Why shoot productions with sharks at Tiger Beach, Bahamas?

Mythbusters 2009 Discovery Networks

Film and television productions have come to realize that Tiger Beach, Bahamas is perhaps one of the best sites to film shark productions on the planet, and for good reason.

Shark Diver has been involved with top rated productions for the past seven years at this unique dive site and we have listed just a few reasons to consider your next shark productions here.

1. Ease of Production

Tiger Beach sits just off the shores of Grand Bahama Island. With top rated hotels for talent and crews like the Old Bahama Bay Resort and Marina as your base of operations and medium sized dive vessels for productions, from concept to shoot day this site has everything you will need. Additionally the Bahamas Film Commission is perhaps one of the most production friendly government agencies in the Bahamas and has gone to great lengths for every production they service to make things happen.

2. Multi-Species Encounters

Few dive sites on the planet can offer guaranteed big animal encounters with Tigers, and even fewer offer multi-species encounters all within a short distance of each other. From Reef sharks to Tigers and even clouds of Lemon sharks, Tiger Beach and the surrounding reefs offer shark filled productions in short order.

3. Dive Site Magic

At a maximum depth of 20 feet Tiger Beach offers an encounter space tailored for novice to serious talent. Visibility at Tiger Beach is 80% blue water, additionally the vast majority of Tiger Beach is white sand bottom allowing for additional objects and production development for larger commercials and product placement. Consider Tiger Beach a blank canvass for commercial productions that seek live sharks in the environmentally friendly environment they develop.

4. Cost Benefit

Most shark productions originate out of the USA. From commercials to documentaries flights, accommodations, and time are of the essence once you decide to do a shark production. With ease of travel to Freeport, Grand Bahama from multiple major airports in Florida the Bahamas makes the most production sense. We like to call this site a one-stop-shop for unique productions.

In 2010 Shark Diver was the driving force behind an award winning Gillette commercial at Tiger Beach, developing the site, building cage systems, talent choices and dive safety crews. In tandem with a top Los Angeles based commercial agency the following Gillette commercial set the bar for live action shark filmmaking and won a prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Where are you going to shoot your next shark production?

Michael Reiser and Blue Sharks - Great Video

Michael Reiser is a new and upcoming underwater videographer who has been spending some time free diving with Blue sharks off Rhode Island this year with Joe Romeiro.

The results speak for themselves and this is as good as it gets:

Chris Fallows on Shark Week 2011

We have been fans of Chris Fallows for quite a while now. As an industry innovator, film and television personality, and a member of the shark diving community he's been hitting on all cylinders for quite a few years now.

This month Chris will once again (this makes 7 times) be featured on the long running series Shark Week seen last year by 35 million viewers.

His latest adventures with sharks takes him from South Africa to Isla Guadalupe. The paddle board video released this week is pretty neat stuff:

SharkDiver.com Behind the Scenes Gillette Commercial

In 2011 Shark Diver and our film and television team at Shark Divers was asked to tackle a technically challenging commercial shark production by one of the largest ad agencies in the world BBDO.

Over the years we have come to be known within the film and television community as the company that successfully pulls off challenging and unique productions with sharks. From Mythbusters to "walking on water with sharks," our teams always look at shark environment in new and truly unique ways to keep audiences interested and engaged.

That's not to say we take the animals we are fortunate enough to work with for granted, or treat sharks as just props. In fact the animals welfare, and the entire production design, starts and ends with the sharks.

We have turned down countless productions that fail to meet or exceed our policies towards sharks in this game there is only one way to do shark productions. Safely.

We are one of the few shark production companies that have designed a shark production protocol that has been approved and adopted by the American Humane Association.

In this behind the scenes look from Gillette you can see the entire team in action. There's no room for error and everyone works in tandem with professional speed and direction.

This recent commercial is now on nation wide television, seen in every market in the U.S and was featured at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

Enjoy.

Tigers Tagged - Season Two of XXX

Season two of xxx is on the way and from the looks of things this will be interesting.

A Facebook posting this week revealed Dr. xxx somewhere in xxx working with the production crew from xxx.

If we're being a little obtuse with this post, it's because we don't want to give away season two of xxx or the production crew who made history at xxx and then went on to production controversy at xxx.

Right about now you're saying "why the xxx do I even read this xxx blog anyway?" we might agree with you.

The Tiger pic is pretty cool though, ain't no bones in that shark.

Should be another eye popping shark season when xxx airs sometime in xxx on the xxx channel.

Photographer captures amazing images of waves breaking underwater the "Tipple Clan"

The Tipple Clan, who are they?

We all know Luke Tipple, consummate waterman, marine biologist, show host and shark conservationist, but what about his brother?

Today's Telegraph U.K featured the other half of the creative family behind the Tipple brand. Kudos!

Telegraph U.K

Mark Tipple took the stunning shots of swimmers and surfers emerging underwater engulfed in clouds of whitewater while being frequently rocked by the waves himself.

The 29-year-old captures the split second moments off the Australian coast and regularly gets beaten in the head by his 5kg, specially adapted camera for his troubles.

Mr Tipple, from Sydney, Australia, came up with the idea of photographing waves underwater after becoming frustrated with "normal" surf photography, and wanted to capture the moments from a different perspective.

He said: "During a flat spell in Sydney I shot a few small waves with people swimming off to the side.

"The results were pretty graphic and led to people swimming becoming the focus of the series, which was against my initial intention but looked great.

Mark Tipple took the stunning shots of swimmers and surfers emerging underwater engulfed in clouds of whitewater while being frequently rocked by the waves himself.

The 29-year-old captures the split second moments off the Australian coast and regularly gets beaten in the head by his 5kg, specially adapted camera for his troubles.

"Most of the people I photograph are just enjoying themselves at the beach and I ask them if they'd mind being in a picture.

"I tell them what I'm doing and show them a few photos and mostly they're amazed.

"Most of the time I come off worse than the people I'm shooting, generally I'm looking sidewards to track where they are in relation to where the wave is, and tend to pay more attention to them than the wave; which can rock me pretty hard.

"I'm pretty comfortable underwater from years of surfing, and can ride out the waves breaking overhead.

"Most of the credit has to be paid to the camera though, I'd be lying if I didn't say that most of the time I hold the shutter down and point in the general direction of the people.

Complete Story.

Jaws 3D - Blog Reader Notices and Reports

Shark Diver Gabriel Beyrent sent in this story.

As the JAWS franchise slowly slid into the realm of comedy (sharks with personal vendettas?) there's a movement to bring back shark horror in next generation 3D.

As the industry knows there's a titanic footrace at the moment to provide 3D content to both cinema and television, with most of the major players looking for good franchise programming. Alas, Jaws would be the last 3D effort that would make any sense with today's smarter more sympathetic shark public.

We have evolved a long way since the 197o's.

Story by Monika B at Cinbematical

When we hear a ridiculous rumor, it's quite easy to become either incensed at the sheer audaciousness of the claim, or laugh it off as too stupid to be true. Take this latest goodie: Cinema Blend reports that a source at Universal Pictures claims that since audiences are expecting more from their movies, the studio wants to tap into the franchise pile for 3D magic, and are "strongly considering" a remake of Jaws "in hopes of dazzling younger audiences with new special effects."

The notion makes sense. If there's one movie that would look downright gorgeous in Real D 3D, it's Jaws. However, folks, that's not all. That same insider claims that Tracy Morgan has been considered for the role of Richard Dreyfus' Matt Hooper, but it's "uncertain" whether he's still in the running. To hedge their gossip bets, Cinema Blend states that this is a new source and could be hooey just as much as it could be truth.

It's easy to shudder when thinking of a comedic Jaws led by Morgan, because the thought sounds downright terrible, but let's back up. See that shark up there with the super-visible robot metal in his mouth? That's the big beast of Jaws 4. After that monstrosity of moviemaking, is it really that ridiculous to imagine Morgan facing off against a 3D shark?

It's either the stupidest, most moronic rumor of the year, or a sad reminder of where Hollywood is heading in the future. You make the call ...

Tagging Disaster at Farallons - Foul Hooked Media

For the past few days we have been receiving an ongoing series of emails and phone calls from a variety of sources concerning an invasive SPOT tagging effort at the Farallon islands.

There was an apparent "tagging accident" this week covered in graphic detail by Bohemian Magazine.

SPOT tagging is a white hot issue within both the commercial shark diving community and shark research community. The SPOT tagging technique employs crews to catch white sharks with large hooks and to drill tracking tags into their dorsal fins.

A person identified as "Chris Fischer, owner Mothership Ocean, Expedition Leader," has been refuting and then negating the seriousness of the alleged tagging accident by responding to question asked of him by posters at this blog:

"On the anchor at the Islands now. Happy to report in that the first shark has pinged in 4 times and seems to be doing well. The second shark has also pinged in. Both are still in the area."

"We hooked two sharks this week. We were concerned about the first shark because the hook was a little deep. It was in the back of it's mouth, not gut hooked. We were able to cut the hook in half so it could roll out backwards, and left a part of it in the shark."

The Making Of Media Disasters

This is a classic example of a media disaster in the making for the tagging team at the Farallons and one that could be addressed by getting ahead of the negative and extremely graphic media that is surfacing around this incident.

Two issues need to be addressed immediately.

1. The full extent of the tagging mishap. Images, video, and a full accounting of this event as it transpired with nothing held back.

2. The role film and television productions had in this event if any.

The event was witnessed, photographed, and video taped by multiple sources so it cannot be hidden or downplayed. At stake is the reputation of a well known shark researcher and National Geographic television show about this teams tagging work set to air Nov 16, 9pm Est/Pacific.

The tagged shark is said to be "doing well" by this team. With the abject lack of transparency about the mishap to date we're now asking for "proof of life" to be added to the media list with the inclusion of a recent tracking map of all animals tagged including the first one.

This data should be independently verified by resident shark researchers from TOPP.

In a moment of media foresight this week we pointed to the unprofessional image of this group "high fiving and smiling" around a grounded shark at Isla Guadalupe and suggested "in the end these images will dog your continuing efforts for years to come."

Shark researchers have as much responsibility for media handling as any group that interacts with charismatic mega fauna and in the case of the team at the Farallons doubly so. We're not the only ones to point this out see also Mark Harding has a point.

Media transparency surrounding this event is critical for the sake of continued research with white sharks and for the public perception of invasive techniques for animal science.

Bollywood and Sharks - Odd Combination

Perhaps the most talked about shark production in the past ten years wrapped in the Bahamas last year.

The new multi million dollar Bollywood epic "Blue" features underwater sequences with up to 40 sharks at the same time. Shot on location at Stuarts Cove we cannot wait to see this unlikely fusion of Bollywood dance numbers and...sharks.

Like adding raisins and bananas to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - and then deep frying the whole thing.

Don't knock it until you have tried it:

Bollywood macho men, two sizzling beauties and one Australian pop diva didn't seem a tough bet for debut director Anthony D'Souza, wielding the megaphone for 40 sharks for an underwater action sequence for Blue surely gave him the jitters.

"The scariest part of Blue' was in fact the sharks. Getting them to act in my film was not easy," said D'Souza.

The particular scene with sharks has actors Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar and Zayed Khan in the frame and it called for a lot of safety measures.

Complete Story

Sea of Cortez - Production Adventure 8

Good friend Captain Greg Grivetto of Horizon Charters is on another eco adventure and this time in the company of the BBC as they film their much acclaimed series,“Last Chance to See”. Biologist, naturalist, writer - Mark Carwardine and esteemed actor Stephen Fry host this series and will be aboard as we search for blue, sperm and humpback whales

For the next two weeks he'll be sending us his "notes from the field":

Well howdy sports fans, and welcome to Islas Cedros! After an absolutely beautiful ride north from Cabo San Lucas we made the power decision to stop on the north end of the "Big Island" for a bit of sanity and water sports!

Mark whipped up a scrumptious chowder while Aaron and Kyle jumped in to the briney aquamarine for a couple hours of fun. Aaron just arrived back from his dive sporting a large smile with stories of bullseye rays, huge kelp bass, batrays, octopii and much much more! Kyle is still out paddling about. Captain Greg might even jump into the abyss for a swim about...crazy!

If I sound a little loopy, well it's due to the 48 a** kicking we received after reaching the 24 degrees latitude line. Approximately 280 miles of "Hold on to your hats!" to be exact. I knew that 10 days of beautiful weather on our southern transit and then Sea of Cortez jaunt would be tempered by reality. So now we sit, debating the merits of stabbing forth into the ocean north of Cedros or possibly spending the evening, getting a few hours of normal sleep and then venturing forth en la manana. Hmmm...the second option sounds much better.

I'd like to say we saw a bunch of cool stuff on our way north, but the windows were so wet we couldn't see out so well. The goodship Horizon resembled more of a submarine than a boat! BUT alas, we did see a couple cool sites along the way; marlin on the Golden Gate Bank and then a tremendous amount of life as we ventured up Cedros' leeward side a couple hours ago. Shearwaters by the thousands, Pacific white-sided dolphin, sea lions and now on the beach just to our west, northern elephant seals. Cedros is an amazing island which has me wishing we had the time to venture up the islands Gran Canyon for a trip to the summit. The view from the top is breathtaking and worth the 2 hour trek!

I'll check in at our next calm weather anchorage with a report from Baja's northern Pacific coast!

Adios,

Captain Greg

Sea of Cortez - Production Adventure

Good friend Captain Greg Grivetto of Horizon Charters is on another eco adventure and this time in the company of the BBC as they film their much acclaimed series, “Last Chance to See”. Biologist, naturalist, writer - Mark Carwardine and esteemed actor Stephen Fry host this series and will be aboard as we search for blue, sperm and humpback whales:

For the next two weeks he'll be sending us his "notes from the field":

After months of preparation we've departed San Diego for what will prove to be a grand Sea of Cortez adventure!. Over the next two weeks we will traverse the entire length of the Baja peninsula twice and in between will enjoy the company of the XXX as they film a segment for their much acclaimed series, "Last Chance to See". Biologist, naturalist, writer -Mark Carwardine and esteemed actor Stephan Fry host this series and will be aboard as we search for blue, sperm and humpback whales within the Sea of Cortez.

If that doesn't prove to be exciting enough we will also go searching for the endemic Santa Catalina Island rattle-less rattlesnake and hope to have the opportunity to venture into the Sea of Cortez's briny blue to experience the magnificent Humboldt squid off Santa Rosalia with Scott Cassel. The crew and I are pumped and ready to say the least!

I will do my damnedest to provide you with colorful commentary that will pull you away from the day to day grind and into the Sea of Cortez. We'd like you all to be with us, but since that is not possible I'll take copious amounts of photos for display upon our return on our new Facebook site. As I find time I will email photos to my better half so that she may post them in advance of our return.

As I write, we are 70 miles south of San Diego, 10 miles south of Ensenada. Today's encounters have found us sharing the ocean with Pacific gray whales, blue whales, common and Pacific white-sided dolphin. As the sun set into the Pacific we passed our final cetacean of the day that fittingly fluked just off our starboard beam.

We're looking at a restful evening on following seas and will be back on tomorrow with reports from Baja California's ocean oasis!

Until manana,
Capitan Greg

Shark Programming

When Animals Attack-Discovery Channel

Recently Discovery Channel Networks ran afoul of the Bear People in Alaska.

Note: The Bear People are serious contenders in Alaska, you do not want to kick that beehive.

Seems that taking human dummies and enticing Grizzlies to attack them is both disrespectful to bears and a disservice to the general public who's impression of bears is diminished after watching the show. As the story unfolds the production company responsible for the shoot "staged the event" with caged bears...they failed to let the public know this was the case much to the networks chagrin.

Story here Kudo's to MSNBC for breaking this story.

Which leads us to an ongoing problem with Discovery Channel and shark programming. Last year a similar stunt was done with Tiger sharks at Tiger Beach, Bahamas. A dummy was dressed up in full dive gear and the sharks were enticed to attack the dummy. Where does this end?

It begins and ends with the operations that do business with the production companies, who in turn do business with Discovery networks. As operators who take productions companies to find and shoot sharks we have an obligation to inform and help direct the production company into quality pro shark programming. That's a tall order, and sometimes it cannot be done, but the far end of that spectrum is a dummy being attacked by a Tiger shark.

Without revealing who was responsible for that particular shoot, the blow back from it had serious and continuing repercussions for others who use this site:

1. The Bahamian Tourism Ministry were very upset with this shoot. The Bahamas relies on water based tourism and the depiction of Tigers attacking divers is not what they want to see in their waters. Furthermore, when it was discovered that this shoot was done by a US based company the anger grew. The Bahamas are currently wrestling with what they perceive are US based commercial dive interests who give very little back to the Bahamian economy and are doing "bad things" in Bahamian waters. After watching that show you can see why.

2. The Bahamas Film Commission also voiced serious concern for this site and continued filming here.

Often the net result or blow back of "When Animals Attack" programming is seen months or perhaps years after the shoot. Operators need to take the lead here. The reason why programming like this exists is built on the backs of the last 10 production companies who delivered it to Discovery. We can not only break the chain-but we can also show production companies new and better programming that cost less, delivers more, and keep the audience engaged.

It can be done. Great programming with sharks that delivers thrills takes time and dedication and thought. It's not rocket science.

Shark Shield Announces New Strategic Partnership

In response to increased use of Shark Shield technology by film and television companies, Shark Shield Pty Ltd has appointed Shark Divers as its official regulatory authority for the Northern Hemisphere. Director of Operations, Luke Tipple, will oversee all production issues concerning Shark Shield while Ian (shark) Gordon will represent the Southern Hemisphere. Our mutual goal is to ensure safe and effective use of our product while ensuring our strict standards of use are maintained.

Northern Hemisphere contact: staff@sharkdivers.com
Southern Hemisphere contact: ote@ozemail.co.au

Shark Shield TM is a unique shark deterrent system utilizing a technologically advanced three-dimensional electronic wave form. Shark Shield units are designed for recreational users and water sports professionals alike and aim to help all people enjoy and work in the ocean with a new dimension of peace of mind for themselves, their families and employers.

Shark Shield provides proven protection against all predatory shark species including Great Whites, Tigers, Zambezi's (Bulls), Makos and Bronze Whalers, among others. The electronic pulse emitted repels the shark by inducing muscle spasms via stimulation of the Ampluae of Lorenzini, the sensory organs present on sharks' snouts. There is no permanent damage to the animal, or harm to the environment. Shark Shield products are proven to repel sharks.

Filming shark sequences for commercial use frequently requires manufacturing an unnatural environment to attract sharks which can change their behavior and create a heightened danger for humans. The incorrect deployment of a Shark Shield product either intentionally or unintentionally could reduce the effectiveness of our products. For both safety and legal reasons we cannot and will not permit this to occur and have implemented a film and television usage policy which is conditional.

Shark Shield products must only be used by film and television productions after written approval is obtained from either of our official authorities or Shark Shield Pty Ltd itself and Shark Shield products must only be used in accordance with the conditional terms provided by the authority. Both authorities are recognised authorities in the field of working with sharks and understand Shark Shield technology.

Legal action may be taken against film or television companies using a Shark Shield for shoots when approval has not been granted.

Important Note

No shark deterrent system should be a replacement for the understanding of sharks and the site you are operating in, as well as the safety crews you employ. Shark deterrent systems are and always will be a last line of defense for any shark shoot or shark site you have in place. Certain water activities inherently involve the danger of potential shark encounters or attacks. Shark Shield has proven effective in deterring said instances however, due to the variables present with ocean and animal behaviors it should not be considered a completely foolproof system.

Shark Productions-Case in Point

This email came in this morning. Not sure where we'll go with this one as at least one of our hard and fast criteria for good shark productions does not seem to be there, the all important "budget". Although it does seem "interesting":

Hello there,

I have a film crew and actors all of which are at the very least dive master certified, and one of which is a marine biologist specializing in shark research. We are filming a television show that showcases our travels and adventures across the world. Right now half of our crew is out in Koh Tao, Thailand filming and due back at the end of August. We are low budget and high thrill show with a crew and cast ranging between 5 and 8 people. I saw on xxx that you are offering exclusive trips for film crews and was curious if you would accept our company on one of these voyages. Hope to hear from you soon.

Cheers,
XXX XXX
XXX Biscayne Blvd, Suite XXX
North Miami Beach
(317) XXX-XXXX

Shark Projects - Passing on "Night"

We passed on an "interesting shark project" a while back.

About twice a month we get hits from various production companies who want to shoot sharks. A few of these projects we decide to pass on for various reasons from non existent film budgets to outright crazy shark production notes.

The projects we do work with are all A-list crews who approach us with shark productions that make sense.

This latest shoot for Animal Planet (the production company will remain nameless) is set to go in the Bahamas. Called "Night" they wanted to take their show host at night-in a baited situation-with Tigers.

Cages? Minor detail.

Now this is do-able and not as crazy at it sounds, but here's where it started to go south for us:

1. The show host was not certified and had no shark experience
2. Their primary DP was not certified and had no shark experience

That's not to say they have not proceeded with this shoot. In fact it looks like they will film "Night" as planned. One thing we learned a long time ago about adding your name, or your credibility to any shark shoot - beware.

As industry members it is up to us to guide production to better production values. Sometimes you have to say "no" because in the end poor productions hurt everyone, the industry, and the sharks that we spend years trying to portray in a positive light.

Industry blow back from these productions is growing...and more often than not you'll never see it coming, especially at "Night".

Shark Tech-Ocean Reef

On the subject of shark tech-we would like to introduce you to Ocean Reef.

For the past 5 years Shark Diver has been using these full face mask/comm gear set ups for our shark diving operations worldwide.

From spotting Salmon Sharks in Alaska's murky waters to calling out sequence shots for Discovery Channel's Shark Week Ocean Reef has been with us since the beginning.

If you happen to find yourself in an underwater space, surrounded by sharks, and need to communicate fast with clarity this is the gear you need to be using.

As you know by now, the crew of Shark Diver like their gear, and the gear we use is tested by the best in conditions that require our shark gear to work the first time and every time.