Cabo Pulmo - photography - strobes not allowed?????

[cephalopod2]

This is from my dive op for a Dec 2018 trip:

[Cabo] Pulmo has a rule that any camera rig larger than 10inches/25CM has to be registered in advance and get a permit to use it in the park. The size includes arms, strobes, lights, tray, handles etc.. Just a heads up to make sure you let the shop you’re working with in Pulmo know in advance.

The permit did not cost anything when I went, and my Pulmo dive op (Blue Passion) handled everything. Here's the information she said they needed.

I need to know model of your camera and brand of the housing. I need also a copy of your passport and I will do the request for the photography permit.

Rather than sending an image of my passport I sent the information from every field in text, then the photo separately.

@Ken Kurtis thanks for all your helpful posts on SB.

I'm taking a group down to Cabo Pulmo in December and have just been informed that strobes (and I would presume video lights as well) are not allowed in the Cabo Pulmo Marine Park. I can't find anything about this prohibition on their official rules & regulations site. Anyone have any recent/contemporary info/experience with this? Thanks.

- Ken

 

[scubadada]

...[Cabo] Pulmo has a rule that any camera rig larger than 10inches/25CM has to be registered in advance and get a permit to use it in the park. The size includes arms, strobes, lights, tray, handles etc.. Just a heads up to make sure you let the shop you’re working with in Pulmo know in advance...

It would seem that many or most cameras with a tray/arms/strobes and/or lights would exceed 10 inches in at least one, if not more, dimensions. The Nauticam housing alone, for my compact Canon G7X, is already 6 inches wide.

 

[kumimonster]

Well I guess I'll see if anything has changed.
Heading down again in a couple of weeks.
But I'm guessing it won't be any different from my previous trips.
:-D

 

[cephalopod2]

From what I was told by a CSL op I believe the target is pro photographers / videographers who were shooting and reselling footage without permission from the park. My guess would be that rigs that don't appear to be pro rigs are not asked to register. I do not do anything commercial with my photos but was travelling with a housed DSLR so I appreciated the forewarning.

It would seem that many or most cameras with a tray/arms/strobes and/or lights would exceed 10 inches in at least one, if not more, dimensions. The Nauticam housing alone, for my compact Canon G7X, is already 6 inches wide.

Well I guess I'll see if anything has changed.
Heading down again in a couple of weeks.
But I'm guessing it won't be any different from my previous trips.
:-D

 

[kumimonster]

my Pulmo dive op (Blue Passion) handled everything.

.

Manuela is awesome! :-D

 

[kumimonster]

Here now and about to fly home.
So I was told my one DM that lights and whatnot are OK with the sharks, however my DM on one dive said it was not allowed.
No bother though, natural light was good enough and my lights just caused too much backscatter.

However, on one dive day, someone had a large camera set up with nice long arms and he was required to go register/fill out paperwork/hand over $$$ for some kind of permit. Camera wasn't necessarily that big, but the rig was.
My TG and housing with a couple of lights was no issue.
This rule has been in effect here for years but I never knew of it.

Anyone reading this might also want to look at the current thread:
ATTENTION UW PHOTOGRAPHERS:

 

[Ken Kurtis]

Here now and about to fly home.

Thanks for the info. I'm flying down in the morning, board Nautilus Gallant Lady on Thursday.

BTW, how were conditions? Water temp & viz?????

Have been in touch with the Nautilus "Base Manager" in Cabo Pulmo and shouldn't be an issue. However, they did ask us to send a list of ALL the divers who had cameras (incld video) and specifically what what what. Also was told no strobes with Bull Sharks (which I'm OK with) but video lights are OK (which sort of doesn't make sense but whatever).

My biggest concern is getting all my people through Customs without having to ransom their gear.

 

[JackConnick]

I'll be curious how your trip goes...have fun!

 

[AZTinman]

When I did some diving with bull sharks a couple of years ago, I was told they don't like the electrical field generated by strobes firing and recycling. The electrical field thing may be less of an issue where operators are feeding the bull sharks. Others may have different experiences and/or opinions; I'm certainly not an bull shark expert.

 

[HalcyonDaze]

When I did some diving with bull sharks a couple of years ago, I was told they don't like the electrical field generated by strobes firing and recycling. The electrical field thing may be less of an issue where operators are feeding the bull sharks. Others may have different experiences and/or opinions; I'm certainly not an bull shark expert.

I haven't heard of folks having issues in FL and the Bahamas (on feed dives) with strobes and bulls, although a few years ago I did witness a couple tigers having a go at a large set of strobes. If I had to guess, I wouldn't be too concerned about it except at very close range (which is probably where a photographer with a wide-angle lens will want to be).