Taxed by the ocean (25 days and still working on this strobe thing)

Foam dances atop a wave breaking at sunset

Thursday, I got taxed by the ocean, due to the error of not properly securing my gear.
Trying to swim back with my camera gear in both hands and no fins was not a fun game, and almost ended very badly for me. "Luckily" for me, an 8 foot face wave picked me up and threw me over the falls. As I braced myself for impact, my hand let go of the strobe. Once the turbulence of the incoming wave faded I popped my head out of the water as I gasped for air. In front of me was my strobe floating among the sea foam being dragged out to sea as another larger wave threatened to break. I made my decision and dove after the strobe. Reaching it just in time.
The euphoria of having it back in my grasp was short lived, as the oncoming wave pounded me. Again, My strobe was ripped from my fingertips. This time I was sucked back out as more waves pounded the shore. My strobe no where to be seen.



A few other images I've taken since my last post.

A wave breaks during sunset on a Hawaiian beach

Wave, sunset, and mountains.

Surf strobe: test number two

Yesterday I learned why it's important to read the owners manual. I kept firing off the strobe, but it wouldn't fill in any light. After an hour in an out of the water, multiple time removing the cords and dome port I couldn't figure it out.

Checking the fiber optic cable for flaws  "I see the light"

And then, after one switch of the nob the strobe goes from not outputting any power to full blast!  Too bad I realized 10 minutes too late, and missed out on the epic sunset.

Shots Test 2:

Best of yesterday

Surf and a deep purple sky

Strobe fired way too hot.

surf completely frozen by the strobe.  I love the way water looks when strobed

Obviously, these aren't Jaw dropping images. But I am pleased at the direction I'm moving in, and can't wait till my next sunset in the surf. 

SURF STROBE test 1

I got the idea this week to slave my strobe to my surf housing. Spent all day trying to get the fiber optic cable to sync with the strobe.

Surf housing connected to ys-27 dive strobe

Girlfriend's off work by 6:40,  sunset at 6:58.

After a 35 minute drive to sandy's, we arrive at the tail end of the sunset. Oh well, I'll test the strobes in the dark (this will cost me later)

My camera settings were all over the place, and aiming the strobe is more difficult then I would have thought. ... But, the strobe fired, and the results show that there is some potential.

Shore break at night. 

 My strobe hand kept getting submerged before the camera, so I think I need to hold the strobe with the hand closest to shore.

Night time barrel ( strobe test)

This shot is kinda interesting.  I think it's the Lip of a smaller wave falling onto the camera. 

water falls onto my camera

Remember when I said it would cost me?  Well it was time to pay my dues. A larger set rolled in. I saw it and tried to dive into the wave as the lip was crashing down.  Since I have the camera in one hand and the strobe in the other I dove straight in, both hands straight out like an olympic swimmer. The result was the wave slamming my housing into my head. 

Head split open from surf housing

 

One intense shark dive!

It has been a while since my last shark dive. More then a year ago. Since then, I have heard that the buoys and location I use to dive at are no more. So after a couple of emails corresponding with the owner of North Shore Shark Adventures, I was granted permission to moor off the shark cage buoy. Boy have things changed!

I was the first to jump in the water. Once the bubbles cleared away I was greeted with a spectacular site. Thousands of fish everywhere.

millions of bait fish

About 90' below the bait fish, a group of yellow fin tuna circled.

Yellow fin tuna

But I couldn't float in awe for too long, I needed to tie off the jet ski to the buoy. I did this pretty nervously, constantly looking behind my shoulders as sharks circled.

Bait fish and sharks 

Sharks circle

shark swims above

Once Paul got in the water the sharks came to investigate. One shark, a smaller female, was very curious making us both a little nervous. She would swim straight in, bumping our fins from the back and from the front we had to push her away. Eventually we got our cool back and we were able to enjoy the attention.

Diver, Shark, and Ahi

Whenever the shark tours would leave or swap boats all the sharks at the cage would come and investigate us. The next five minutes would be spent pushing away the bombardment of shark snouts. Eventually they would lose interest and we would be back to diving in peace.

I count 15 sharks

I'm not sure how I feel about riding on the sharks fin. While I have done so in the past, I think I have moved on. Seeing it now as too invasive for the sharks. My friend however wanted a few shots, and since he was generous enough to take me out shark diving, I obliged.

shark rider

I just wish he would have at least helped pick off the parasites ;)

Echthrogaleus coleoptratus (?)

The new location Is great, and I hope to get a few more shark dives in before the winter swells hit!