At a glance the device has the following features:

• Voice Communications – standard VHF radio can be used on various programmable channels. The device has two voice buttons, green for chatter (e.g. ch73) and orange/red for hail/distress (e.g. ch16). My tests with this seems pretty good, though I turned the volume to max and we haven’t tested the range of the device at any material distance.
• GPS – not much to say here, it gives you latitude and longitude readings via the LCD screen (which is not backlit). You can also download GPS waypoints at the same time, which it stores as a KML file that you can open in Google Earth.
• Digital Selective Calling (DSC) – if you are in distress (e.g. you have surfaced and there is no boat), you can press the ‘red button’ which broadcasts an automated digital signal over VHF with your GPS position and Maritime Mobile Service Identity (more about this below). Modern VHF radios on boats and planes have this feature built in and are able to receive DSC signals. Radios older than this don’t have DSC, but you can still hail then on ch16 once the DSC button has been activated.
• Waterproof Housing – the relatively small device is waterproof to 130m when closed, and splash proof on the surface when open. Net result is I can carry this in my pocket on almost any dive.
• Rechargeable battery – the lithium battery is factory sealed and  charges via a USB cable.
• Configurable – various settings, including the button channel assignments, MMSI and volume can be set using PC or Mac software.
• Upgradeable Firmware – the device’s firmware can be upgraded using PC software.
• Low Cost – at $300 they are relatively cheap when compared to the rest of you dive gear. In Australia, I bought mine from Southern Cross Divers.

A few things I’ve found out along the way:

• VHF in Australia – to use a VHF radio legally in Australia you are supposed to have a Marine Radio Operator’s VHF Certificate of Proficiency (MROVCP), which requires you to do a course worth about $300 and sit an exam. An alternate approach might be to read the VHF operator’s Handbook, understand how and when to use VHF and run the risk of not being fined if you use a VHF radio properly in an emergency to save lives.
• Enabling DSC – in order to enable the DSC button, you are required to register the device with a MMSI code. In Australia, valid codes are only issued by ASMA and are used to uniquely identify a vessel or in this case a handheld VHF device. To get one, you need a MROVCP or equivalent. An alternate approach might be to get one issued out of the USA, where they are free and available to anyone at Boat US. If you used one in Australian waters you might be in breach of legislation, but at least you’d be emitting a DSC signal and be rescued.
• Wait 3 Seconds – when talking over VHF on the Nautilus, you need to hold a voice button (chat or distress) down for 3 second to open the channel, then you can start talking. Based on my tests this is not real intuitive and requires some practice to get the hang of.
• Multiple Channels – the Nautilus can be configured with multiple channels per button, but in practice changing channels isn’t easy or intuitive on the couch, let alone floating in the ocean. As a consequence, I’ve accepted that I’ll only have two channels, chat on ch73 and distress/hail on ch16.
• USB Charging Plug – to charge the Nautilus, you need to remove a rubberised cap which seals the USB port whilst the device is open on the surface. It’s real easy to forget, and presumably if you do the device will get wet and may not work.
• Recharging – as it uses a rechargeable battery, you’ll need to plug this in for a top up even 3 months or so (even when unused).

Another thing I observed is that dive boat operators (commercial and private) don’t always have their VHF radios turned on. To address this, I’ve created a little card  with key information that I’ve laminated and hand to the boat operator when I board a boat. In the event that I go missing, I figure they’ll at least know to turn on their radio and  monitor ch16. I’ve also included the SMB colour protocol that we use on the back side, though I wouldn’t count on this unless specifically prearranged with surface support crew. At a minimum they’ll know what colour SMB/s to be looking for. You can download this MS Word template here.

If you talk about cave diving with someone that doesn’t do it, the typical question is “why do you do it?”. I compiled this short video using footage shot over a few weeks in North Florida. We added a few interviews and narration to help convey some of the message, which I hope comes through.

The special trip is part of Mike’s Extraordinary Expeditions program, and is an additional service offered on board Spoilsport by Mike and myself. Over the course of the week I’ll be running through the finer points of underwater photography, with the end-goal being killer shark shots. Basic and advanced techniques will be discussed, practiced and critiqued in order to help you get the shark shots you want.

The workshop will include formal sessions throughout the week, however I much prefer to break into very small groups or even 1:1 to discuss specific techniques depending on the experience level and objectives of participants. The workshop will cater for DSLR, point and shoot and strobe photographers. In additional to still photography, I plan to taking a few GoPro Hero2 cameras to see what interesting point of view shark footage we can grab.

MV Spoilsport is the best liveaboard vessel I’ve dived from and perfectly setup for underwater photographers. With lots of space, dedicated camera tables on the dive deck, camera rentals, and crew that know what they’re doing – the experience is simply awesome. I’ll also be taking advantage of Mike Ball rebreather service, so if you’re into CCR diving this is a perfect opportunity to join us and maximise the potential that the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef has to offer.

1. Flat lens – You’ll need an aftermarket flat lens to user the GoPro underwater (at least until GoPro release one of their own; due Q1 2012). They all work pretty well, though the DIY screw on acrylic solutions (e.g. Oculus R5) tend to be cheaper than the modified housings (e.g. Eye of Mine). Either way, watch out for vignetting (black corners) which can result when the camera is set to Wide mode with a small flat lens; using Medium will remove the black corners but reduce your field of view.
2. Secure It – secure your GoPro properly with a lanyard or tether. The standard mounting system is pretty good, though has been known to fail unexpectedly underwater. Also be sure not to make the classic mistake of wearing it on the elastic head mount and then striding into the water – it can go flying off your head.
3. Turn off the LCD Bacpac – the LCD BacPac is great to help with framing, but it does suck the life out of the battery. Turn if off when you can to conserve battery power.
4. Get close – you’ve heard it before, get close to your subject, then get closer. This will increase detail and prevent them from being miniature objects in your video. Using the widest field of view that you can (without vignetting) will also let you get closer to the action. Minimising the distance to subject will also make the most of you video lights.
5. Stabilise Yourself – save the roller coaster rides for the theme park; stabilise yourself before recording action and consider mounting your GoPro to tray/handle rig to give you a better grip. Panning and zooming are key elements of videography, but consider omitting them underwater if you can’t deliver stable video. Be ruthless when editing and remove unstable video.
6. Avoid Exposure Shifts – the GoPro can’t handle big ranges in light and dark. The sun and even the light gradient from depth to the surface has too much range for the GoPro to handle, so keep this in mind when framing your images. 
7. Feed it light – without enough light the Hero dies (just joking). Feed it rich light, and it’ll return nice saturated colour. Use wide, high power video lights  (2000lm+) or dive in kiddy pool depths.
8. Use filters wisely – filters can make or break you, so use the right type of filter for your colour water and stick to the shallows. With no ability to manually white balance the video, you need to put a lot of faith in the GoPro software. Typical red filters work best in shallow, clear blue water in the middle of the day; if you’re shooting in different conditions ask whether the filter is the right thing for you. Gel type filters, such as the Auto Magic Filter can be used on the inside of the housing if you don’t want the expense of, or can’t use the screw on type.
9. Point of View – use them for what they’re designed for; capture the world from a point of view – it needn’t be your own. Don’t expect to shoot a National Geographic special, work to the Hero’s strengths and use them where a normal, bigger and more expense camera can’t go.
10. Hog the Glory– edit your video so that is tells a story, and share it with the world, or at least your friends on Vimeo.com. Use a simple editing program (e.g. iMovie for Mac, Movie Maker for PC) to get started.

Good shooting, damien.

This video showcases two spectacular caves that are hidden beneath what is casually known as the “Mill Pond”, near Marianna in North Florida.

Whilst known for is crystal clear water and white rock, the first cave in the video (Twin Cave) is challenging to enter and requires a certain amount of commitment.

Jackson Blue (the second cave), in contrast is known for its easy entry, clear water and high flow. We used scooters to penetrate deep into the system, as even on rebreathers the dive took 4-5 hours to execute.

Video was shot using a Canon 7D, Tokina 10-17mm, Aquatica housing and Silent Submersion scooters (Magnus + Minnus).

I’ll be running an underwater photography workshop along the way, so it’s not just going to be the same clear blue warm water, coral, tropical fish, wrecks and Tusker beer that you may have experienced before. The workshop will focus on targeted areas of photography and include both targeted formal sessions and informal tutorials and mentoring. A large focus of the workshop will be on the use of light, both natural and artificial. We will be taking over a heap of extra strobes, cameras and video lights that you can try and see what works with your setup. The workshop is included in the trip costs, which is already great value at $1699 per diver, ex Sydney.

If you’re like me and don’t have much annual leave, this trip is also a winner as you only need to take 4 working days off work! Trip dates are 28th Dec – 4th Jan (inclusive). For more information, contact me or book directly with St George Underwater Centre.

As something different, we’ll be putting together a trip video with a twist. I have a little GoPro Hero2, which will be the eyes and ears of the trip (it needs a name). We’re going to hand it out and ask you to treat it like your best friend, let it capture your trip. It’ll go underwater, on boats, planes, cars, even go to the bar and buy a round of beers – nowhere will be safe from the GoPro. At the end of the trip, we will compile the whackiest trip video in history – and it’ll be your to take home free.

It’s all about buoyancy and trim. Let’s first start by
assuming that you have a neutrally buoyant (or close enough to) DPV. Stacking a
negatively buoyant mount, strap, camera housing, lights, etc… does the obvious
and makes the scooter sink. You’re now riding this beast that wants to nose dive,
meaning you now have to angle the scooter up to compensate. This forces the
video angle upward (a real problem when you’re trying to shoot bottom
composition) and burns power unnecessarily. The scooter/camera rig can also
become quite heavy to hold for stationary shots too, making it physically a
challenge to hold the rig.

My solution is relatively straight forward; that is, simply
ensure the camera rig (including mount and strap) is as neutral as possible. In
video mode, my Aquatica 7D housing doesn’t have too many options, it basically
down to what size dome you have. My 6” dome is small and has less drag, but the
8” provides much needed buoyancy and does a reasonable job of getting the
housing neutral.

The real problems comes in the form of lighting. Light heads
and more specifically their batteries are negatively buoyant and need to be
compensated. I’ve resorted to using high pressure plumbing pipe (sealed at each
end) to provide positive lift. It’s effective, cheap and nearly indestructible,
though the crush depth is hotly debated in technical diving circles to be
anything from 65-180m. Determining how much lift to provide is simply done
using a trial and error approach. I’ve gone with 2” diameter pressure pipe and
12” in length. Two of these provides more than enough lift for my setup, so I
do the negative adjustments using lead weight on the pipes. Net result is a
neutral rig that is reasonably adjustable as my setups changes. In my opinion,
close enough is good enough here but I don’t want to be fighting with
scooter/camera buoyancy on deep dives.

I’ve mounted the pipes on either side of the scooter using a
cylinder weight mounting system by Bright Weights. I can’t speak for the weight
system, but once we sewed a couple of industrial elastic loops into the harness
system it worked perfectly. Using Velcro strips, it’s super easy to attach to
the scooter when a dive requires it. What’s important to me is to not mess with
the scooter’s buoyancy as at the last minute, I may execute a dive without the camera
and quickly reconfigure the DPV for no-camera whilst on the boat deck.

Mounting the Camera

Nothing came easy here. Before buying a mount, I researched
both the Silent Submersion and Dive-Xtras video mounts, though not much info
was forthcoming apart from a few forum comments. It was clear however that
neither with support my Aquatica DSLR natively, and that both have mounting
holes targeted at more traditional video housings like Gates and Stingray. I
ultimately bought the Silent Submersion version, so mounting the camera
required a custom adapter that would allow mating between the three ¼” holes on
my Aquatica and grid patterns on the mounting plate.

The adapter we made up is simply a block of alloy turned on
a lathe. It has four holes for the mounting plate, and is recessed with another
three holes for the camera (see diagram). Something to keep in mind is that
depending on you dome size, the camera will need to be raised higher off the
mounting plate. Since I have both the 6” and 8” domes, I created the base
adapter to suit the 6” dome and an extender for the 8” dome so that weight and
drag could be reduced. Delrin (aka acetal) would have been a preferable
material (due to weight and corrosion), though availability in large diameters
(at reasonable cost) was a problem for us. Ultimately though, my DSLR has 3 *
¼”  holes in the base which screw into
the adapter, which in turn screws into the mounting plate.

Videography

After going to the cost and effort of mounting the camera on
a scooter, I’m very happy to say there is a payoff. You obviously get the
ability to shoot video whilst moving, either forward facing or angled which
shoots difference perspectives underwater (not just up-down or left-right). You
also get the added benefit of stability since the DPV is near neutral but has a
significant mass. Net result is the scooter dampens the motion, removes the
wobbles and the propeller shroud even becomes a nice hold point that you can
rest on your chest (watch out of the trigger!). This is particularly beneficial
for the DSLR shooter, since these housing suffer greatly from stability issues.

Once mounted to the scooter I’ve almost exclusively used the
propeller shroud as a grips/hold point. It reduce ergonomics whilst shooting
video, but this wasn’t the greatest anyway. Vision to the 3” screen is also
reduced due to the shroud/handle, though this depends on the angle and height
that you hold the camera at. I also found if the rig was negative, holding it
at the correct screen height becomes very tiresome.

I dive using both Dive-Xtras and Silent Submersion scooters,
and feel they’re both great and each has their benefits. For video however, I
do prefer my Cuda 400 as it has an electronic speed control and the N-19 I have
does not. This allows you to quickly adjust speed whilst shooting and also
match the speed of other divers perfectly. With the N-19, you have to stop to
change speeds which can ruin the clip you’re shooting. One technique to match
speed on the N-19 is to purposely cause drag with your body/fins to slow down
and maintain the clip – not the best but it does work.

Rotational torque and levelling the image whilst under way
as also key points of consideration. I’ve found it takes a few second to get
the torque under control when starting off and stopping, so I factor this in my
clip. Levelling the camera also presents a challenge at times and can be
compounded if the camera mount is not naturally centred on the DPV body.

Overall I think DPV mounted video is a very positive thing,
though this opinion is for reasons other than what I had originally expected. I
first thought that it’d be all about the video you could shoot whilst in motion,
this is good, but the stability for me is where the value is. I imagine this
could be different for those with more traditional (and stable) video
rigs.

Still Photography

Perhaps ignorantly, I once thought that mounting my DSLR
camera to a scooter would make camera handling easier on complex technical
dives. I thought that I could use the DPV as a platform to mount the camera rig
to whilst travelling, namely during ascent/descents and when scootering around
large caves/wrecks). In short, I was very wrong.

Mounting the camera rig to the scooter can be fiddly and
time consuming. It’s not a hopeless task, but not something I want to be
repeatedly doing during a dive. For this reason I rarely scooter mount my rig
whilst shooting stills, preferring instead to wrap it up and clip it off as
this results in less drag. The scooter itself becomes a pain too, as you either
let it blow in the current whilst your hands are occupied with the camera
(becoming an entanglement issue), or again clip it off like a sling. I prefer
the latter approach, though at times am lazy and drop the scooter for a sneaky
shot or two. For this reason, I ensure my scooter is trimmed slightly positive
so that it floats off the bottom causing less of an issue.

As we use the scooters to rapidly descend on deep dives, if
the site is not large or I expect to be in one spot for a while I’ll clip the
scooter off to a cave line or part of the wreck. I’ve found it easier and quick
to detach from the scooter, shoot and then re-attach, than it is to side clip
the scooter to yourself and keep shooting. How your gear is configured and
whether you’re wearing you bailout/stage cylinders left only or left-right is
definitely a key consideration. Scooters do offer a compelling argument to left
only stage configuration in my opinion.

For sample video, visit http://damiensiviero.com/category/video/