DINOFISH the dive

[AfterDark]

Just got done watching DINOFISH on NATGEO Wild, it’s about finding and filming Coelacanths.

The encounter takes place in 400FSW off the East Coast of Africa.
Four divers, 2 CCR divers 2 OC divers, one diver is wearing board shorts and a long sleeve shirt the others are in wet suits or dry suits. The audio of the divers is normal that is it is not the Donald Duck sounding voice that helium induces. So, is this a staged dive or is the audio dubbed in later?

Total in water time sounds like almost 4 hours - 15min BT - 3.5 hours deco, shorts and a shirt? The narration speaks several times of the cold deep waters……so again staged or is this guy a marine mammal of some sort, is the narration a little off or does it have something to do with using a CCR?

The diver in the street clothes is Dr. Richard Pyle PHD, Dept. Zoology, Deep Coral Reef Specialist, IANTD CIS LUNAR CCR

I enjoyed the program the footage is something to behold. Coelacanths are BIG fish, with very unusual fin action!

Any thoughts, answers? Some new gas I don’t know about? Four hours in the water in shorts and a shirt?

Some of the divers had split fins.

 

[digdug87]

I saw this show last week and was wondering the same thing.

 

[ajduplessis]

The gentlemen that leads most if not all Coelacanths expedition is Mr Peter Timm. There is no diver on this planet with more experience and actual interaction with this fish than Peter. He owns Triton Dive Lodge in Sodwana Bay, South Africa.

We have not had any encounters/sightings of Coelacanths in the last 18 months. Hopefully we will spot then again in the colder months. The water temp has not been good thus far (to warm) Typical dives is down 400-450 and the dive time is around 2.5 hours. I have not seen Dr Pyle dive here in anything else than his work close. He even walks around like that after the dive.

Freedive fins actually work better as current can be strong and you need to move once on the bottom. Coelacanths typically are found under overhangs or caverns. The site is a MPA thus no scooters!!! I think Peter will drown you personally if you arrive with a scooter.

 

[AfterDark]

Timm was part of this expedition. The narrator did say 3.5 hours deco. Do you know the water temps? How about the audio? It must be dubbed.

 

[ajduplessis]

Dont know about the audio, did not see the broadcast. The water temp on the bottom should be below 18 degrees C for the fish, any warmer and you will not find them. The water in Sodwana is warm.

 

[AfterDark]

Thanks ajduplessis. I guess the tech section was the wrong spot for this post, you've been the only one to respond. Do you have any thoughts about the audio? These divers where at 400fsw, when they spoke to each other it sounded like they were on the surface! Could there be electronics in full face masks that unscramble the high pitched voices?

 

[ajduplessis]

I was not on that trip, but will try and find out. Please be patient, I am going down to Sodwana in a weeks time and will ask Timm on more detail around that specific dive. So please if have any more questions get them to me.

Communication systems on FF mask are sometimes used. I will ask. Speek soon

 

[muzikbiz22]

Thanks ajduplessis. I guess the tech section was the wrong spot for this post, you've been the only one to respond. Do you have any thoughts about the audio? These divers where at 400fsw, when they spoke to each other it sounded like they were on the surface! Could there be electronics in full face masks that unscramble the high pitched voices?

I guarantee you, the audio was recorded "post", and made to sound like ti was "live". Yes there are underwater comms, etc., but they do not sound that clear. These are voice overs after the fact, then "processed".

 

[AfterDark]

I guarantee you, the audio was recorded "post", and made to sound like ti was "live". Yes there are underwater comms, etc., but they do not sound that clear. These are voice overs after the fact, then "processed".

That was my 1st thought. These guys do not appear to me the type that would be involved in a staged "fake" dive. However dubbing the comms they had during the dive so the average person could understand them sounds reasonable to me.

---------- Post added October 12th, 2013 at 02:58 PM ----------

I was not on that trip, but will try and find out. Please be patient, I am going down to Sodwana in a weeks time and will ask Timm on more detail around that specific dive. So please if have any more questions get them to me.

Communication systems on FF mask are sometimes used. I will ask. Speek soon

Very cool a trip to Sodwana! Thanks for your input. I'll be looking forward to any 1st hand info you can impart.

Enjoy your trip and be careful.

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Any thoughts, answers? Some new gas I don’t know about? Four hours in the water in shorts and a shirt?

Not as hard as you might have guessed. I've done deep, long OC dives on pretty hypoxic mixes (60%+ He) mid December 2010 in Sharm El Sheikh, South Sinai, Red Sea, Egypt in a short and a T-shirt. My buddy (on CCR) was in his dry suit

Edit: water temp was 25 C (77 F).