March 23, 2005
Fresh Pictures from the Florida Keys
Take some time to look at these amazing images from the Sea Hunters trip to the Florida Keys.
Posted by victoria at 04:25 PM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2005
What'll They Come Up with Next, Those Crazy Aquanauts!
Join us in this two clip series as we explore Aquarius, the world's only underwater research facility. It's designed to allow divers to stay under much longer than possible if they had to surface. But let's let the experts form NURC (National Undersea Research Council) tell you all about it... check this fascinating video out, and learn something new!
Christine
Posted by victoria at 03:28 PM | Comments (0)
What's Not to Love About Dolphins?
Hell, we're practically related. To name but two commonalities, they're mammals (they breathe air directly into their lungs, are warm blooded and give birth to live young etc.), and inside their pectoral fins they have a skeletal structure similar to what we have in our arms and hands. They are also one of the only species besides humans to have sex for pleasure, which is exactly what the two in the beginning of the footage you're about to see are mimicking. Mimicking, fortunately, as they are a mother and her adolescent son. We were in the south, after all.
Dolphins Plus is a wonderful facility for the animals they host and for the people who visit. They pioneered the highly interactive dolphin swim program you're about to see Chris Kingston and I enjoying. Additionally, they have a specialized interactive program for autistic children, and every year children from around the globe participate. It's a beautiful thing...check it out!
Ciao!
Christine
Posted by victoria at 02:35 PM | Comments (1)
A Fishy Kiss from a Friendly Sea Lion
We've finally worked through some of that footage we shot in Key Largo, and there are some great clips coming up!
I considered it my duty to report back to you on Key Largo's attractions while Mike and Warren were diving the Queen of Nassau. For such a small place, it definitely has quite a few unique attributes....Jules Undersea Lodge, the world's only completely submerged hotel; Aquarius, the worlds only active submerged scientific research station; and Dolphins Plus, which offers the most interactive human dolphin swim experience in the US.
First, we'd like to introduce you to one very special Sea Lion. If you watch closely, you'll see that she actually smiles...she learned that from people, I really couldn't believe it. Please note too that she gives me a big kiss on the lips immediately after her trainer fed her a whole fish. It seemed like an eternity 'til that whistle blew. And for the record, I think I won the splash fight but you'll just have to watch for yourselves and decide.
The dolphin swim and clips of Aquarius are right behind this one, so keep checking back!
Cheerio,
Christine
Posted by victoria at 02:01 PM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2005
Chris in Halifax
Hi Everyone,
This is Chris Kingston. The Sea Hunters are back in Canada at the Shipwreck Central Headquarters and I'm in the middle of editing. (surprised? didn't think so) This time though "editing" is not for the internet, it's for The Sea Hunters series. We're into the post production of Doterel (the Chile show) and the HMCS Canada show we just shot in Florida. Doterel will be a cool show. It's 50 minutes of Sea Hunter dive adventure start to finish that even keeps my short attention span. That's how I judge my work.
For anyone interested, my infected eye is doing much better. Went to see the doc and now have a sufficient amount of eye sight to keep working.It was rough times in florida. Now all is well. We'll have a first draft of Doterel done in a few days and then Florida starts up right after that. There are about 6 weeks until The Sea Hunters and Shipwreck Central travel south and bask in the warmth of Singapore. There are still clips from both Chile and Florida to be posted. Keep checking in.
See you later.
Posted by livedive at 04:29 PM | Comments (2)
March 03, 2005
Happy Shiney People
Well, looks like the Queen of Nassau episode is in the can, so to speak. With minutes to spare, Mike and Warren squeaked in one last dive even though the currents were working against them. The solution? Drop down 220 feet almost a mile from the ship and drift into it. Here's the result, a happy Mike unloading gear from the NURC research vessel. He said Yipppeee, I heard him.
Posted by administrator at 07:37 PM | Comments (1)
A Chat with Marc Pike, Sea Hunters' Cameraman
It's hard enough to keep your balance (and stomach intact) on a ship...imagine also having to carry a heavy, expensive Betacam on your shoulders, watch the viewfinder while being tossed about, and avoid dropping your equipment into the sea.
In this clip, you see how I made the classic error of having the microphone in the corner of the frame. The fuzzy mic cover is there to block the sound of the wind, but it crept into frame and with the sun shining on the viewfinder, I didn't even notice it until we digitized the footage...doh!
Find out how Marc Pike, cinematographer for the Sea Hunters, approaches his work. Here's his video interview, and you can check out his company too, Open Road Productions.
Posted by Christine Barker at 04:13 PM | Comments (0)
Leaving Las Largo
Ahhh the weather is turning foul so we're outta here! Well, that and all of our flights are booked for tomorrow.
We're all scramblin' to make the most of our last day. Mike and Warren are busy out at sea filming a dive on the Queen of Nassau with an underwater scooter (sounds cool...is cool, you'll just have to watch the episode to see for yourself); I'm learning to edit and compress videos for those times when Chris Kingston, editor and Man About Town lives up to his M.A.T. title (like last night when he slinked away into the night); and Susan has fulfilled her mandate to sample the fare at the Tower of Pizza (very, very loosely modeled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa).
We've fallen behind, it's true, but are madly editing and will deliver much fun video to behold today...because, well, after today it's all over, and it's off to edit the Sea Hunters' Queen of Nassau episode! Our remote Key Largo high tech editing suite is pictured below. It's been a true sanctuary on this trip.
Posted by livedive at 02:57 PM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2005
Rock da Boat The Sea
Rock da Boat
The Sea Hunters left two hours ago to dive the Queen Of Nassau again. No news is good news, so we can safely assume that they'll be getting in another deep water dive today.
Susan (line producer extraordinaire) and I will be on the dangerous mission of swimming with dolphins for Shipwreck Central. If I don't become dolphin bait, you'll be seeing that footage tomorrow. Note to self; avoid perfumes or lotions that are sardine scented....
Check out our dolphin destination, Dolphins Plus.
Right after that, we'll be cutting yesterdays Aquarius dive together so check back in :)
Posted by livedive at 03:42 PM | Comments (0)
Biting (at) the hand that feeds
Watch as Warren Fletcher fearlessly feeds a 100 pound, 7.5 foot brown shark at Forrest Young's Dynasty Marine. The clash of the titans!
Posted by administrator at 03:25 PM | Comments (0)
Day of Aquarius, Aquuuuuaaaariiiuuuuuuhhhhuuuuussss
Well the much anticipated dive at Aquarius was everything it was cracked up to be.
It was but a quick glimpse into the world's only underwater research facility run as a joint collaboration between NOAA and NURC, but the weather was good to us, the underwater visibility was prime, and everybody involved enjoyed a fab dive.
The Sea Hunters shot a scene, and then I descended with Mike and Warren. The research facility itself is approximately 9 x 40 ft, and can house up to six at a time. As is the case with many man made objects (like shipwrecks!) that find themselves in the sea, this human habitat has evolved into a marine habitat.
In just one quick visit, we saw a green moray, a spotted moray, a goliath grouper (huuuge!), another enormous grouper, countless angelfish and parrotfish and then there's all the stuff I missed...suffice to say it was an awesome experience. But I can't do it justice here, you'll just have to check out the video after we cut it tomorrow!
In the meantime, here's a shot of aquanauts on the six bunk decompressing with pure oxygen...pretty sci fi hmmmm?
And a slideshow of our day, to hold you until we get a chance to post the video later tonight.
Posted by livedive at 02:41 AM | Comments (1)
March 01, 2005
Sorry! Can't Hear You, I've got Water in My Ears
Well that's what you get for diving on the tail end of a flu. But it was well worth it...I've seen many bizarre things in my last two dives.
Firstly, the visit to Jules Underwater Lodge, the only hotel in the world that is exclusively accessible by SCUBA. Yes, you really have to dive 30 feet under water and enter a wet pool before being able to breathe air. God bless America.
You really have to watch the video to really appreciate the splendor of Jules Underwater Lodge. They advertise that you can see out the porthole of your room and watch the fish swim by, but then there were many divers around when I was there, and well they can all see in too can't they? But, Pierre Trudeau stayed there, that's quite an endorsement.
The things I do to entertain you :)
And coming up after I have a little lunch, this morning's big dive to the Aquarius, the world's only underwater research station. That was truly an amazing experience, so stay tuned!
Posted by livedive at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)
Jules Underwater Lodge
Finally, a dive of a hotel worth staying at.
Posted by administrator at 09:43 PM | Comments (0)
Shur it's Funny Til Somebody loses an Eye
This blog thing may look like fun form the outside, but it's actually hard work with long hours (no, we don't want to trade jobs with you, but thanks anyway).
Chris Kingston, man about town (MAT certified), has been laboring over a 12" powberbook editing into the wee hours of the morn, and that can be hard on the eyes. His right eye, in particular, is rather red. He is seen here, soothing it with a common tea bag.
Marc Pike cameraman swears he saw him use that very bag to brew himself some tea moments after this photo was taken....
Posted by livedive at 06:33 PM | Comments (0)
Warren Fletcher: Pro shark wrangler
Hello Shipwreck Central,
Chris here. Christine has just left with the Seahunters to dive Aquarius, the underwater research station. This will be a cool scene in the Seahunters Florida show. Soon we will have the sneak peek footage for you guys.
Today I'm at the ranch editing again, on the list for today is a neat scene of Christine going to the underwater hotel, the Aquarius scene later today and a very special scene we shot yesterday at Forrest Young's Dynasty Marine.
Forrest is a fish hunter who catches the little guys and sells them to aquariums. He's a really cool guy and made for a great interview. This in itself is quite a compliment because over the years of editing the Seahunters i've seen some bad ones. People get nervous, which is understandable or (and this is worse) they believe they are movie stars and tell us what's going to happen. It never goes over well.
Back to my point, we do the Forrest interview and then we go see his fish that he's collected. Lots of cool stuff that I don't know the name of, and then...........
He takes us to this back room with a huge pool. It's dark out and you can hear the quiet sound of the water moving in the pool. And then splash! but a big splash. and then total quiet again. This is the shark tank. "do do" ( hum the theme from Jaws here)
So we've shot this great interview, the guy is cool and now he has sharks,and he says we can feed them to shoot a scene.
Don't mean to burst your bubble on the whole live documentary thing, but really people go out into the world and try to shoot something totally off the cuff, it is tough to do, plus every show out there scouts locations before shooting a scene.
Sorry for the tangents, but these things are important.
Back to the sharks. Forrest gets out a couple of good sized fish, ties them to a string and lets Warren have at 'er. To my disappointment, these were not great whites or any of the others that truly instill fear. It was a brown shark, which may not sound impressive but it was 100 pounds, 7.5 feet long and would have made you scream like a little girl if you were out in the water with one of them.
Warren, showing no sign of concern for his fingers, takes the five inch piece of rope with the fish on it and dangles it in the water. Seconds later the sharks (there are 5 or more in the tank) start circling,and faster than you would have thought possible one of them goes for it, In fractions of a second and with a huge splash, half of the fish is missing and warren still has all his fingers.
That's the other clip I'm working on today. Hopefully it can be posted at some point in the day.
Goodbye until the next cool thing happens.
Your "man about town"
Chris
Posted by livedive at 12:43 PM | Comments (1)
February 28, 2005
Thar she blows!
Oh that the sea can be a perilous foe...our courageous but frustrated Sea Hunters were forced to turn back again today as the winds offshore were too fierce to allow them to dive to the Queen of Nassau.
You can be sure that we always have a plan B in place though, and Mike Jim and Warren are already off shooting something else. All of you who watch our show know that there's more to the Sea Hunters shows than just the feature shipwrecks, but I'll leave today's surprise for the show, so stay tuned!
The forecast is promising for tomorrow, and we will be visiting the NOAA/NURC underwater research station the Aquarius, so that will be an action packed adventure resplendent with titillating footage, so make sure you check back in for that update! I'm workin' on the Jules Underwater Lodge piece now too :). Ciao! Christine
Posted by Christine Barker at 06:40 PM | Comments (0)
Visiting the Queen for a Second Time
The Queen of Nassau has proven herself to be an illusive subject. The Sea Hunters first attempt to dive her was foiled by the Gulf Current. The second was successful, and full of adventure - watch those videos! Yesterday our friends from NURC cancelled the dive due to high winds.
Today, despite it being another blustery day, Mike, Warren and Jim left harbor bright and early aboard the NURC research vessel. We're hoping that the winds and currents cooperate, and that they're making another deep and technical dive to her decks as I blog!
Yesterday's 'blow day' though provided me with some free time, so I took to exploring Key Largo, and discovered that this is the home of the worlds only underwater hotel. Oh there are other hotels in water, but this is currently the only one guests must use SCUBA to dive 30 feet down in order to gain entrance.
Jules' Underwater Lodge has hosted Pierre Trudeau, so I considered it my patriotic duty to check it out! Check in a little later today for video of Jules Underwater Lodge. Later! Christine
Posted by Christine Barker at 01:41 PM | Comments (0)
Peril and Victory at Dangerous Depths
Watch the Sea Hunters assist in the recovery of a coveted artifact from the wreck of the Queen of Nassau, and Mike and Warren avert near disaster from a failed weight belt buckle...
Posted by administrator at 05:45 AM | Comments (0)
The First Footage is Always the Best!
A veritable feast for the eyes! Watch this beautiful underwater footage as Sea Hunters Mike and Warren Fletcher enjoy their first view of the Queen Of Nassau in Key Largo Florida, a shipwreck situated seventeen miles off shore and 220 feet underwater.
Posted by administrator at 03:44 AM | Comments (0)
February 27, 2005
A Chat with Marc Pike, Sea Hunters' Cameraman
Keeping one's balance (and stomach intact) on a ship is hard enough, but imagine doing it with a heavy, very expensive Beta camera balanced on your shoulder. I had a quick chat with Marc Pike o discuss how he does it....check it out!
Posted by administrator at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)
February 26, 2005
Day three update
Christine, keeping us up to date.
Posted by administrator at 11:38 PM | Comments (0)
Day Three Recap
Christine recaps the day's Shipwreck Central adventures with Jim Delgado from NURC headquarters in Key Largo.
More video later.
Posted by administrator at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2005
This just in...
In between new video posts here are some photo's of Christine's first day in Key West. Hey Christine, did your luggage arrive?
Launch photo journal >>
Posted by victoria at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
Day One in Key Largo. Come along with us, Live from the Dive Shop
As you've seen Christine Barker arrived tonight, along with the Sea Hunter camera and sound team extraordinaire, Marc Pike and John Rossborough. Jim Delgado flew in from Vancouver later in this evening.
For the last two days, as you know if you are returning to our adventure, Mike and Warren Fletcher have been going through tests with NOAA, getting certified for diving with them. They are in a remarkable place, truly a divers paradise, but more on that in the coming weeks with Christine and Chris.
Thanks to SWC cameraman/editor/MAT Chris Kingston who was able to shoot and edit all of these videos for us today. A tip of the respirator to you, laddy. Now into the decompression chamber with you until the morning. Day two is coming up quick.
Until we have our shiny new media player window ready for you in a few days, there's probably no better way to present them for you than in a simple chronological sequence. So please come along with us as we get ready to dive.
Let's get to the video, already. Divers down.
DAY ONE: 1) The Sea Hunters meet up with Doug Kesling the Training and Safety Coordinator for NURC/UNCW.
DAY ONE: 2: Mike and Warren get their gear sorted out at the dive shop. The Queen of Nassau is a deep tri-mix dive and safety is important, in fact your life and the lives of your diving companions depend on it.
DAY ONE:3) Doug Kessling goes over the Sea Hunters equipment and deco tables. Will the Sea Hunters pass? If they don't we're going to be going home early. How about you? Do you have what it takes? Don't forget your towel.
DAY ONE: 4) Finally, on the water. NOAA has a test dive all set up for Mike and Warren on the Spiegel Grove, a vessel that was deliberately sunk in the Keys. OK, there probably isn't much suspense here about whether the Fletchers will pass the NOAA test, as tough as it is. Remember, when they dive for the Sea Hunters TV show they not only do these dives, but haul along underwater cameras to film it for us. Still, you never know... It's time to head out and get suited up.
DAY ONE: 5) Do you remember taking tests in school. You'd hand them in and wait (perhaps) nervously while they were graded? It's kind of like that, even when you are a Sea Hunter. They've performed the first level test dive, and now must wait to be evaluated.
And we'll have to wait too to find out if the Sea Hunters passed the NOAA test. Bookmark us now, and come back very soon for tomorrow's results and the level two test.
We'd love to hear your comments and get your questions, really, we would. Come on over to our chat room and let us know what you think.
From Shipwreck Central Central, this is the "Live from the Dive" video blog.
Posted by administrator at 05:17 AM | Comments (0)
The Sea Hunters are live and in the house...
The Sea Hunters are together again. Well, they're waiting for Jim, and soundman/cameraman/godsgift JohnR is in the shower, but they're ready to embark on the next adventure.
We're pumped about this one. Perfect weather, high-speed internet in the apartment, and some very cool dives coming up, including a visit to Aquarius, the amazing underwater habitat. NURC, NOAA, NUMA, and a whole pile of other acronyms. Will Dirk Pitt show up to dive? Stay tuned. Video cameras galore, an editor on site, and video iChat for quick hits.
Left click on the file to download it. Know any diving buddies? Send it on by email. This is where it is happening. Remember you can subscribe to our RSS feed to catch all the latest updates. Dive with us into the future.
We proudly kick off:
"The Queen of Nassau/HMCS Canada"
Much more to come from now until March 4. Get ready, it's going to be a gas, literally.
(Right click here to download sharable file.)
Posted by administrator at 04:54 AM | Comments (0)
February 24, 2005
The sea that made me sick
Hello everyone,
I'm writing today to relate the terrible story of your beloved Shipwreck central cameraman becoming seasick. The Seahunters were doing test dives yesterday and I went along to film the clips that you will soon be watching on your computer. The water was green blue and it was a great day for diving. We got to the site and got the boat moored up and that's when this terrible saga began.
The boat was rocking side to side and I was shooting Mike and Warren getting ready. Started to feel a little weird but nothing out of the ordinary. I haven't spent a lot of time on boats. In fact the Seahunters trip to Chile to dive Doterel was my first real voyage on a boat for any length of time. Anyway, as the minutes passed, it kept getting worse. My big mistake was trying NOT to be sick. It only prolonged my agony. The boat was rocking, the sun was blasting down and all I could smell was the diesel fumes of the boat exhaust. Then the moment of truth. It happened. All over the side of the boat. Thankfully the good people at NOAA / NURC are prepared for such incidents and it was washed off quickly by their hose.
Later Mike told me that when he is feeling ill, which happens from time to time in REALLY rough weather, he just lets it fly. Then you feel better right away. Good advice.
It was a humbling experience to say the least. I'd hoped that I would have made it several trips before I got sick. I went through the Straits of Magellan and was ok but Florida got me.
Today Mike and Warren have gone out to do more work up dives. I'm here editing clips for Shipwreck Central. They will be back later this afternoon with word on how it all went. Also Christine and the rest of the film crew will be driving in from Miami so you will start to hear from her in the near future. That's it for now. Keep your eyes on the horizon and a hose at the ready and your days of sailing will be as enjoyable as mine.
Chris
Posted by Christine Barker at 02:05 PM | Comments (0)
