Over and Under

Above: Downwind spinnaker sailing off of Viti Levu, Fiji

We recently purchased an "over-and-under" port for our water housing from Taro Pascual of Water Housing Hawaii.  Tor had already done a considerable amount of underwater photography, but over-and-under photography was a whole new challenge.  For one thing, the port is unwieldy, as seen in the photo below:

Above: Tor getting ready to jump in the water with his over-and-under water housing.

In addition to the port being large and heavy, its curved surface does not allow water to bead off of it very easily.  This requires a photographer to lick (yes, lick!) the entire surface of the dome to facilitate the water-beading process. Then there are the usual challenges that accompany water housings, such as fogging of the lens from condensation, and having to dunk the housing repeatedly into the water to avoid water spots.

Above: Snorkeling off of Namotu Island, Fiji

Above: Anchoring near Qamea Island, Fiji

After capturing some standard over-and-under subject matter such as snorkeling and the boat at anchor, Tor decided to shoot his 47-foot sailboat Kahea under full sail.  In order to get the shot, crew members Nick and Kyoko sailed the boat while Tor motored several hundred feet ahead on a dinghy.  He then jumped into the water and got his camera and housing ready, as Nick and Kyoko steered the boat toward Tor.

Above: Yacht Kahea sailing at a speed of several knots! 

Because the water level is constantly going up and down, it isn't easy to get the right composition when using an over-and-under port. With his boundless energy, Tor jumped back in the dinghy and repeated the process over and over again until he was satisfied that he got at least one good shot. Check out the video below to see how Tor got the sailing shots:

Above: Video clip of Tor blasting ahead on the dinghy to get the sailing shot.

Above: Our trustworthy Canon 5D Mark II and water housing.

Above: Yacht Kahea under full sail

Sailing Around Oahu

(click any image to enlarge)

I recently sailed our Beneteau 473 'Kahea' around the island of Oahu with my father. We used a winter westerly Kona system to send us East from Ko Olina to Kaneohe, then when the trade winds returned, we sailed back West again, so that we went downwind both ways. I shot some interesting material on the trip.

Approaching Waikiki under sail in the evening made for nice images, shooting from an inflatable boat, with Kahea and Diamond Head/ Honolulu in the background. The Ala Wai Harbor was stunning in the moonlight later.


The next day there were canoe races among school groups, and frenetic activity all over the harbor. I accidentally managed to position my camera and inflatable squarely in the middle of the race course, and got some serious scoldings from the coaches.




We took the Kona winds on around the island to Kaneohe on a crystal clear day, and I took more images from the inflatable of Kahea off the interesting rock formations off Koko Head. We spent a real Kona blow at Kaneohe Yacht Club, and the clouds racing over the swaying palms on bay in late evening light made for dramatic images.