April 05, 2006
Behind the Scenes - Part 3
In this installment of Behind the Scenes animators Dale and Greg explain the new animations for the upcoming "Ship of Ice" episode.
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April 03, 2006
Behind the Scenes - Part 2
In our second installment of Behind the Scenes you will meet Bev, the Graphic Designer on The Sea Hunters and Shipwreck Central. In this clip Bev shows us her Photoshop skills as she prepares images for the special HD episode Ship of Ice.
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March 30, 2006
Behind the Scenes - Part 1
Spring is here and what better time to meet the team at Ghostship Studio. We work day in and day out to bring you Shipwreck Central, Live from the Dive and all of the animation and compositing for The Sea Hunters.
Today in our first installment you will meet me, Victoria. I am the Content Editor on Shipwreck Central and I am usually your first contact person. Thanks for watching and Enjoy!
A special thanks to our Editor, Todd, for putting these clips together.
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December 12, 2005
Stealth Dive Craft Revealed
Jim Delagdo reveals the Sea Hunter's latest piece of high tech equipment.
Posted by victoria at 02:32 PM
December 02, 2005
Pyke + Concrete=Pycrete
We've seen Warren make his famous salsa dog while at sea, now watch Mike mix up some Pycrete. You have to wonder what he does to make pancakes?
Posted by victoria at 02:47 PM
June 21, 2005
Part 1: Higher Ground
John Rosborough was dropped off in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of production equipment because there was too much weight for the helicopter to perform the maneuvers demanded by the scene. Now's not the best time for him to run into a Grizzly bear.
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Part 2: The Landing - Too Close for Comfort
Poor Johny almost received buzz cut.
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June 20, 2005
A Serene Night Dive
The Sea Hunters are used to their dive boats rocking in the waves. This night dive in Patricia Lake is somewhat unusual for Warren and Mike as Patricia's surface is dead calm and flat as a board. Surely, it's the most peaceful dive this season.
Posted by livedive at 06:14 AM | Comments (0)
June 19, 2005
You Learn Something New Every Day
Everywhere they go the Sea Hunters learn something new. Jim and Mike find themselves in an ancient seabed in the middle of the Canadian Rockies.
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Patricia Lake - A Beauty to Behold
Here's a breath-taking panoramic view of Patricia Lake.
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June 18, 2005
Habbakuk: Archaeology of Strategic Vulnerability
Jim relates his impressions of the Habbakuk remains based on Dr. Susan Langley's findings from when she last dove to the bottom of Patricia Lake over a decade ago. Our first underwater look at the Habbakuk today.
Posted by livedive at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)
Top Secret Laughs
When it comes to archeology, no one on the Sea Hunters' team could be more serious than Jim. On the shoot's down time however, Jim is a little less serious. Here he is introducing the "Ace #1 Sea Hunters Stealth Dive Craft".
Posted by livedive at 06:01 AM | Comments (0)
Fasten Your... Harness?
Sea Hunters' cameraman Marc Pike is not affraid of heights. Marc sports his new HD camera which is the format that the Eco Nova 10th Anniversary Special (Habbakuk) is being shot on.
Posted by livedive at 05:32 AM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2005
Above it All
Get a look at Marc Pike and John Rosborough at work inside the Helicopter. Remember that this Special Episode is being shot in HD so the aspect ratio of the video is different.
Small space, amazing visuals, good job!
Posted by victoria at 10:29 AM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2005
What the Divers Saw
Even though Habbakuk was a "ship of ice", the prototype at Patricia Lake has a skeleton that survives underwater. There is the "envelope" of wood planking, inside which they installed refrigeration ducts running between blocks of ice, which were cut from the lake and placed by hand. On top of that is the refrigeration housing, and then on top of that the remains of the roof.
As Mike Fletcher said, it is very well preserved thanks to the cold clean water, but it is also very fragile and delicate. One thing we hope to achieve on this shoot is to take a good look at the amount of degradation to the site since Susan Langley's last survey. Jim Delgado was diving with the team so he'll be able to get a really good look at it and report back to us.
The Alberta Underwater Council and the Alberta Archaeology Society have done great work getting a plaque placed at the lake, and are mindful of the need to preserve such a unique and fragile piece of history.
Until we can get the underwater footage up here we'll have to do with some older photos of Habbakuk. The photos below are from Susan Langley's dive on Habbakuk when she was writing her thesis. As you can see there is quite a bit there, the wooden envelope that encased it, and the duct working that ran throughout it. The entire vessel was sealed with a homemade asphalt, combining tar and a local vermiculite. You can still see it covering the rocks on shore and I'm sure it has helped "the Ark" stay together through many a tough winter.
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June 14, 2005
Diving is NOT a Crime!
Jim Delgado is on the wrong side of the law under the waters of Patricia Lake.
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June 13, 2005
Back in the Saddle Again?
You can lead a Sea Hunter to water but by horse? You've seen them in the air, in the sea, and now by horse back. A Sea Hunters first!
Posted by victoria at 06:35 PM | Comments (0)
Jasper National Park of Canada
As the shoot in Jasper starts to wind down, the uploads to our server start to increase. This is an Eco-Nova Productions 10th Anniversary Special Event and your first chance to watch the Sea Hunters in HD. Enjoy these first images from on location and enjoy your first glimpse of the Sea Hunters in widescreen.
Posted by victoria at 02:38 PM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2005
The Last Dive: Habbakuk and Beyond?
Patricia Lake has certainly been a great host to our diving team. Right now they're getting ready for their last dive on the Habbakuk which will be the most challenging dive they've encountered so far this season.
Posted by livedive at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)
Other Divers' Footage...
Our bloggrapher asked Mike if he had watched dive footage shot by other divers before he headed to Patricia Lake. Here's Mike's philosophy on the matter.
Posted by livedive at 02:09 PM | Comments (0)
How Long Will the Habbakuk Last?
The first few dives on the Habbakuk have centered around how much the structure has changed in the past decade.
Posted by livedive at 01:54 PM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2005
Habbakuk: 62 years later
Mike, Warren and Jim have prepared a surprise for two surviving members of the original crew who built the Habbakuk back in 1942-43.
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June 10, 2005
Contact!
This is the first update from Mike since the team has left for the remoteness of Patricia Lake where they will investigate the remains of the Habbakuk Project.
Posted by livedive at 05:32 PM | Comments (0)
Glacier Images from Alberta
The team went out on a helicopter shoot today with Icefield Helicopter Tours. Here are some awesome aerial shots of where the Team is right now!
Posted by livedive at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)
Waiting for Contact
The team has arrived in Alberta and we are waiting patiently (not really) for our first report. Tonight you can watch another classic episode on National Geographic Canada.
Airing at 10 EST. Check local listings!
The Search For Andrea Gail
As portrayed in the movie "The Perfect Storm" the Andrea Gail was lost in one of the most inhospitable working environments on earth, off Sable Island, while fishing in the North Atlantic in October. Though the wreck occurred ten years ago this Halloween, she has never been found. It may provide clues to the real ending of the story of the Perfect Storm.
The Nor'easter now known as the Halloween storm of '91 or the "Perfect Storm" was the result of a culmination of meterological events so rare that it occurs maybe once in a century. Waves ten stories high and winds of over 190 kilometers an hour whipped the North Atlantic. The Andrea Gail went down in that storm. Her crew, like so many Gloucestermen before her, would not return to Gloucester's historic docks.
Indeed, Gloucester is an integral part of the history of the North Atlantic fishing fleet. First settled in 1623, Gloucester would eventually build the first schooner, would become arguably one of the largest fishing ports in the world, and would produce the first fisherman to sail across the Atlantic alone. But this proud tradition of skill and indomitability has come with a price - the loss of hundreds of her valiant sons to the ocean.
And it was off one of the most treacherous areas of the North Atlantic ocean, Sable Island, that the Andrea Gail would meet her tragic fate. In fact Sable Island is surrounded by hundreds of shipwrecks. About 90 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia, Sable Island is a most unusual ecosystem, unique in the world. This giant sandbar has beguiling beauty: one of the world's only herds of truly wild horses, a vast array of marine mammals and fish, rare sea birds and many uniquely suited plants.
The Sea Hunters will tell the story of this Island by summarizing its legacy of shipwrecks and comparing it to other dangerous places. We will examine the reasons that make this place so deadly for man while at the same time being such a haven for beauty.
Posted by victoria at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)
June 07, 2005
Habbakuk Pre-Show Continued
The team leaves tomorrow for Alberta and the remains of Project Habbakuk. If you already have a question in mind from reading this blog or from your own research, please post then in the Live from the Dive section of the Community and we'll get them answered.
Tonight be sure to watch a classic episode of the Sea Hunters on National Geographic Channel Canada. Airing at 10 pm EST. Check Local Listings!
Runners and Raiders
Two blockade-runners rest in the warm, clear waters off Bermuda. Largely intact, these two wrecks offer unique insights into these highly specialized ships, and into the very nature of Bermuda's involvement in the American Civil War.
Now join us as we visit the last resting places of two blockade-runners and one of the most famous Confederate raiders in history, the CSS Alabama.
Posted by victoria at 01:06 PM | Comments (0)
June 03, 2005
Habbakuk Pre-Show
This is an amazing story. I had never heard of Project Habbakuk before this year. Britian, durring WWII, was to build an iceberg aircraft carrier that would be indestructible! Here are some images from the construction phase of the test model Habbakuk. I can't wait for the team to depart; this is going to be a great summer!
Posted by victoria at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)
