DiveFilm Podcast Video

Both Cocos and Mapelo Islands in the Eastern Pacific Ocean are home to an abundance of marine animals, including numerous species of sharks, rays, dolphins and whales. Cocos Island is some 300 miles southwest of Costa Rica, and has been designated a Marine Park and World Heritage Site by Costa Rica. Malpelo Island is a little over 300 miles off the coast of Colombia and is designated as a Colombian Fauna and Flora Sanctuary, and marine protected area. The waters off both islands are considered by divers to be among the most exciting areas in the world for big animal sightings. The immense schools of Hammerhead Sharks that gather in these waters leave divers awestruck. The biodiversity is rich and vulnerable. Join Shawn Heinrichs as he takes us there to experience the magnificence of these animals and many other marine animals that abide in the rich waters surrounding the islands of Cocos and Malpelo. Shawn Heinrichs is a conservation filmmaker based in Longmont, Colorado, USA. To learn more about Sha

These unusual bubbling reefs are located in Kattegat off the coast of Denmark. Methane seeps into the shallow waters in the northern Kattegat off the Danish coast to form spectacular submarine landscapes - the 'bubbling reefs' - due to carbonate-cemented sandstone structures which are colonized by brightly coloured animals and plants. Hans Christian Andersen has been working for some time to document these bubbling reefs, and offers us a fascinating glimpse in this special DiveFilm Podcast version of his documentary, "Bubbling Reefs." His website on the reefs, TheBubblingReefs.com, garnered the prize for the best website in the promotional category at the World Festival for Underwater Pictures at Antibes, France. To learn more about Hans and his work, please visit his website, Skawdiver.dk.

Renowned underwater cinematographer and pioneer, Chuck Nicklin, has long been known for his "big animal" work filming all kinds of whales and sharks. Recently, however, he's dived into making high definition videos of the strange, small inhabitants of Lembeh Strait, Indonesia. This video was a judges and audience favorite at the most recent San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition. To learn more about Chuck, his work and his dive travel, please visit his website, www.ChuckNicklin.com.

Underwater imager and writer, Eric Hanauer and nature imager and writer, Karen Straus dive with a mother Humpback Whale, her calf, and a male escort, off Roca Partida, a rocky island about 250 miles off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Baja del Sur, Mexico. This is some of the most fantastic Humpback footage you'll ever see! Narrated by both Eric and Karen, who both also shot the HDV footage, as well as the accompanying still photographs, this film was one of the judges' and audience's favorites at the most recent San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition. Beautifully edited by Eric. To learn more about Eric and see more of his work, please visit his website, EHanauer.com. Karen is a skilled bird photographer as well as an underwater imager of many years. You can see more of her work at her new website, BirdBrained.biz. DiveFilm Podcast Video is proud to announce that this film is the first one to be released as one of DiveFilm's new High Definition Video Podcasts and Web Videos. To learn more, visit DiveFilmHD.com.

This powerful film portrays the tragic decimation of sharks and shark populations by humans and the shark fin industry. Underwater filmmaker and conservationist Shawn Heinrichs juxtaposes beautiful images of lush tropical marine settings with the all-too-common scene below the surface of dead sharks littering the bottom, their fins cut off to feed an insatiable market for shark fin. Shark populations have dropped 90 percent in areas due to this unsustainable practice, threatening the very survival of numerous species of sharks, and disrupting fragile ecosystems worldwide. For more information on Shawn Heinrichs, his videos and his conservation work, please visit his website, BlueSphereMedia.com. Shawn is a conservation forum moderator at Wetpixel.com, and a regular contributor to the video forums.

In this funny and beautifully creative short film, Jeff Leicher presents an aspect of diving with which we are all familiar: bubbles. With the light touch of a filmmaker clearly enjoying his work, Jeff depicts bubbles and bubble rings in ways that are imaginative, transfixing and unforgettable. A cast of dozens, many of whom you may recognize, contribute to the fun of this film (don't miss the out-takes after the end credits!), and the well-chosen soundtrack by Ray Lynch and Tom Canning is the perfect touch for an all-in-all delightful short film. Jeff Leicher is an underwater videographer and filmmaker based in Kona, Hawaii. He is an owner and managing partner of Jack's Diving Locker in Kona, where he is an instructor and USCG Captain. To learn more about Jeff, visit Jack's website, www.JacksDivingLocker.com.

Kathy & Mike Schnetzer's "DeepSee" submersible adventure video documents what it's like to descend to the depths in a small deep sea submersible craft. Diving to depths of 1000 fsw, Kathy and Mike explore the waters off Cocos Island and Malpelo, Columbia in a three person submarine, and bring back high definition video of their dive. DeepSee is a custom built one-atmosphere submarine, capable of carrying one pilot and two passengers down to a depth of 1,500 feet (475 m). It is the first deep submersible designed and developed from its keel up with the ocean enthusiast and underwater explorer in mind and as a dedicated filmmaking observation vehicle. This cool short video by an underwater filmmaking couple who travel the world in search of unusual and intriguing marine animal behavior gives a good feel for what it's like to descend deeper than most divers have ever experienced. The video was an Official Selection at the 2006 San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition, where Kathy and Mike are an annual presence. To learn more about Kathy and Mike, please visit their website, www.LionfishFilms.com.

In this episode of DiveFilm Podcast Video, Nick Martorano movingly portrays the underwater shipwrecks of Palau, Micronesia and the marine life that inhabits them. The wrecks are primarily Japanese from World War II, and are now home to a variety of fishes, corals, crusteceans and other diverse marine life forms. Many of the wrecks still contain ghostly indications of their past human inhabitants such as shoes, tools, machinery, bottles and eating utensils. Nick Martorano is an underwater videographer and digital video producer currently based in Carpinteria, California near Santa Barbara. His videos can be seen at underwater film festivals around the world. Check out Nick's website at www.oceanwonders.org.

Video producer John Williams and his Still Hope Productions, Inc. present "Sea Inside, Pacific Northwest," a feature TV series on the waters and creatures of the Northwest Pacific coast of the United States. In this podcast, John gives us a glimpse of the images captured by a number of underwater imagers who have all contributed their footage to this educational effort. "Sea Inside, Pacific Northwest" is available on numerous cable TV stations throughout the U.S., and is part of an effort to raise awareness about the marine life that abounds in these rich, cold waters. To learn more about John Williams, Still Hope Productions and the TV series, "Sea Inside, Pacific Northwest," visit www.stillhopeproductions.com.

Join us as we travel to the Kingdom of Tonga to swim with the endangered southern Humpback Whales. In Tonga, swimming with Humpback Whales is allowed under strict regulation. The Kingdom has foregone the old days of whaling for an approach to the whales based on respect and eco-tourism. Pioneer whale cinematographer, Chuck Nicklin, discusses his experiences diving with and filming the whales of Tonga as he shares footage from the recent expedition he led there to swim with the whales. Whale guide, Karen Varndell of Dive Vava'u talks about the Southern Humpbacks and the threats they face today from whaling and pollution. Whale guide Buluno Fifita describes his country's view of the importance of these magnificent animals, and what it was like for him the first time he swam with them. Longtime underwater videographer, Roger Norman, tells what it's like to come eye to eye with a young Humpback as he shares some of his footage of that incredible encounter. Interviews and additional whale footage by Mary Lynn Price and Steve Perez. As Iceland resumes openly hunting endangered Fin Whales in violation of international restrictions, and Japan readies to illegally hunt endangered Fin and Humpback Whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary, this podcast reminds us of the beauty and intelligence of these animals, and the importance of protecting them. Support Whale Conservation. Stop the Killing of Whales!

Bryce Groark beautifully portrays the cleaning behaviors of Hawaiian marine life. In this wonderful film about cleaning symbiosis among Hawaiian reef fishes, morays, sea turtles, and cleaner shrimps we are privy to these mutually beneficial practices of the animal world. Bryce is an underwater videographer based in Kona, Hawaii, where he documents the local fish behaviors on the Hawaiian reef and teaches Coral Reef Ecology classes to visitors aboard the FairWind II in Kealakekua Bay. To learn more about Bryce and his work, please visit his website, www.LivingOceanProductions.com. "Hawaiian Showers" is an Official Selection of the 7th Annual San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition.

Critter Comforts is a beautifully edited, short compilation of macro images from the warm tropical waters of Yap and Palau. Nudibranchs, Squid, Shrimp and other beasties come under the steady camera controls of filmmaker Mark Thorpe as this diverse world unfolds. For the most part overlooked by many divers the macro world of sea critters in its diversity keeps some enthusiasts engaged for years. Sit back and relax as the world of the bizarre, the beautiful and the curious parades across your screen in a stunning array of color and strange beauty. Originally hailing from England, Mark Thorpe set out some 15 years ago on a career path that has thus far taken him to many of the world's pristine dive areas. Currently based on the island of Palau he spends his time running his own underwater imaging concession at the Fish 'n Fins dive shop. His professional clients to date include NGTV&Film, YLE - Finland, SBS - Korea, GMA - Philippines and many others. He also produces his own short films and products.

Paul Wags is a scuba instructor, videographer and filmmaker. (He's also a video forum moderator at Wetpixel.com!) Kelly is a divemaster, videographer, and our host for this wonderful visual introduction to their "Video Lives," both underwater and above. Wags and Kelly are based in Exmouth and the Ningaloo region of Western Australia. The Ningaloo region is a remote and varied wilderness, where the rugged West Australian desert meets a pristine tropical reef. The region is evolving as an ecotourism mecca. However, it also faces increasing pressure from opposing uses of resources including mining and commercial fishing industries. The town attracts a varied population, from those dedicated to conservation to those whose sole motivation is economic development. This divides the community to a degree. However, as is often the case in small towns, neccessity overcomes emotion and in the times when mother nature throws Exmouth a curve ball, such as category 5 cyclone Vance in 1999, the differences are put aside and the town rises to the challenge. To learn more about the lives and video work of Wags and Kelly, please visit their website, www.hdvunderwater.com, and subscribe to their podcast, Wag's & Kelly's Underwater Podcast Video.

Underwater filmmaker Steve Douglas considers Cocos Island, located midway between Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands, to be among his all-time favorite dive destinations. This film shows why. The marine life found in the waters of this small Eastern Pacific Island is diverse and prolific, including Scalloped Hammerhead, Silvertip and Whitetip Reef Sharks, and the magnificent Whale Shark. Join Steve Douglas for a visual journey to one of the most beautiful underwater locations in the world. To learn more about Steve and his filmmaking, see his bio on the Filmmakers Page at http://DiveFilm.com. To learn more about his travels, visit his website at http://WorldFilmsAndTravel.com.

One of the founders of BlueVoice.org, Hardy Jones is a former journalist with CBS News and UPI. He has been making television documentaries about the oceans and marine mammals in particular for more than 20 years. "The experience of forcing Japanese fishermen to release hundreds of dolphins simply by pointing a camera at them led to the original concept of BlueVoice.org," says Jones. "The advent of the internet has given us a tool of unprecedented power to end some of the brutalities committed against marine mammals and the oceans." Co-founded by actor Ted Danson, BlueVoice.org draws on the hundreds of hours of film produced by Hardy Jones/Julia Whitty Productions, a leading production company specializing in films onthe marine environment. In October, Hardy Jones will return to Japan in an effort to stop the Japanese dolphin drive by raising awareness about what is happening with a camera and the newly launched BlueVoice.org Video Podcasts available through iTunes Music Store. Please visit BlueVoice.org to learn more, and iTunes Music Store to subscribe to the BlueVoice.org Video Podcast.