jdandvalerie
Contributor
Back to Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Last time we were here the subject was the largest fish in the ocean: the Whale Shark...this time we chose the fastest: the Sailfish!
Sailfish (Istophorus Platypterus) have been clocked at over 75mph. They can grow to 200lbs and be 10 feet in length but in our area (Treasure Coast) and Isla Mujeres, they average 5-7 feet and weigh around 50lbs.
When most people talk about Sailfish, it's usually in terms of fishing. In recent years, however, the diving/snorkeling community has been carving a small niche in the conversation. Don't get me wrong, in Isla Mujeres, I'd estimate that 99% of the boats are there to fish, but there are a select few yachts with telltale signs of divers (people clad in wetsuits with massive cameras).
(See more info below the pics for dive report if any are interested)
Sailfish can be elusive subjects; it takes a fisherman to find them, especially with the highly sought after bait balls in the frame. Spend some time on the water and you can learn the basics. Essentially, the Sailfish are hunting Sardines. Luckily for us, birds also hunt the Sardines so chances are in Sailfish season (Jan-Mar or so), if you find birds striking the water, you've found a school of Sardines. The reason the Sardines are at the surface within talon range of the birds is the very reason we traveled to Mexico. The Sailfish are hunting!
There is no guarantee (that's why it's called fishing, not catching). We spent about 30 hours on the water in 4 days and had less than 2 houra in the water with Sailfish and baitballs. But the wait is worth every minute on the seas. The anticipation of dropping into a school of predating Sailfish is not easily put into words. From the boat, you see the birds hitting the surface, often returning to flight with a Sardine in their clutches. Each dive into the water brings the birds closer to the boat. The captain notifies the divers to be prepared (one leg outside of boat, one in), camera in hand. Then you hear the words all divers live by: "Dive! Dive! Dive!" I generally only heard the first dive, splashing into the clear blue water as soon as I could recognize the first syllable. The first few seconds are spent technically: meter the camera, position your back to the sun if possible, do a mental recall of the composition you were hoping for, then start shooting.
What is initially shocking is the sheer number of Sailfish present. We averaged about 20 Sailfish per baitball, but I've seen shots and heard other anglers talks about hundreds. One baitball we dropped in with consisted of less than 40 Sardines (I counted a freeze frame). There were 19 Sailfish hunting this school. I had to wonder, was this school whittled down from thousands, or were the Sailfish just taking the opportunity for an early morning snack? The baitball moves in unison, grouping close together to appear larger and more difficult to strike. This tactic appears completely useless as the Sailfish deftly take out individual sardines with their sharp bills and bullet-like acceleration. In order not to injure each other, the Sailfish hunt in order. A few Sailfish keep the school of Sardines near one "hunter". In order to keep "accidents" at a minimum, the hunter changes colors to notify the other Sailfish that a strike is about to happen. If you blink, you miss it. One Sardine is struck by the bill and either instantly killed, stunned, wounded or ultimately separated from the group allowing the hunter to snare the Sardine in its powerful bill. Sailfish have no teeth, they clamp down on the Sardine and turn it to swallow whole. The act can take less than a second. The hunter is then quickly replaced and the cycle is repeated. This can go on for hours. If the baitball stays near you, so will the Sailfish.
From a technical standpoint, I shot both video and stills with my 7D while Valerie was doing video with the T2I (10-17 FE and 10-22 WA). Both of us had GoPros as well. For the first 2 days I had Ike 161 strobes. The majority was done snorkeling. If you do dive, I highly recommend only using a small pony bottle and vest. It's necessary to move pretty fast at time to keep up with the Sailfish and full scuba gear will hold you back. Strobes help freeze the baitballs and really bring out the color of the Sailfish but this benefit is countered by the extra weight slowing you down, and also recycle times of the strobes giving you only 1/200 or so of a sec to nail "The Shot" (also, strobes may not be allowed by your individual captain). If strobe-free, for the best quality shots you need to have your back to the sun. Most of the action is very close to the surface allowing faster shutter speeds and narrower apertures (and iso under 400) if you have the sunlight working with you. For sunbursts, of course, this won't work. For good sunburst shots and video of baitball/Sailfish silhouettes, I'd recommend scuba (actually rebreather if money is no object).
With point and shoot cameras, it will be more hit and miss. The speed of the action is so quick that with shutter lag I'd expect it to be very difficult.
If I had to make a living doing this, scuba or rebreather and a 2 week charter minimum would be my order. This is not to say you can't get great stuff in one day or more, but you just never know what's going to happen. Here are a few shots from the first day. I have quite a bit of footage to sort through and a day job so there may be more in the future.
