Up Close and Personal with Two Green Morays

[Skating101]

On a recent dive to North Bondi, Sydney, we found two very friendly green moray eels which seemed very interested in their reflection in our camera. Afew minutes after we got out of the water we saw that some idiots decided to catch and kill another green moray, without even the intention of eating it.

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Song - Smoke City - Underwater Love
Filmed - Nicholas Hart
Edited - Nicholas Hart, Susan Tong

Up Close and Personal with Two Green Moray Eels 13.11.11 HD 720p - YouTube

 

[Dirty-Dog]

That's nice video, but it's distressing how much contact you're making with the reef. I'm sure you've heard this before, but that's not good. Please don't touch the reef.

 

[TSandM]

The only contact I see is the photographer's wrist maybe resting on the rock . . . even I find it hard to be too angry about that!

I wonder what the morays had in mind as they came toward the camera -- it's a little unnerving to be looking right down their throats! It reminds me of a video Rick Murchison put up a while back, entitled, "Back kick". It's a moray coming out like that, and the photographer clearly backing up as he does

 

[Skating101]

The only contact I see is the photographer's wrist maybe resting on the rock . . . even I find it hard to be too angry about that!

I wonder what the morays had in mind as they came toward the camera -- it's a little unnerving to be looking right down their throats! It reminds me of a video Rick Murchison put up a while back, entitled, "Back kick". It's a moray coming out like that, and the photographer clearly backing up as he does

I was only backing up to try and keep him in focus hahahaha we think he was just trying to scare away the moray reflection. It is abit freaky when they come around the sides of the camera to see whats behind it

 

[Dirty-Dog]

The only contact I see is the photographer's wrist maybe resting on the rock . . . even I find it hard to be too angry about that!

I wonder what the morays had in mind as they came toward the camera -- it's a little unnerving to be looking right down their throats! It reminds me of a video Rick Murchison put up a while back, entitled, "Back kick". It's a moray coming out like that, and the photographer clearly backing up as he does

I'm not angry, merely commenting. Much as, I am sure, you would if someone in your DIR team was out of trim.

I've had morays do exactly the same thing. I always thought they were responding to their reflections on the lens.

 

[cam_snapper]

Hey skating! I made a few comments on some of the videos you've put up. Great to see so much stuff of "our" dive sites. When are we going to get out there together - the two of you and my gf and I. Give me a shout!

 

[Scuba_Noob]

Nice videos! But yes, to reiterate some of the other comments, I would probably work on your buoyancy so that it's second nature before playing with a camera (too much task loading). I didn't start using a camera until around 35 dives in, and I often dive without the camera to practice buoyancy skills.

My personal mantra is if there's a choice between a great shot (with damage to wildlife) and not damaging (or touching) reefs/wildlife, I will choose not damaging wildlife. Sorry if this sounds a little preachy.

 

[beautybelow]

If the OP really only has 25 or less dives then maybe he doesn't have perfect buoyancy, but with video the issue is not so much buoyancy but surge and current. It looks like there was just a little surge there and if it was a small camera then getting a steady shot is very hard.
IF there is a rock or a sandy spot to prop yourself for that sort of shot, I see nothing wrong with it.
I have passed up more video ops than I have taken because of surge or current being an issue. But, given the the right conditions I would prop (Some bigger units have tripods) the camera to get a nice steady clip.

 

[Scuba_Noob]

I didn't mean to imply that you always should avoid touching. Of course the safety and well-being of the diver is paramount and much much more important than wildlife. If the surge and current are going to push you away significantly, then sometimes you have to grab onto something. And touching rocks/sand is not really a problem, unless you cause a ton of silt (and even then it's only a small problem). I was just making a general statement about touching wildlife.