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Scubaverse Film Review: Of Shark and Man
Of Shark and Man captivates from the very beginning as images of our home town of Manchester are overlaid with sharks swimming over a reef in the opening credits. Right at the start, David is asked what kind of story this film is going to be and he answers, “a love story” and we know we are watching a film made by someone who is passionate about what he does. It is a stylish production that tells the story of David quitting his job and heading off to dive “the best shark dive in the world” in Fiji.
The trailer can be seen here:
Whilst the film is told by David about his underwater experiences with the Bull Sharks of Fiji, he also tells the story about how this dive site, Shark Reef, came about, and how the local community are involved in the shark’s conservation. It is not just Bull Sharks, although they are the stars of the show, but the lovely underwater footage also gives us an insight into the many other sharks that visit this area. The film also covers the sensitive subject of shark feeding from both sides of the debate.
The film not only shows us the beauty of the sharks of Fiji, but also includes interviews with divers, business owners and local Fijians and gives us an insight into the area and those involved in the shark diving business. Obviously, the highlight is the shark diving footage, especially the moment David thinks it is a good idea to put his camera and housing out on a length of pole and watching the sharks take a good exploratory bite!
Will David reach his ultimate goal? To head out to the edge of the shark reef, where very few divers are allowed to go… you will just have to watch the film to find out.
What comes across most in this film is David’s passion for what he does. It is infectious.
If you have ever thought about giving up your job and just heading out the door to follow your dream, if you love sharks, if you are planning to go to Fiji to do this dive, or you have been before and want to re-live the moment then you should sit down and watch this film.
You can find out how by following this link:
https://www.scubaverse.com/shark-man-available-rent-buy-now/
More details about the film
Synopsis:
David Diley is a thirty-two year old man, trapped in a dead-end job in England’s industrial north and his life is going nowhere. He does however, have a lifelong dream…
Should David follow the advice of everyone around him and forget about it, or should he risk everything and against all the odds, take his one chance to fulfil his greatest ambition, an ambition which finds him in the middle of a feeding frenzy with sixty of the world’s most dangerous sharks?
“Of Shark and Man” is a ground-breaking film about one man’s journey to get closer than anyone thought possible, to the world’s biggest Bull Sharks and tell the incredible untold story of Shark Reef in Fiji, one of the greatest marine conservation successes of all time. “Of Shark and Man” is an epic, incredibly ambitious, cinematic and award-winning love letter to the world’s most feared predator, in which the shark is the hero.
Website: www.ofsharkandman.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OfSharkAndMan
Twitter: www.twitter.com/OfSharkAndMan
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5723720/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Technical Details:
Format: 1080p PAL 25fps
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (Cinemascope 2:35:1)
Audio Mix: Stereo
Run time: 84 minutes
Key Cast & Crew:
Written, Produced & Directed by: David Diley
Key Cast: David Diley, Mike Neumann, Rusiate Balenagasau, Manasa Bulivou, Helen Sykes, Arthur Sokimi, Silio Raqatima, Iona Rokowai
Cinematography: Hugh Fairs, David Diley, Mike Neumann, Hamish Harper
Additional Camera Operators: Liam Andrew Wright, Olli Wilson
Sound Design: David Lawrie & David Diley
Audio Engineering & Production: David Lawrie
Production Assistant: Hamish Harper
Edited by: David Diley
Featuring Music by: David Lawrie, Haruko, Krimewave, Shields, G Productions, David Diley, Before The Beginning, Mark Burrows and Chris Zabriskie
Distributor: Shami Media Group
Awards & Nominations:
Winner – “Best Cinematography in a Documentary” (Berlin International Film-Maker Festival 2016)
Winner – “Best Editing in a Documentary” (Nice International Film Festival 2016)
Winner – “Best Sound Design” (Nice International Film Festival 2016)
Winner – “Best Film – Organisers Choice” (Cine Submarino des Aguimes 2015)
Winner – “Best Film – Audience Choice” (Cine Submarino des Aguimes 2015)
Nominated – “Best Director of a Feature Documentary” (Berlin International Film-Maker Festival 2016)
Nominated – “Best Science and Education Film” (Berlin International Film-Maker Festival 2016)
Nominated – “Best Cinematography in a Documentary” (Nice International Film Festival 2016)
Further Scubaverse Links
Scubaverse contributors Nick and Caroline Robertson-Brown have also done this dive and their thoughts are here:
https://www.scubaverse.com/wonderful-waidroka/
Scubaverse contributor Ash Roberts also made a short video for Scubaverse about this dive and you can see this here:
https://www.scubaverse.com/fiji-shark-dive-ash-roberts-watch-video-2/
For more from Nick and Caroline, visit www.frogfishphotography.com.
Main Photo Credit: Michael Patrick O’Neill
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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