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Photo / Video News & Reviews

Photographing Caribbean Reef Sharks in Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas

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els_nsc7296On our second piece about photographing sharks in the Bahamas, we head to New Providence Island, to dive out of Nassau with Stuart Cove. This dive centre is probably the most famous in the Bahamas, and perhaps even the whole Caribbean. Stuart originally opened the centre in 1978 and it has grown into a really impressive operation. Whilst it is a large dive centre, with lots going on, it does not feel like it when you arrive. The staff are all friendly and professional and so you feel comfortable and at home right away. We were greeted by Stuart himself, before grabbing our gear and jumping onto a boat to go and dive with Caribbean Reef Sharks.

There are a number of different types of shark diving here. You can photograph them on the reef, cruising over colourful corals in shallow water. You can photograph them on and around wrecks, which have been sunk deliberately to create new habitats for the marine life and a playground for divers and underwater photographers alike. You can also dive with a shark wrangler on a shark feeding dive, who will feed small pieces of fish to the sharks via a long metal stick. We tried all three and each offers different photographic opportunities.

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The reef dive is great for those who want to try this for the first time, and want a more chilled out experience. A metal box with a few fish heads inside is placed on the seabed, away from any delicate coral. The sharks are attracted in by the smell and will cruise around the area. You can then find the most photogenic area, where you want to photograph a shark, and wait. We had around 10 sharks on this dive for a full 80 minutes. We photographed divers with each other alongside the sharks, the sharks out in the blue, as the reef dropped away from the shallows, and also by some beautiful sea fans to show them in their natural environment.

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els_dsc9204However, our favourite dive was the wreck dive. Once again, a bait box was taken down by the guide, but this time it was hidden deep inside a small wreck called Big Crab. Again the sharks were attracted in by the smell, and this resulted in a dozen or so reef sharks circling the artificial reef. It made for some wonderful photography. The wreck is in shallow water (less then 10m I think) and the water was warm, blue and clear. We could have stayed there all day! You could shoot from inside the wheelhouse of the wreck looking out through the windows and catching a shark as it cruised past, or you could shoot from outside the wreck to catch the full dramatic effect.

Our final dive was the shark feeding dive. This is an adrenalin rush of a dive, as the sharks are moving more quickly and come very close as they position themselves in the hope of getting a fishy snack from the feeder. The “wrangler” will wear chainmail for this dive for protection from accidental nips from overexcited sharks. A piece of fish is taken out of the bait box, one at a time, on the end of a metal stick, and raised up into the water column for a shark to grab. Whilst I preferred the wreck dive, this is a fantastic dive to get great shots with sharks and divers together in the water.

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All too soon, it was time for us to move on to the next island for some more shark diving. Next time we visit Grand Bahama to look for tiger sharks and to spend a hard-earned day off playing with stingrays.

Further Information

www.stuartcove.com

www.bahamas.co.uk

For more from Nick and Caroline, visit www.frogfishphotography.com.

Nick and Caroline (Frogfish Photography) are a married couple of conservation driven underwater photo-journalists and authors. Both have honours degrees from Manchester University, in Environmental Biology and Biology respectively, with Nick being a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, a former high school science teacher with a DipEd in Teaching Studies. Caroline has an MSc in Animal Behaviour specializing in Caribbean Ecology. They are multiple award-winning photographers and along with 4 published books, feature regularly in the diving, wildlife and international press They are the Underwater Photography and Deputy Editors at Scubaverse and Dive Travel Adventures. Winners of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Photo-journalist of the Year for a feature on Shark Diving in The Bahamas, and they have been placed in every year they have entered.Nick and Caroline regularly use their free time to visit schools, both in the UK and on their travels, to discuss the important issues of marine conservation, sharks and plastic pollution. They are ambassadors for Sharks4Kids and founders of SeaStraw. They are Dive Ambassadors for The Islands of The Bahamas and are supported by Mares, Paralenz, Nauticam and Olympus. To find out more visit www.frogfishphotography.com

Marine Life & Conservation

British duo compete to find world’s rarest sharks in Netflix reality series ‘All the Sharks’

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all the sharks

British shark specialists Dan Abbott and Sarah Roberts take to the seas in All the Sharks, a major new reality TV series on Netflix.

This six-part competition follows the pair as they go head-to-head against three teams across six stunning global locations, in pursuit of the world’s most elusive sharks. With points awarded for each species spotted, Dan and Sarah must seek out elusive and unusual sharks to stay ahead in the race.

Featuring rare encounters and firsthand accounts from those on the frontlines of marine conservation, All the Sharks is an action-packed, family-friendly series that combines intense competitor drama with heart-racing underwater adventures. Underwater cinematographer and UK shark guide Dan Abbott reflects: “This series has taken us to some of the remotest parts of the world, sharing the water with iconic species.

ALL THE SHARKS. Episode 6 of ALL THE SHARKS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix, © 2025

The sharks we encountered are unique, misunderstood and many of them, completely unknown. Shining a spotlight on these incredible animals will help people appreciate them in a whole new way.” Eco journalist, author and presenter Sarah Roberts, says.

The pair are no strangers to global adventure, having collaborated closely for seven years, with Dan typically behind the camera and Sarah in front. Their projects have taken them from the icy Arctic to tiger tracking in Indonesia. Along the way, they’ve encountered alligators and venomous snakes. But this venture is regarded as their wildest yet.

Throughout filming, Dan and Sarah captured footage of as many rare sharks as possible, using their extensive experience to maintain a respectful approach to all shark encounters and ensure minimal disturbance.

The series arrives at a time of growing interest in shark conservation in UK waters, where sightings of basking and blue sharks are growing, making the British connection to these incredible animals more relevant than ever.

All the Sharks is streaming now on Netflix.

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Excerpts from Jeff Goodman’s Book Action Camera Underwater Video Basics, Part 6 of 6: Ethics of Filming Wildlife

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underwater filming

When filming on land, ethics seem pretty well clear-cut. It is obvious to an audience when animals are being made to suffer so that you can get interesting shots. But filming in the marine environment seems to be lacking in all those terrestrial cuddly sentiments. We don’t hear marine life scream or howl. Marine animals are still generally thought to be devoid of feeling or emotion. It’s an archaic point of view that we tend to use when disregarding the millions of marine species that have evolved in our underwater environments.

Often, ethical judgments are not clear-cut and have to be made by the individual. In doing this, the ill-defined parameters are broad indeed and can be very personal. For me, all life — marine and otherwise — does not need to be stressed, harmed, or displaced in order to get a pleasing image or sequence. The best shots, stills and video, are taken when animals are relaxed and/or unafraid of the cameraperson. Also consider and take care of their environment. If you harm or destroy it, then it could be gone forever.

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So how do you know when you are stressing a marine animal? It’s a hard one to quantify, but the more time you spend underwater, the greater your perception becomes. A general rule is: don’t chase animals. If they are trying to get away, then they don’t want to be near you and are quite likely afraid. This wouldn’t apply if, for example, a turtle is swimming along a reef and you fin hard to keep up with it. If the turtle were anxious, then it would drastically speed up and change direction to get away.

Take your time with animals underwater. Give them a chance to come to you. Breathe gently and rhythmically. Keep your body movements slow and deliberate. There are few greater feelings than when a wild animal accepts you in its presence and shows no fear. This is when you are most likely to get the best natural behaviour shots.

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Protecting the marine habitat

It may seem to you that while you are diving, the direct effect you are having is quite minimal. Perhaps you touch some coral accidentally or totally ignore all the rules to get a close-up shot of a fish and actually rest your fins or arms on part of a reef. You think about it at the time and come to the conclusion that actually you don’t seem to have done much damage and it will grow back soon anyway. Now multiply your actions by a few thousand or more to cover all the divers who have had the same thought, perhaps only over the last year. It all adds up. Ultimately, with repeated mistreatment, the reef and habitat will suffer and eventually die.

One danger of shooting macro (in particular) is that you need to be close to the subject. This in itself raises issues of careful diving practices when on delicate ecosystems in both coral seas and temperate waters. Damaging marine life just to get a shot is a big no-no! There will be plenty of occasions when kneeling down on the seabed and doing no harm will be easy, such as on a sandy bottom at the edge of a coral reef or on a rocky sea floor next to a kelp bed.

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If trying to get a shot will cause damage, please don’t do it. Damage to reefs and other marine environments due to human activities is considerable and often permanent. I have no desire to be preachy about this, but do consider exactly what it is you are doing. You, as an underwater cameraperson, are representing and displaying the underwater world and all its incredible biodiversity to an audience — be it just family, your dive buddies, or globally online. You probably would not say in your film narration that, in order to get this wonderful close-up of an anemone or perhaps a cleaner fish going in and out of the gills of a grouper, you actually destroyed a great lump of coral or squashed an entire colony of fan worms. For me, being underwater is a privilege and not a right. I ask that you do your utmost to preserve what you see and share what you experience. If you are filming on top of a reef, then please make sure you are extremely competent with your buoyancy control.

Action Camera Underwater Video Basics by Jeff Goodman is available now from DIVEDUP Publications:
https://www.divedup.com/shop/action-camera-underwater-video-basics-the-essential-guide-to-making-underwater-films/

About Jeff Goodman

underwater filming

Jeff is a multiple award-winning freelance TV cameraman/filmmaker and author. Having made both terrestrial and marine films, it is the world’s oceans and their conservation that hold his passion, with over 10,000 dives in his career. Having filmed for international television companies around the world and as author of two books on underwater filming, Jeff is Author/Programme Specialist for the Underwater Action Camera course for the RAID training agency.

Jeff has experienced the rapid advances in technology for diving as well as camera equipment, and has also experienced much of our planet’s marine life. He has witnessed, first-hand, many of the changes that have occurred to the wildlife and environment during that time.

Jeff runs bespoke underwater video and editing workshops for the complete beginner up to the budding professional.

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