Camera ban coming to Sipadan?

[The Wolf]

Checked with sabah parks on friday. No such ban is planned at this moment in time nor has the matter been brought up for discussion. That's the word for now.

 

[Hashsaz]

Sipadan is still free for underwater photography but it's recommended that photographer must be at least advanced or above.

 

[Oldbear]

Sipadan is still free for underwater photography but it's recommended that photographer must be at least advanced or above.

What constitutes "at least advanced or above"?

Is it the number of dives?

Is it the number of certain certifications?

Is it based on a proficiency exam and if so who gives it?

Is it based on your bank account?


:headscratch:

 

[Shasta_man]

The problem isn't so much the vaunted "pro photog" but the proliferation of inexpensive cameras ranging from point and shoot to full out DSLR. Everybody is carrying a friggin' camera. The number of divers carrying cameras has went up enormously and the number of those people who must get a picture of everything they see has went up a tremendous amount. However, the cost of pro-level camera gear has come down and there are plenty of people willing to shell out many thousands to bring along the same gear the experts use. Of course, all of those people in the big camera group want to think they are pros. I see them doing far more than a rare errant fin. Every time. It's not a training problem because you can't effectively train sensitivity. It's the same lack of sensitivity you see on land.

 

[Hashsaz]

What constitutes "at least advanced or above"?

Is it the number of dives?

Is it the number of certain certifications?

Is it based on a proficiency exam and if so who gives it?

Is it based on your bank account?


:headscratch:

To answer precisely, you're certified with AOW and before you are going to Sipadan, most of DC around Sipadan such as Mabul or Kapalai will give a short test for the divers, the basic test like what we are doing for open water test i.e. mask clearing, hovering etc. if the instructor or dm let you pass, mean you are good to go with your camera for your dives.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It was in Sipadan that I witnessed the WORST, MOST DESTRUCTIVE divers I have ever seen anywhere. A group of three or four female divers in brightly colored wetsuits were taking turns STANDING on a shelf of coral taking pictures of each other. When they weren't standing, they were flailing with their hands and otherwise showing terrible buoyancy and trim. I could almost hear them giggling. My wife and I were horrified, and still tell this story now and then, even though our trip was three years ago now.

It seems to me that Sipadan is a very easy destination for unskilled divers from all over Asia, and they come to take snapshots as though Sipadan were just another tourist attraction.

I am not a photographer and have had other less than enjoyable experiences diving with photographers, but this incident in Sipadan took the cake. Limiting photographers in Sipadan to professionals with permits would be fine with me.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

I don't understand this post. These divers were not "photographers" in the normal sense of the word, but just snapshooters. I think the suggeston farther up for a check-out of basic bouyancy and trim skills, and then polite correction in the field if someone gets out of line, is the way to go.

By the way, there is no guarantee that a professional with a permit will not get out of line if they have the pressure for a "money" shot. I consider my buoyancy and trim to be as good as many pros that I have met.

Photography is just behind "just looking" in terms of not harming the resource (consider collectors, fishing, spearing, etc) and photos raise consciousness of the resource. This notion of making photographers "villains" in some way just does not make sense to me.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I don't understand this post. These divers were not "photographers" in the normal sense of the word, but just snapshooters. I think the suggeston farther up for a check-out of basic bouyancy and trim skills, and then polite correction in the field if someone gets out of line, is the way to go.
. . .

That seems reasonable to me, but how do you weed out "snaphooters" while allowing supposedly responsible "photographers"?

The people I was referring to apparently simply didn't care or didn't understand that they were damaging the coral. Checking skills may help weed out divers who inadvertently harm the reef, but people who just don't care or don't understand can't be stopped from doing damage by any solution short of having dive "police" accompany and monitor every group. Realistically, I can't imagine a dive op banning a paying client from a trip out to Sipadan because their skills looked shaky--it has been my experience that in much of Southeast Asia, money talks loudly. Sipadan is the kind of prestige destination that attracts people with more money than sense. They come, they take snapshots, and they bag Sipadan in their logbooks. I do feel bad for responsible photographers like yourself, and I think a photography ban is a poor way to address the problem of unskilled and uncaring divers damaging the reef.

 

[Quero]

To answer precisely, you're certified with AOW and before you are going to Sipadan, most of DC around Sipadan such as Mabul or Kapalai will give a short test for the divers, the basic test like what we are doing for open water test i.e. mask clearing, hovering etc. if the instructor or dm let you pass, mean you are good to go with your camera for your dives.

haha. We all know this is nothing but a formality. I have never heard of a single person 'failing' this check dive and being prohibited from going to Sipadan. It's just a measure that looks good on paper but has no practical impact on the quality of divers in the water.

Besides which, the last time I went diving at Sipadan (last July) we were prohibited from taking cameras on the check dive, and prior dive history was not taken into account--the same check dive is required of everyone, from the just-certified newbie diver to the dive professional with thousands of dives and rated as a photo instructor. This is simply a box to tick on the diver-registration form of the resort. Many people who can somehow manage to clear their masks without crashing into the bottom or even hover for a few seconds during a check dive see their skills go to hell the moment they are task-loaded with a camera in their hands.

 

[gee13]

Its like trying to cure eczema through cortisone.. the true symptoms are not treated, the rash goes away initially, bit comes back twice as bad.