This morning I opened my dive bag to inventory the contents in preparation for the next departure, I was reminded of my dives in Guadeloupe. Why this island rather than another? Because every time I saw micro events that lead me to think that ... I have bad luck every time I go. Go back one year back ...
In January 2006, we were on Basse-Terre, the left wing of Guadeloupe, and indeed to my eyes the prettiest, most authentic and most sympathetic. We were there for the filming of two episodes for the series The Road to the Water, written and hosted by Man, for France 3. The majority of sequences were done in earth, but we also had a few dives to achieve, in the central company Hours Healthy , well known for being one of the best centers of the West Indies through the management of Dominica Fan and his team solid (photo above). I will speak again.
If all the shootings offer contingencies not always pleasant, one in Guadeloupe we were not favored: Torrential rains every day, and equipment problems that will not quit. Among other setbacks. We had to change the beta camera during filming, our guests were not very talkative in interviews (and you can not imagine how it can be difficult to talk to someone before a camera), we were housed to place the most opposed of all our film locations and therefore we had to get up often at 5:00 in the morning to be on time (and staying out late at night at night on winding roads and often slippery) and I have nearly been struck hard by an inattentive driver who drove too fast around a curve and not at all on his file ... These are just small examples.
In diving, we have not had any luck either ... Throughout the day, first dive light is broken down, and despite all efforts of man and our return to hardware stores to find any hypothetical spare parts, it remained unusable. Then this is the flagship magazine of the other which showed signs of weakness: false contact. And we had to pass a beacon (or to film underwater, a lighthouse is necessary to restore all colors). Then ... we had a camera that we used in an underwater case for the same brand. We had already exchanged the box twice, due to small plastic tabs that broke consistently on each trip, which prohibited any barrier to come ... We have made four dives on the side of the Ilets Pigeon (pictured above) with Sound Hours and one morning when we wanted to stay on a site covered with gorgonians hairy, man carries his underwater camera and I take the camera. Last water, ballast, I go and I'm on a few meters. I watch the casing of the device, no infiltration of water, so good. Five yards away, I raise the camera to make a first adjustment and I noticed that the flash arm is shaky, and he moves the camera is not stabilized. Without thinking, I squeezed a quarter-turn screws to secure the additional flash arm while mentally cursing the builder who has created an arm that screws just above the seal chamber. And just as immediately, I realize what I just did ... and disaster, the water in the box!
I signaled to the man from afar, and then I go back to the surface immediately remove the device as soon as possible to its more airtight box at all ... It only took a few drops to drown the camera. Death. Done. By tightening the stability of the arm flash, box joints were slightly separated and have missed the water. I'll spare you my total excitement. Thoughtless and cons my gesture against the manufacturer.
The next day, we dive on the site envied Dry Pie, one of the most beautiful Caribbean told. And it must be true, since it is rich and beautiful thanks no doubt to a strong current often on this site. Without any available camera, man has decided to shoot and we carried the box it the day before, and as a precaution, thoroughly cleaned, greased, carefully, piece by piece. Approaching the site, we are all equipped and ready to dive. The man grabbed his camera in which he just put a tape and wants to fix it in the box. When I see it collapse ... he forgot to wind the shoe fixing the camera inside the box. The shoe stayed at the hotel. Film impossible ...
Gently dip a compassionate (Marseille!) Lent us his camera in a mini cabinet. Man accepts by becoming pray, but ... once under water, it will be so afraid of the bad luck which follows us that secures the device from our diver in the pocket of his vest and gives him out of diving, but without any picture taken in perfect working condition. Sometimes you have to stop the galleys series ...
So when we went back to Guadeloupe in the Healthy hours last March, we were still a little "traumatized" by our unfortunate experience of the previous year. And if we laugh, I'm still very sensitive to the "signs" and I was very cautious. We arrived on site the day before the shooting team, so we left a day early to do a little diving and recognition for our testing equipment. We choose the site of the Wall Jacks before the islets Pigeon (photo above). And as man never does anything by halves, our approach: we carry a small underwater submarine scooter that man will use tomorrow for a sequence, a high-tech mask to be tested, I wear a new equipment (new combination and vest with pockets for ballast weights) and especially, especially, is my first dive last year with a new box for a new camera: our partner Dive Photo Light gave us a box for the Canon 400D, an opportunity for me to get back into underwater photography and for humans to multiply underwater targets and thus the possibilities of shooting. But traumatized by the experience of the previous year, and before this cabinet which is also Plexiglas although it seemed better bill, I am seriously the recommendations of Hubert Lacour and I dive with the empty case to test the seal after air travel.
That's a lot at once, especially when it follows a man experienced and speed.
First difficulty: the ballast. I have been a number of pellets in the pockets droppable, but it is not enough. I approached the boat, requires additional lead, and I find it difficult being in the water to retrieve the bag from the slot to open the zipper, swipe the lead , to close the pocket and put it back. While wearing gloves and with the housing underwater wrist. So I go back once to the boat slips that lead to missing the pocket. I redo a test. Negative. I go back a second time. The combination is new, it has a maximum buoyancy. Quite simply I feel like I wear a 5mm while I chose a 3.5 mm for the waters to 27 °.
Once the appropriate weights, I finally happening under the surface. A hair out of breath.
Under the water I tightened everything you need to have a good closer ease: the strap and clips of the vest (well, too wide for my vest morphology). Finally I reached down the man who tests the high-tech mask that I'll show you shortly. I take a picture of his cabinet (I remind you that mine is empty), then these are the pictures of the scooter, and we walked a little less than ten feet of water. I regularly monitor my own box as a mother with her newborn and I am very satisfied: no trace of moisture in this box!
After forty minutes, my palms are always attracted to the surface and my bottle is empty and I miss half of shot in the vest ... I stress here that I have never had as many leads! Man wants to slip a rock in a pocket, but ... it did not vest pocket ... He hands me his flagship heavy enough so that I slip on my belt vest. Quite simply, I have the feeling of floating in this vest! But this is not a surprise, since the beginning I know it's too big for me, too, despite all shot in the releasable pockets I do not even feel it around my waist. I tired more quickly under the water trying to keep my palms down, or at least at my size, so they inevitably back to the surface, putting myself in a position that is griping Man when I it serve as a model behind sponges, sea fans, the ...
When I finally make him sign that I'm tired and I want to go back, too tired of fruitless efforts, we are heading towards the boat. It is a nice back across the sandy plain white which gives a lovely light room and the Man was not yet tamed its digital map, he continued to take pictures while I struggle more and more to keep my progression to level without going too fast. He puts his hands box to put his mask high-tech and retest, and finally the weight of the steel box allows me to stabilize at the proper depth and I breath a little (see photo above to understand what is a metal casing for a camera). But when I resumed the box, I also took along the lighthouse and climb directly to the surface while hooting in the regulator to draw his attention already focused on a small yellow boxfish. He turns, looking for me, finds me and spin me around to help me down. And then gives me the lighthouse makes me a rock in the hands ... We do as we can!
But here I am suddenly aware that I'm missing something ... In less than two seconds, I realize that I have not had a look at my own chamber for at least ten minutes, busy as I am stabilize my end dive annoying, and I look at my wrist, nothing! I remember that I hung the cabinet with a carabiner to the chest strap of my jacket, I feel, I try, my fingers glide over the gap and I panic! I lost my box! ...
The man who takes a look at me see me swirling about myself in all directions, like a crazed clown fish, eyes raised to the surface as the box being empty I spent the whole dive to uphold force under water (a practice too!) and hope it floats on the surface. Man emerges as a devil in front of my mask, grabs the jacket thinking I panic, but I make him understand, near tears, that I lost my box. I see her translucent look puzzled, then mocking, and he runs his hand over my shoulder the box still attached to my vest strap floats behind my shoulder blade ... It is just passed under my arm ... All is well.
This time, mortified, I shake my head I go back to the surface. Enough is enough.
If my box has behaved perfectly, the evening will end worse: once at the hotel, I transferred all our digital maps of the day on my computer every night. My photos land pass without problem, then I take the card used by man for his underwater photographs of which he is quite happy (he has watched the boat quickly on the return of diving). Is the card reader? Her pictures are not displayed on my PC and the computer indicates that there are no photos on the map. He puts his card in his camera, and he sees the pictures again. I put the card into the reader, still nothing. So I suggest using the power transfer between the Canon and my PC to do the transfer. What I do immediately. The transfer is done this time and then erase the images of the card as usual. But then ... once on my PC photos displayed as icons in a format unreadable!
Incomprehensible.
I have already uploaded thousands of photos from our maps, but never any problem. Why that night?! ...
We'll just reassign the photos on the map to see them again on the camera, this time the pictures are unreadable even on the LCD of the Canon. A dive lost. Sixty photos unreadable ...
I'll spare you the frustration ...
So when the next morning, finding the man responsible had its headlight (mysteriously) but half the night, and I prepared my camera for installation in its case ... I thought about three minutes, then I hung my gesture. I believe we have the evil eye on Guadeloupe, an island also, however, that we appreciate very much. With diving missed the day before and lost photos at night, the lighthouse no longer met, bad luck again ... I stored the box in his suitcase, and I never saw him stood out during three weeks: no question take the risk of drowning my 400D and no longer able to honor my contract!
Tell me, what would you do for me? ...
