There he is. The “camera guy”.
It seems there is one on every boat. You can recognize him as he’ll be the one geared up like he’s going to battle, his camera bouncing around inside the rinse bucket as the boat sweeps divers off to the next site. Then later, the camera will be strapped to his person and dangling carelessly as he takes one giant stride off the boat with the camera hitting the water with a slap. O-rings cry silently as he descends.
Once the boat dive group has settled at max depth, everything settles down into a peace and calm that only diving can offer. Minutes pass by as we adjust our buoyancy for the depth, with little sounds of “chhhh” “chhhh” as the group adds little puffs of air to their BCDs.
Sanctuary.
The drift current carries us like babies cradled in zero gravity, bringing sights and sounds of the ocean as we pass by. The sound of Parrotfish gnawing on coral, shrimp inside Lavender Tube Sponges, and sometimes a very distant hum of a boat topside.
And then off in the distance, we all hear it. The familiar sound of the first tank rap.
Someone spotted something.
We look all around, looking at each other for the familiar hand signal of what it is we’re looking for. Sometimes two fingers on the forehead are flashed indicating a lobster. Sometimes the hand on the head pointing upwards, a shark! Then, the chomping hand signal – maybe it’s an eel? The excitement builds and as we desire to rush over to the creature, we calmly sit and wait for our turn to see it.
Enter, the “Camera Guy”
The race is on. He comes, rushing over at mach 10, bubbles and fury, camera outstretched in front of his body like a bullet. He’s now jumped at the critter and scared it away from everyone else. We’ve missed it. It’s gone. It darted into the distant blue and out of range for eyes, let alone a wide-angle lens. Maybe next time.
The tank rap starts again. And a bell ringing. Someone has spotted smaller marine life, down behind a coral head. The group gathers around, with varying levels of buoyancy as bubbles and kicking push divers up, down, sideways. But they all part like the Red Sea when “camera guy” comes in. This time, he works his way in, cornering the animal and flashing the thing into a daze with repeated flashes. And if he’s really a “camera guy” spectacle, he’s also kicking divers, grabbing on to sponges and live coral heads and kicking sea fans with his fins.
Seeking Out The “Camera Guy”.
I’ve learned over the years to identify “camera guy” on dive boats, along with stressed divers, nervous divers and quiet divers. All of these are risks of varying degrees and should be watched carefully before even picking up your own camera. Sometimes “camera guy” is a good diver, having a rough day. Sometimes he just stepped off a cruise ship for the day and this is his only chance to dive, so he’s in a rush to see it all to tell his wife and kids. And sometimes, “camera guy” is us.
It’s so easy to get caught up, so much that we lose our senses and enter into our moments of stupidity. We see that critter that we’ve been dying to see, and suddenly our “camera guy” brain kicks in a says “at all costs, go”. It’s only when our “smart diver” brain kicks in to say, “no, not this time”.
We have full control to choose to get the shot, or to hope for another opportunity. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you don’t, but living to have the opportunity is important. I’ve been caught up too, a turtle just 5 feet below. Oh, then a den of lobsters as big as my tank 5 feet deeper. Pretty soon, depths add up and you better hope that you have enough left in the tank for your deco stop.
“Camera Guy” isn’t just one guy – he’s any one of us at any time.
To help avoid identifying with “camera guy”, take your time before you even set foot on the boat. Have your gear organized and packed properly. Have your camera towel ready after the rinse bucket and have the DM, first mate or dive buddy hand you your camera. Check out the underwater video camera tips.
On descent, breathe slowly, focus on your depth, make a conscious decision to focus on being a smart diver and allowing your smarts to override your “snap a picture of everything” desires. You might be surprised how the critters come to you, rather than chasing them down. The best shots are taken with a comfortable critter.
Start diving more like a marine animal and you might be surprised at the photo and video opportunities you start getting. Happy shooting.
