Darwin's Dream - Galapagos Underwater

[Oceanshutter]

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to share my latest underwater film - Darwin's Dream. I was lucky enough to have it awarded the bronze award at the Our World Underwater film competition. Galapagos is an amazing destination both below and above the surface. This was shot in only 5 short days of diving. At the end of the film you will see we had a special visitor. It was very exciting. Let me know what you think.
Please feel free to like, share and comment!

Dustin

[video=vimeo;87433093]https://vimeo.com/87433093[/video] Or Youtube [video=youtube;KIXyU8MkdjI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIXyU8MkdjI[/video]

 

[lordhelmet]

That is some seriously cool video. One of the best I think I have ever seen.

 

[Interceptor121]

when did you go?

 

[Donnah]

Beautiful! That brought back some wonderful memories!

 

[drbill]

Thanks. It gave me an idea of what I might see when I finally rob our local bank enough times to pay for a trip there!

 

[SanDiegoSidemount]

Excellent dive video from an amazing place. How many trips / days did it take you to get all that footage? Which locations were they shot at?

You can certainly see a lot in a short time in the Galapagos, but I'm guessing it took more than one week-long liveaboard trip to shoot all of that great stuff.

---------- Post added February 28th, 2014 at 09:28 AM ----------

Thanks. It gave me an idea of what I might see when I finally rob our local bank enough times to pay for a trip there!

Not as expensive as you might think, Dr. Bill. My wife and I went for two weeks in 2011, and it cost somewhere between $2000-2500 for the both of us (8 days of diving, not including airfare). View my post here about finding lodgings in Puerto Ayora on a budget:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/south-america/475091-galapagos-april.html

I didn't mention any diving in this thread, because it was for a non-diver, but I have lots of recommendations for doing that on the cheap as well.

As a marine ecologist, it would be a crime if you never got to go there.

 

[Oceanshutter]

That is some seriously cool video. One of the best I think I have ever seen.

You are too kind. Thank you for watching it.

---------- Post added March 1st, 2014 at 08:28 AM ----------

when did you go?

Thank you. We were there in the middle of August.

---------- Post added March 1st, 2014 at 08:34 AM ----------

Thanks. It gave me an idea of what I might see when I finally rob our local bank enough times to pay for a trip there!

Bill, it certainly is an expensive destination. The only reason we went, was we lucked on a 2 for 1 live aboard deal that the aggressor did. Saved us $5300. Combined with airfare paid with miles...it was somewhat affordable. Now that I have been, I would be hard pressed to spend that kind of money for it again. Don't get me wrong the diving was great....but it is expensive, for only 5 dive days..which are generally cold and full of current. And for photographer, video person...the animals are very shy. So again very difficult to get great shots.

dustin

---------- Post added March 1st, 2014 at 08:41 AM ----------

Excellent dive video from an amazing place. How many trips / days did it take you to get all that footage? Which locations were they shot at?

You can certainly see a lot in a short time in the Galapagos, but I'm guessing it took more than one week-long liveaboard trip to shoot all of that great stuff.

---------- Post added February 28th, 2014 at 09:28 AM ----------



Not as expensive as you might think, Dr. Bill. My wife and I went for two weeks in 2011, and it cost somewhere between $2000-2500 for the both of us (8 days of diving, not including airfare). View my post here about finding lodgings in Puerto Ayora on a budget:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/south-america/475091-galapagos-april.html

I didn't mention any diving in this thread, because it was for a non-diver, but I have lots of recommendations for doing that on the cheap as well.

As a marine ecologist, it would be a crime if you never got to go there.

thank you for watching and commenting on it. It was filmed on a trip we went to in the middle of August. It was only 5 days of diving. Most of the footage is from, wolf, Darwin, and the west side of fernadina island. I think the sea lions was in cousins rock. We lucked out with viz in fernadina...it isn't normally like that. It is normally very bad viz. a lot of my footage came from that day. The iguanas, penguins, and mola....

personally, unless you are really interested in the topside stuff. Which is awesome. Galapagos diving isn't worth the expense unless you can get to wolf or Darwin. The first day we did the sites that the resorts do. And they were very mediocre compared to the rest of the trip. And even cousin rock was not great...could have been the day though.

---------- Post added March 1st, 2014 at 10:06 AM ----------

Beautiful! That brought back some wonderful memories!

Thanks donnah...glad you liked it.

 

[Interceptor121]

You said somewhere else you struggled getting good footage obviously you had enough for this video. I guess a great selection and editing job was key

 

[ronscuba]

Great video.

I must have been lucky on my trip as the animal life didn't really care how close I got. It did take a lot of work though. Holding on to a rock with 1 hand while holding my housing with the other, flying like a flag in the current for the eagle rays. Positioning myself out on the points away from the group, laying low in the rocks for the hammerheads. Chasing whale sharks, but taking an interception angle. Staying calm moving/breathing rhythmically. Animals can sense if you are nervous. At least it seems that way to me.

All this and a lot of luck being in the right place at the right time.

 

[Oceanshutter]

You said somewhere else you struggled getting good footage obviously you had enough for this video. I guess a great selection and editing job was key

Yes Darwin and wolf in particular were difficult. I was shooting a fisheye most of the time, and they just would come close enough. Lights would really scare them off...and the natural light was limited as it was dark and cloudy. Got enough for the video...but wanted more..

---------- Post added March 1st, 2014 at 12:22 PM ----------

Great video.

I must have been lucky on my trip as the animal life didn't really care how close I got. It did take a lot of work though. Holding on to a rock with 1 hand while holding my housing with the other, flying like a flag in the current for the eagle rays. Positioning myself out on the points away from the group, laying low in the rocks for the hammerheads. Chasing whale sharks, but taking an interception angle. All this and a lot of luck being in the right place at the right time.

for us the current and surge wasn't to bad to be honest. It was probably good, as we had a lot of beginners on our trip..people that had just gotten certified..had much worse current in Komodo and Palau...although I know it can be ripping there.

The he hammerheads really didn't come in close to us. Turtles were generally really skittish...we only saw one whale shark, and at 600 psi at 90 feet, I didn't feel that I should chase it into the current...lol.

Dustin