.com/Reglement-en.html
Entry Form: http://www.underwater-festival.com/images/concours-eng.pdf
Fantasea BigEye Lens G Series (For Canon G7, G9, G10, G11, S90) Review
BigEye Lens G Series Wide Angle Wet Lens
The BigEye Lens G Series gives Canon G Series and Canon S90 series users the ability to take relatively wide angle shots without the need to upgrade to a more expensive case.
The first thing to understand when looking at the BigEye Lens is to understand what it does. If you go into it expecting to be able to take truly wide angle shots on par with some of the other wide angle wet lenses out there (such as Sea & Sea, Dyron, or Inon), you will be sorely disappointed. This product will only take the G9 down to about a 25 mm equivalent, the G10 and G11 down to about a 20mm equivalent. It’s right around what is generally the considered top end of the wide angle spectrum.
What this product does, more than anything else is recuperate the loss in wide angle caused by refractive magnification of the water. One of the first things you learn in scuba diving theory classes is that, due to the refractive qualities of water things always seem larger and closer.
BigEye Lens G Series Wide Angle Wet Lens
The water acts as a natural lens which converts a 35mm equivalent flat port lens to approximately 47 mm, and a 28 mm lens to approximately 37 mm. The rounded dome port on the BigEye lens counteracts that and subtracts a little on the bottom end to decrease the native focal length by a factor of 0.7x. As far as I know, this is the only wide angle wet lens solution available for stock G series and S90 Canon underwater housings. If you want something with more coverage and a wider angle, you’ll have to look at another housing. I would recommend starting with an Ikelite, and pairing it up with another after market wide angle lens such as the Inon UFL-165AD Fisheye Lens. I have read that there are individuals who have experimented with other popular lenses on the listed Canon housings with poor results, and I have not yet found another viable wide angle solution on the market.
EyeDaptor G9-G10
It works with several Canon G-series Housings as well as the Canon S90 Housing (Canon G7, G9, G11, G10, and S90 housings; WP-DC34, WP-DC28, WP-DC35, WP-DC21 and WP-DC11). The G7, G9, and S90 housings require an additional adapter in order to work with their respective housings; Eyedapter G7/G9 version S90 version.
The BigEye Lense mounts via a pressure fit/bungee cord system. Two hooks on bungee cords hold the lens to the Canon casing. It is a relatively simple system that works effectively, however it can slip off with quick movements underwater. Fortunately the flat glass in the back is made of very strong scratch-resistant material so this won’t likely cause any damage to the glass if it should occur. The front glass, however, is a different story. It is fragile as heck. If you purchase one of these, you’ll have to be VERY careful with it as it will scratch or chip very easily.
BigEye Lens G Series With Home Made Cover
I ruined my first one within two weeks (I was getting into the water and dropped my camera on the way in, which chipped the glass), but I learned my very expensive lesson. I recommend keeping the dome glass covered whenever not in use. The Fantasea version comes with a neoprene cover, the Japanese version (branded as FIX rather than Fantasea) does not. For my second one I fashioned a simple cover out of an old neoprene glove and an elastic band. It’s not as pretty as the commercial cover, but it protects the lens effectively. Light scratches can be buffed out, but chips and deep scratches can ruin the dome lens, depending on where they are. For light scratches, there are commercially available kits you can find online. When mine got chipped, the primary problem was that the auto-focus seemed to want to find the chip 60% of the time, which just made shooting with it more frustrating than anything.
Lens Flare Is Not A Huge Problem
The lens is made of optical glass, which is generally considered better than acrylic. Optical glass is less prone to lens flare and ring reflections than acrylic. You will have issues with lens flare with a dome lens, but you can generally keep these under control if you are not shooting directly into the light. You can also rotate the included petal lens hood in order to help with flare in certain situations.
A few other things to note about the BigEye Lens:
1. This lens needs to be used in macro mode the time.
2. I’ve read about some people having severe issues with fogging with this product. Evidently this was an early production issue that has since been taken care of, and I have had no issues with fogging. If you do start to have issues, try keeping the BigEye immersed in cool water for 10 minutes before your dive.
3. This product does absolutely nothing on dry land. It is specifically designed to work underwater and works in conjunction with the refractive properties of the water.
4. It blocks the internal flash. You will either need to use ambient light or use an external strobe with this product.
5. Fantasea sells a product to attach the BigEye to certain strobe and flex arms. You can find it here.
6. At times the unit has problems with bubbles getting trapped between the unit glass and the camera body. This can be annoying, but with practice, you can get rid of the air pockets quickly.
I've taken some of my favorite shots with the BigEye
All in all, this is a pretty affordable and pretty solid product. It’s not the widest angle lens out there, but it’s simple, not terribly over expensive, and it works. I’ve used it quite a bit, and I’ve done some of my best work with it. You can do a lot with this product with just ambient light, and the ability to switch it out with macro lenses or just going straight flat port in the middle of a dive gives you enormous flexibility in the field. Between the BigEye and a set of Inon macro lenses, you can get an unparalleled range of focal lengths and photo composition options that a DSLR rig just can’t match.
The lens flare issue isn’t horrible, even though it is there, and the quality is there, with minimal distortion at the edges. I have noticed a problem with sharpness in some shots, but I am not 100% sure that is not just motion blur in those cases. All in all, this is a great way to reduce the amount of water between you and your subject, which is critical in underwater photography. I recommend it for Canon G series and S90 users as long as they understand what they are getting before they buy.
Product Specifications:
- Depth rated to 60m/200 feet
- Field of view recovery (magnification): 105% (X0.7)
- Angle of coverage: 80 degrees
- Lens material: Optical glass, hard coated plastic and anodized aluminum
- Weight: 498g
- Dimensions: 157x77mm
- Box includes: Neoprene lens cover (only in American Version), secure line, warranty and instruction manual
I have included several sample shots below to show off how the BigEye Lens G Series works:
Possible Shark Sighting at the Promenade in Nice
Two days ago, the beaches along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France were evacuated due to what was a possible shark sighting. It was never confirmed whether this extremely rare sighting was indeed a shark. It was noted that it could be a mola molas (poisson lune) or a dolphin.
Below is a clip of the local TV report (french):
Later reports cast doubt on the theory of a shark in Nice waters, as it was discovered that a female dolphin was found dead today near the island of Saint-Honorat in Cannes. It apparently died after giving birth leading some to believe that this was what was seen in Nice two days ago.
Weekend 8-1-2010 Critter Shots
Méduse œuf au plat, or egg jellyfish
Here is the second batch of shots from last weekend. There are a few shots of macro critters, plus a “Méduse œuf au plat”, or egg jellyfish. It was the first one I had ever seen in person, and even thought it was a very small one, I am happy to have seen it. The mini crabs are the exact same ones I shot the week before. I just wasn’t thrilled with the results, so I went back and tried a few new techniques for getting them shot better. I think I succeeded, but I’ll let you be the judge.
Weekend 8-1-2010 Apnea Diving with the CIPA
Freediving in Villefranche
Well, I as in northern France all last week for a buddy’s birthday bash so I didn’t get a chance to update my photos from last week. I’ll post them in two updates, since I kind of had two different themes going on last weekend. The first half was pretty heavy free diving, and the second was mostly practicing my macro techniques as you will see in the next post. If my photos from this week look an awful lot like the ones from my last batch, they are. I had so much fun a few weeks ago, that I decided to go visit the exact same spots and do the exact things again. This first batch is the freediving part, taken in two sessions at Villefranche.
Weekend 7-24-2010
Monopalm coolness
Well, this weekend was a get-back-to normal weekend after the big vacation to Corsica, and so I decided to get back to the old freediving club. I hadn’t been out with the club since about mid May, and I figured it was about time to actually do some serious training. My intentions were good, but after 2 warm up dives of less than 20 meters, I found myself snap, snap, snapping away. I ended up taking a bunch of shots between the 10-15 meter mark, and never ended up getting any deep water work in. It was great nonetheless, as it gave me a chance to string multiple shallow dives together for the purposes of lining up a shot. Plus, I found some good shooting positions and got some practice in at shooting freedive subjects.
In addition, I went out Sunday and discovered some strange little shrimp or crabs under a rock. They were so small I couldn’t even tell what they were with the naked eye. All I could see were some little leg-like things waving in the water. I just threw on my dual stacked macro lenses and started shooting, figuring I would be able to tell what exactly it was once I got to shore. I really like the shots, mostly because we can now see details that would not be really possible withouth the camera.
Back from Corsica
The waters in Scandola were incredibly clear
We got back from Corsica on Monday night. All I can say is wow! What a paradise. We went scuba diving near St. Florent (Ludo Beach), The Cape of Corsica in the north, as well as near Calvi. We were supposed to have done one dive in Porto, farther south, but if got cancelled because of weather. The diving was good, especially near Calvi, but the best thing we did (and indeed one of the best things I’ve ever done on vacation) was to rent a boat out of Porto and cruise up the coast of the Scandola reserve, stopping to snorkel and freedive along the way.
The Scandola reserve is a protected nature reserve with no roads and foot access. The only way to see the area is by boat, and the only way to dive it is without a tank, as scuba diving is not permitted. The shoreline is absolutely stunning, the water was crystal clear, there were critters everywhere, and the water was warm and wonderful. If you are heading to Corsica, I highly recommend the town of Porto and a trip out to the Scandola reserve by rented boat. If you don’t have a license, that’s okay, you can rent a little boat that takes about an hour and a half to get you there, but it still leaves you a load of time to explore if you leave early enough. The next time I am in Corsica, I will be heading back to Porto/Scandola as quickly as I can.
Nudibranch near Calvi
The whole trip was amazing, and I have to say, I was amazed at the things we saw. Right away, from the boat we came in on, we saw dolphins as we arrived. They were jumping and playing next to our boat. We also saw a pod of dolphins playing near The Cape of Corsica in the north on our way to a dive. One thing I didn’t expect at all was to see a gigantic pod of whales on our way out, they were rolling parallel to the boat in the distance. I never thought I would see whales in the Mediterranean but we certainly did. In addition to those two marvels, we also saw rays, conger eels, moray eels of several varieties, nudibranch, barracuda, grouper, cuttlefish, several species of octopus, a triggerfish, and much more.
All in all, it was a fantastic week of sunshine, water, diving, and discovery. Corsica is truly a marvel, and I can’t wait to get back. If you are planning a trip, an want to go scuba diving, make sure to head over towards Calvi. Oh yeah, and one pro tip: if you see a wild pig on the island in Corsica, don’t feed them with your hands. Evidently, they will take everything you hand to them, even a finger or two!
[Update: For those of you who want to see where each shot was taken, I have attached geo-locationing to my shots on my flickr account here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/83275239@N00/sets/72157624429872639/map?&fLat=42.6194&fLon=8.9532&zl=10&order_by=recent ]
[Update 2: I have added the terrestrial shots to my other site. There are photos of Scandola and Piana there: http://www.w3rks.com/?p=63.]
Photos for the Weekend of 7-4
Tried some water silhouette shots
The holiday weekend passed quickly and without anything extraordinary happening. I got a couple of nice shots in, but nothing as dramatic as last weekend. I did, however, find the same nudibranch that I missed my shot of last week, and I got a passable shot this time. I also got to shoot a bizarre type of miniature spider crab that I found habitating an anemone. I barely saw him, and he’s even hard to pick out in the photos. Finally, I decided to do some more wide angle work (as wide as I can), and came up with a few fun water silhouette and surf shots.
Jellyfish Invasion (Seriously)
Rainbow Tail Jellyfish
Last weekend I mentioned that there were a lot of hermit crabs out, and kind of cried wolf on the invasion part, but this weekend the REAL invasion started with beaucoup jellyfish arriving near Cap D’Ail. I probably saw several hundred just this afternoon; more than I’ve ever seen in one day.
Needless to say, there weren’t a ton of people in the water. Fortunately for me, I like jellyfish (when they are not stinging me). I jumped right in and got some really fun shots. I actually got a shot of rainbow colors in the tail of one jellyfish. Very, very cool.
Also, I went on my first scuba dive of 2010 this weekend. There are a few shots from that mixed in (not many). Among those shots were a chapon (a variety of scorpionfish), some soft coral, a crenilabre (the very colorful tropical-looking fish) that I have never seen, and a nudibranch that is very particular to this area, called a “doris dalmatien” (dalmation is dalmation in french). It’s got black spots just like the dog, hence the name.
Hermit Crab Invasion
The hermit crabs were out this weekend.
Okay, maybe it’s not an invasion, but I found a bunch of them chowing down on whatever they can scavenge. There are definitely more than usual out, and a good thing too, because these particular ones were pretty colorful once I got into macro range. Normally, they hide when I get my camera close, but whatever they were eating must have been too good to worry about me. Oh, and I got a shot of the spaghetti monster too (that’s what I call them, I have no idea what they are really called). I am guessing it is a worm that is related to the spirograph. When you get real close, it contracts rapidly and hides, much like the aforementioned spirograph. I also got what I consider a couple of decent shots of a scorpion fish. They are deceptively hard to shoot.
I Guess Guillaume Has Gone Viral…
Well, I saw the Guillaume Nery base jumping at Dean’s Blue Hole Video on our club forums about a week ago, and thought it was a very beautiful and well executed work, but I didn’t really think much about it after that.
Would you believe it, today, I am on the phone with one of my employees from Wisconsin, USA, and he says to me “I saw this really cool video over the weekend of this guy base jumping underwater.” I immediately knew what he was talking about,a and when I swung over to youtube, the video had over 620,000 views. Pretty impressive. Plus, my employee was pretty astonished when I told him that he was our club president. Small world, huh?
If you haven’t seen the video, swing over to his blog and check out the video. It is seriously a nicely executed dive piece.
I have been getting quite a bit of traffic from people searching for Mr. Nery since this video came out, so for those who are interested in learning more about him and the sport, here is some info: Guillaume is a world champion free diver, and recently set the French depth record for apnea (free) diving at 115m (377 feet) in the constant weight class. For more info on Guillaume, here is his home page. I also wrote a short piece on him not too long ago here where I go into some of his other accomplishments, and there is a pretty good video there. You can find a ton of videos about Guiallaume Nery on his videos page: http://guillaumenery.over-blog.com/categorie-10432728.html.
He also has a ton of videos about him on youtube. I really enjoy this one.
It’s really great to see him getting all the press. If you find that interesting, and you don’t know anything about the sport, you can learn a little about it at Wikipedia. If you are in Nice, France, and want to try it out, you can click on the CIPA (our club) link to find a nice place to learn. It is a great sport, and very fun. Just remember, don’t EVER, EVER, EVER try it alone, or don’t try to attempt it without proper technique and security training. It can be very safe if done correctly, but if done incorrectly, it can easily be fatal.
Below is a well done clip discussing in-depth some of the dangers of the sport:
NSUC: Samba and Blackouts from USFA Inc. on Vimeo.
Took my cousins out snorkeling this weekend.
Took my cousins out for their first snorkel
Had a nice family visit over the weekend, and took a couple of my cousins out snorkeling. They loved it. They had never done it before, and they just thought checking out all the wildlife was amazing. We saw a cuttlefish (I got him to spray ink for the boys), saw some scorpionfish, and I found my first ever lobster (pic below). Here are just a couple shots from the adventure.
Photos from Giens and the Island of Porquerolles
I faced off with MEGA Spider Crab... and survived
We were planning on hitting the island of Port Cros, but due to my partner being kind of sick, and some other changes on plans, we never quite made it. However, we did make it to the Island of Poruerolles, and I have to say it was very beautiful. We ended up renting some bikes and making our way to a very secluded, hard to find little beach. From there I made my way to the sea where I discovered MEGA Spider Crab! He was pretty enormous, and I managed to cut him off from the algae bed he was trying to escape to. I got him out into the open where I was able to get some pretty sweet shots. He kept trying to get around me to safety, and I kept having to stop my photo shoot to cut him back off. I cut my knee up and broke my new light reflector in the action, but I got my shots, and he escaped unharmed.
Anyways, I got some other pretty hard to find stuff as well. I got my second nudibranch in as many weeks. He was almost microscopic in size. I also got a shrimp, an eel, some nice spirograph shots, my first triptérygion jaune, and some nice algae shots. Take a peek below to check them out.
RSS readers click here for the gallery.
Photo Gallery is Updated
Underwater Photo Gallery
I recently updated the photo gallery, and just wanted to get it out there that all my top shots are going to be found here: http://www.azur-diving.com/photo-gallery-2/. I will be updating it regularly with new entries, and I will post updates when I add a bunch of new ones.
2010 Update
One of my entries for the Paris photo exhibition
It’s been awhile since I posted anything on the old blog, so I figured I’d hop on to post a quick update. There’s been nothing much to report since October when I stopped diving. It just got too darned cold, and I’ve been landlocked ever since. There have been a few things of note recently though:
I started apnea diving training courses, and I have been enjoying learning the art. It is pretty brutal to train for apnea diving, since the whole point is to learn to do aerobic activity with no ability to actually breathe! I finally made the full 50 meters (162 feet) on no fins without a breath a couple weeks ago. I know it’s a pretty low level yet, but I am pretty happy that I made that benchmark, so I can set a new goal.
Beyond that, I got a new DSLR about a month ago, and I have been just getting used to the new rig. It is the new Canon T1i, and while I think it is a great camera to have, I would not recommended buying it just for the video. The quality is pretty good, but it is just not there yet as far as usability goes. It really feels like video functionality is just mashed into the DSLR in a very awkward way that makes it lose a lot of it’s potential.
While the video field performance was a bit of a letdown, the picture quality was a HUGE jump. It is so much better in low light than my old rig. I am pretty much in love with my camera right now and I can’t wait to hit the water. I just need to remember to get some equipment insurance this year, so that when I break my toys, I can get them replaced.
Speaking of photos, there’s an underwater photo exhibition going on in Paris that I submitted a few shots to. If you are interested in checking out the show, check the site here: http://www.salondelaplongee.com. You can catch my submissions at the bottom of this page: http://www.salondelaplongee.com/visuconc12salon.php?serie=Rhamey. I know I have no shot at winning, but it’s just about getting some stuff out there for now. I have a feeling that this upcoming year is going to be a pretty good year for photography,and am really looking forward to it to warm up!
Discovered Whale Wars, All I Can Say Is Wow!
The Whale Wars TV Show: Pure Balls-iness
Last weekend, during my visit to Marseille, I ran into a representative from the Sea Shepherds (original post here). While speaking with her, she scribbled out three words onto a post-it for us to take with us. What she wrote was “youtube: Whale Wars.” As I was sorting through the various pamphlets and promos from the event, that post-it fell out. I ended up looking it up, and I have to say, the TV show is compelling. It is a documentary about the Sea Shepherds, and the first season is seven episodes long. We watched several clips, and that was enough. I’m so hooked. What these people do to preserve the wildlife is amazing. They risk life and death every day, and whether or not you agree with them, they have balls.
Tonight we start the series officially. I’m so pumped to watch this.
Official website here: http://animal.discovery.com/videos/whale-wars-videos/
Back from Marseille and the Festival mondial de l’image sous-marine
World Underwater Photo Exhibition - Lots of Impressive Photos on Display
We’re back from the World Festival of Underwater Pictures in Marseille, and I have to report that it was pretty awesome. A good time was had, I learned a lot, and I only had to sit through one boring film. I won’t say which one it was, but I will say it had sharks in it. 
Before I get started, I want to note that you can find my weekend photo gallery here: http://www.azur-diving.com/marseille09/
The photos were pretty great. Some were obviously better than others. There were some wonderful shots, but the shot that really got me was a black and white print with a free diver that was swimming next to an octopus. It was so gorgeous because the diver’s body was curved in a similar fashion to the octopus, echoing and complementing the organic shape. It gave me a feeling you can normally only have for a few seconds at a time when apnea diving. It is the feeling that comes when, just for a moment, you feel like a part of the environment rather than an intruder. You can only know it once you’ve felt it, not really sure how to explain it. Anyways that was my personal favorite, and there were a lot of other great entries. Overall the photos were pretty solid, but I think that I can compete for sure next year. I don’t think I can win, but I feel like I should be able to put up a strong shot or two next year. I’m going to enter for sure though.
A few interesting notes from the show:
Underwater Photographer Cathy Church
Met world-famous marine photographer Cathy Church – It all started as we were passing by, and I heard her having trouble in conversation with an odd little Frenchman. She was trying to explain something in English, and he wasn’t understanding, so I helped out and explained it in French. Well, it turned out that she couldn’t get rid of him, and he was really quite disturbed (he wouldn’t leave her alone), so she asked us to help her and see if we couldn’t help to get rid of him peaceably. 30 Minutes later the man was happily on his way elsewhere, and I got her to explain a couple of her techniques in trade for the assistance! It was pretty cool, I learned a bit, and got a few ideas for my own work. So it was definitely worth it. Thanks Cathy, and I hope the rest of the show went well. That was quite amusing, and added a bit of color to the whole thing.
Here’s a link to Cathy’s site. Check out her art Gallery, her stuff was one of the highlights of the show for me (her work is incredible): http://www.cathychurch.com/
François Sarano was there signing books
François Sarano, a member of the team responsible for the upcoming film “Ωceans” was there signing the release of the corresponding book – This guy is a legend, he spent 10 years on board the “Calypso” with Jacques Cousteau going everywhere and doing everything. After Cousteau died in ’97 he made a promise to give up diving and exploring, and decided to become a tourist guide. He couldn’t stay away however, and when he was approached by Jacques Perrin for this film, he eventually agreed, saying that “Jacques Perrin has completely changed my way of looking at the ocean. With him, it’s not about discovering the unknown; it’s about discovering what the sea evokes within us.” I, for one am, very excited to see this film coming out in 2010.
Ωceans official site here: http://www.oceans-lefilm.com/
My New Sea Shepherd Sticker!
Got acquainted with Sea Shepherd – This was great. We stopped by the booth initially because I thought their stuff was cool, and I wanted to nab a free sticker. Well it turns out the stickers weren’t so free, but they were cool enough that I bought one. Turns out that Sea Shepherd actually recruits people to go to places and actually DEFEND whales and dolphins. They investigate, report, and actively intervene in some cases. The gal we talked to was very, very into it. She was actually visibly trembling while she was talking about her love of the marine animals.
Check them out here: http://www.seashepherd.org/
Night view of Marseille from the Expo Center as we were leaving the show
Holy good pizza! – I have to give a huge shout-out to La Piazza Papa, a small chain that makes some surprisingly good chow. We were pretty hungry when we left the show, and stopped at that place just on the Old Port area, and MAN WAS IT GOOD! We actually ordered a second pizza to split after finishing the first one. That’s a first for me. I’ve never eaten a pizza and a half in one sitting before. It was that good. I could have just been that hungry, but we have one here in Nice. so I am going to go back and try it out. I’ll let you all know.
Calanques De Cassis
The Calanques De Cassis are worth a look – This area, just on the edge of Marseille proper, is really quite rocky and quite beautiful. It is basically a collection of deep rocky bays cut into the shoreline called “Calanques”. We spent the afternoon there, and it was quite incredible. It’s a lot of walking, so be warned. I just so happened to have my mask and a pair of trunks with me, and in 40 minutes or so in the water, I saw a plethora of different sea critters including a Mérou, an octopus, a sea-spider, and all kinds of anemones and fish. I want to go back in the summertime for sure.
I highly Recommend the Calanques De Cassis if you get a chance. I liked it quite a bit.
Heading to Marseille for the 36th World festival of Underwater Pictures
Festival mondial de l'image sous-marine
Tomorrow morning, we embark for Marseille for the 36th World festival of Underwater Pictures. I am pretty stoked. It looks to be pretty interesting, and it’s definitely one of my favorite subjects. I’ll hit you all up with info and pics when I get back. Until then, here’s more info from a site I found detailing the event: more info.
And here’s a site in french: french site.
Ciao!
Species Lists Coming Along
I have been working HARD the last week on my site. I currently have about 20 marine species listed, named and documented, and I have another 15 teed up and ready to go. After that, I have a ton more species that I haven’t even started yet (and a bunch more that I don’t have photos for), so stay tuned, there is a lot more content on the way.
Cabot, a species that will be coming soon in my marine animal list.
You can see the first entry here: http://www.azur-diving.com/cote-d’azur-marine-life-–-fish/
Octopus Escape
Came across this awesome video on the physical construction of an octopus. Pretty amazing animal. They say that a 600lb Octopus can squeeze through an opening no larger than a quarter. Pretty cool!
Maldives Fights Climate Change, Issuing Grave Warning From Underwater
Check out this story in CNN about how the President of Maldives and his cabinet are fighting to raise awareness about the effects of global warning.
CNN Story: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/10/17/maldives.underwater.meeting/index.html
They held the world’s first underwater climate change meeting, using whiteboards and hand signals to discuss the devastating effects of climate change.
Check out the video here:
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgaP6N88Oko
I wish them luck. Hope this is just one more thing that helps to get the world moving on preserving not only places such as these, but life as we know it.
