Hello everyone! I'm sitting outside of Dive Aventuras near Playa del Carmen, Mexico, sucking up free WiFi access like a radio parasite. Sterling Zumbrunn, Wolcott Henry, Alexis Tabah and Nathalie Ssi-Yan-Kai have arrived as well (Sterling is sitting here on the internets as well). We did our first cenotes dives today (Chac-Mool and Kulkulkan) through Dive Aventuras (hosted by Wetpixel member Karen Doody, although she was unable to accompany us on the dive today).

I wish I had photos to share, but I was shooting video. In fact, today was my first day with my underwater 3D video setup! I am excited to present my first processed clip:


Use red-cyan glasses for this 3D video (and view full screen for best results)

More details about the clip and workflow can be found on a journal post on my website.

We head to Isla Mujeres on Friday for some whale shark aggregation action. Shawn Heinrichs is there right now with his group, and Jim Abernethy and his group just left.

I'm going to direct the other folks on this trip here. Hopefully, there will be others posting as well.

I need to get a pair of those glasses, but the footage looks good. Whale Sharks, Cenotes - I am officially jealous

I hope the little turtles at those Cenotes are cooperative for you. They would be quite cute on video. Their shell growth makes them look like moving bushes with legs and head.
And I am indeed jealous of the lovely view you were having outside the dive shop and the views you are having/will have on the trip.

Hey Eric,

I was there this past April. The guides forgot to tell us about the helocline. As I approached it, I thought my masked had fogged up. Took my mask off to clear it the "fog" and by the time I got my mask back on and cleared I was in the helocline and everything was a total blurr. I though to myself, "what the hell did I do to my mask?", and then realized what it was that I was in. Had a few words with the guides when we surfaced, everyone got a chuckle out of it and I still smile when I tell that story.

Bob

Here's a few pictures from the cenotes
words might come later

More pictures
still no words ...

What a treat it was to dive with Eric and the gang today! We had a great plan to penetrate into Dos Ojos cenote and then when our air got a little low, we'd hang out near one of the entrances shooting in the ambient light. But once we took a look back over our shoulders at the glorious light at the entrance, all the still photographs put on the breaks and worked that area for about 15 mins.
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The guys shooting video got as far away from our constant strobe action as fast as possible. Oh well, so much for plans! We didn't get much further before we stopped again to shoot some phenomenal formations just inside the entrance. Sometimes the cenotes are really visual overload.

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Alexis and Nathalie checking out some of the formations

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Wolcott got some great shots of the formations with natural light from the "second eye" of Dos Ojos in the background.

Tomorrow we head to Taj Mahal for some impressive light shows. All my staff at the shop are fascinated with Erics 3D rig. They've finally found a s use for those 3D glasses they got out the cereal box!

Can I come

Sure, Drew! See you at 8:30am sharp.

Eric, the 3D came out great!!

(Cool work...and I know how gnarly the workflow is!)

Having a diver subject and clear water with landscape made for some good stereoscopic effect.

Keep up the great work!!

Looking forward to seeing much more~

- Mary Lynn

Hi to Sterling & Wolcott, just saw then in Cocos...these guys are really rocking the water these days

Whale sharks rule. We saw over 300 of them today!

But first, here are 4 images from two dives at Kulkulkan and Chac-Mool cenotes. I only took my still camera in for 2 dives because I was focused in 3D video, but the caves were too beautiful not to get a few still shots.


A sign in a halocline warns divers of impending death upon further exploration of the beginning of a long cave system (Cenote Kulkulkan, Mexico)


Sterling Zumbrunn contemplates his future while in a shimmering halocline at Cenote Kulkulkan, Mexico.


Sterling Zumbrunn at Cenote Kulkulkan, Mexico


Cave diver at Cenote Chac-Mool, Mexico

Our group (me, Sterling Zumbrunn, Wolcot Henry, Heidi Connal, Alexis Tabah and Nathalie Ssi-Yan-Kai) had a one-day overlap with Shawn Heinrichs, Rob Stewart, Bob McNerney, and Brian, who had been here for the last trip out to the whale shark aggregation.

There is simply no good way to photograph 300 whale sharks, but I do have some topside images from the tuna tower that probably show 50 in a frame.

I shot mostly video today, but here are a few stills:


Two whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) feed in a bonito spawning event off of Isla Mujeres, Mexico


A whale shark (Rhincodon typus) feeds in a bonito spawning event off of Isla Mujeres, Mexico


A whale shark (Rhincodon typus) feeds in a bonito spawning event off of Isla Mujeres, Mexico


A silhouette of a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) feeding in a bonito spawning event off of Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Excellent stuff Eric and really great seeing you in Isla Mujeres!

I just returned from 2 back-to-back trips in Isla Mujeres. Undoubtably the best place in the world for whale sharks. We had a minimum of 100 whale sharks each day on the water and on the big days, between 200 and 400! With numbers that high, one can only guess at the true count of sharks in the area. Here are a handful of images from the trips. Note: other than a quick levels and WB adjust, these images are otherwise unedited.

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Rob Stewart and Shawn Heinrichs filming in the tuna tower

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Arriving at the aggregation

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Whale sharks converge around boat

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Bobby McNerney jumps into the action - whale sharks everywhere!

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Rob Stewart with 5D and Shawn Heinrichs with EX1 film topside action

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Shawn filming whale shark

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Shawn with several whale sharks

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Whale shark gulping bonito eggs

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Shawn filming whale shark with EX1

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Whale shark filtering eggs on surface

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Whale shark in blue water

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Shawn filming whale shark with 3D rig

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More 3D filming

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Danielle Heinrichs tries her hand at 3D

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Danielle shooting more 3D

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Watch out!

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Nice lipstick!

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Shawn with whale shark on surface

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Parting shot

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Marshall Lally, Shawn Heinrichs, Rob Stewart, Bobby McNerney - celebrating after a great day on the water!

Shawn and Danielle -- fantastic images!

We have had incredible luck out here so far. Today, there were in excess of 500 whale sharks out there (by Rogelio's count), and it was sunny and absolutely dead calm. The surface of the water was like a mirror.

I am way behind in processing images and video. I'm running:

5D Mark II (stills and video)
Dual Sony CX550V 3D rig
Dual GoPro

That's 6 cameras worth of downloads and processing, not to mention the time-consuming 3D workflow. It's killing me.

Here's a slow motion whale shark gulp



Here's the same gulp in 3D. (converted to black and white because red-blue anaglyph obviously doesn't work with blue water in the picture)

A few more 3D cenotes clips (including the original halocline video). Again, requires red/cyan glasses:

Hey everyone!

This has been an unbelievable trip! I'm joining the team after nine days in Cocos, and I thought the diving there would be tough to top, but this trip has been even more epic! The cenotes were gorgeous (thanks for hosting us Karen, it was awesome) and the first two days with the whale sharks were simply mind-blowing. I'm pretty beat, and dealing with data management issues (shooting around 50GB per day), so I don't have too much more to say at this juncture. I'll let the pictures do the heavy lifting.

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Alex, Eric and our cave guide, Jean Loup

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Eric ready to do a cave dive.

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A cave diver in the Taj Majal Cenote

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Eric swimming with his 3D rig through the Jardin de Eden Cenote

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Whale shark aggregation from the tuna tower. This is the only way to get a true perspective of this wildlife spectacle.

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Whale sharks feeding on bonito spawn at the surface

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Watching these animals feed is an unbelievable experience.

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Eric puts his camera in for a mouth's eye view.

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Conditions are remarkably calm - flat enough to do splits.

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A "botella" happens in the afternoon when a whale shark parks upright and stays in one position for a few minutes. Incredible to watch.

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While the number of sharks is less at the edge of the school, the visibility is better due to the diminished concentration of spawn.

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Eric filming in 3D from the bow of the Lilly M.

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What a privilege to spend so much time in the water with these gorgeous animals.

Sterling: those shots are incredible.

The split is remarkable. I thought it was amazing to swim with one whale shark at a time; seeing 5 in one day was great!

I can't even imagine how this was!

Steve

All I can say is WOW
Fantastic images and work.

WOW! WOW! WOW!

More, more, more please

I am already missing it. Can't wait for next year!!!

Amazing work all. Really wish I was there....

Video: 11 whale sharks in rapid succession!

Here's one of Eric gracefully posing

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Insane Eric! You really captured the experience!

Here's another one, without any kind of frog ruining the image

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I dont know what to say.

Stew

Thanks for the compliments everyone. Killer video Eric! That really does capture the lineup!

Another great day - fewer sharks, but just as concentrated. Water was slightly more choppy, but visibility was excellent at times. I got in on the first rotation which was nice before all the boat madness (35+ boats of snorkelers show up around 9 am).

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Heidi swimming with a new friend.

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Whale sharks everywhere.

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Botellas were happening early in the day.

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With so much already in the can, I took the fisheye off for the first time of the trip and switched to the 17-40. Great for head shots.

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Also for other details.

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Lots of other pelagics showed up today. Another boat reported seeing a great hammerhead. I saw a barracuda swim by. These mobulas were the only thing I could get close enough to photograph.

Hey guys, these images are fantastic and Eric, that video is smokin'! Love the editing!

I'm heading up with a small group tomorrow...hope these conditions hold out!

Eric - that video is incredible! Great work.

Cheers
James

Amazing how they can just speed up then slow down like that. So Matrix like Very cool.....

Great pix all.

Eric, that video is just amazing.

Alex

I hereby issue a challenge to capture an underwater video clip with the most whale sharks visible in 90 seconds. I think Shawn has a 9 whale shark video, and mine has 11 in it (although a good number of them are in the background). Let's see what we can do.

For this adventure, is a Tokina 10-17 the lens of choice for the DX format or something else? For those of us that are dreaming of taking this type of trip, we would love to learn from your experience.

Shoot the widest lens possible...!

I disagree somewhat with Shawn -- it depends on what you are shooting. A 17mm (full frame) yields much more natural-looking images and video, but a fisheye will let you capture more than one shark at a time (and get close enough to make the water look clear). The Tokina 10-17 should be ideal because you will have the full useful range!

What I meant to say, was shoot a lens that lets you go as wide as possible...ala 10-17

Does this count for most whale sharks in 90 seconds...how about 1 second

Man, just intense seeing that.... I have seen a whale shark (a young one, maybe 6 meters) once. Was on scuba and it somehow wound up with us. To see so many of them, just awesome.

Eric:
I am heading that way with Elmer Yu week after next - what kind of rubber are you wearing for the cenotes and what is the water temperature? I assume you are not using flash with the whale sharks.
Great photos.
Thanks.
Andy

Nice video! However, I think you missed the "underwater" part.

I know. Since you are there still and I am not, I think the cards are stacked against me...selective reading is all I have left!

I think most of us were wearing 3mm suits, which was adequate. After the second dive, it gets pretty cold. Some sort of hood is definitely advisable. I feel like the water temperature was around 75 F, didn't check exactly. A 5mm might be good, but I feel like the buoyancy hassles could offset the benefit. Super important to be neutral, and a lot of the areas are shallow.

No strobes allowed with the whale sharks, only ambient. You don't really need them, though fill would be nice- the one place they would be especially useful is trying to light down the mouth. But if you can get the light in the right position, you can make it work. Personally, I'm glad not to have to swim with strobes attached to my rig for hours at a time. Much more streamlined.

Good luck!

It seems as if there was another spawning event, as the water was thick with eggs. Alex and Natalie brought back a sample of the bonito eggs which are the entire reason for this wildlife aggregation. Visibility was down, but lots of sharks so no-one is complaining!

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Whale shark food. Each one is the size of a small bead. How many of these do they have to eat? Millions? Billions?

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Of course, Eric just had to sample the whale sharks' favorite delicacy.

And let me guess they tasted......fishy!

Adam

To photograph the shark, you have to understand the shark. To understand the shark, you have to live like the shark...

Well, our time with the whale sharks is over, and the next group's has begun. Looks like the Wetpixel luck continues so that Eli and company have stunning conditions to kick off their trip today. I'm looking forward to seeing the fabulous images that everyone will come back with in the next group.

Since we had so much time in the water with the whale sharks, we decided to take to the air for another perspective. Unfortunately for us, due to a communication breakdown, it actually took two attempts as we ended up going to the Holbox aggregation site on the first flight. Looks interesting over there, but water definitely seems green. I'm sure the vis would not be too hot. Here are a couple of photos from our flights:

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Islas Mujeres from the air.

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Manta feeding at the surface.

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A pod of dolphins.

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The whale shark aggregation that we've been swimming with this week.

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Whale sharks feeding at the surface.

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Eric in front of our "mosquito" as the airport staff liked to call it due to its diminutive size relative to other helicopters in the area.

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Backstage

Great shots, love the Manta and the aerial of of the Island. I first learned to dive in Isla back in the early 90s and went back often until the late 90s, it has changed a bit

Eric needs a haircut..

That shot of the 3 whalesharks together...

Had no idea Isla was such a built up place, figured you guys were staying in little huts on the beach!
Would love to join some day...

Here's a shot at 3D whale sharks in blue water. Tried some settings to make it pop a bit more. Interested to know if it worked:



(looked decent on my MacBook Pro monitor but not as good on my 24in Dell)