shooting Surfing in the water.

NewYorkLion said:
honestly, shooting surfing is reallllly hard. You are going to need a really nice set of fins and be in really good shape. Imagine that not only are you going to be in big-ass waves, but you wont be able to used your hands either. also, make sure to get a mask that doesnt leak and a nice boyant wetsuit. it is a serious workout.
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Don't use a mask, that is the worst advice I've ever heard. And being bouyant is not a good thing, when a big set comes through you need to be able to dive deep with your camera. Generally your water housing with a camera like a dvx will keep you floating with relatively minimal exercise. I was surprised at how easy it was, not nearly what i expected.
 
good point on the non-boyant wetsuit. I guess the mask is a personal thing since I can't see without contacts.
 
with the beatings us water videographers/photographers take it'd be a bad idea, either your mask will get torn off your head, or the impact from a wave will shatter the very glass you look through, i've never heard of this happening, but wouldnt want to be the person to find out.
 
I'll tell you man, so many people get torn up at pipeline. So get a helmet for anything remotely big. Your brains worth it. Also, I wouldn't reccommend a lifevest, being too buoyant can be a bad thing, it can get you sent over the falls. Anyway the body itself is naturally pretty buoyant.

I havent done any video work in the water, but I have done some photography stuff of surfing in Hawaii. Most important thing is to know your wave.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Shoot with a polarizer, this will help cut down the light, which if on a normal beach day will be quite bright, and it'll make the water look nicer. and shoot with as high of a frame rate as you can, it'll emphasize the action.
 
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yeah a helmet is probably the single most important piece of gear you can invest in. No matter where you shoot, beach, reef, point. Just imagine the damage that a set of FCS fins could do to your skull.
 
It seems like it's pretty important to know what lens you're going to be shooting with before getting a housing. What lenses do people use while shooting surfing from the water with the DVX100? Is there one that really stands out or do you use a number of different lenses. Can you get wide enough with the cameras lens?
 
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advice

i have shot all the big waves spots all over the world . not a good idea to just jump in to such a project. my company is jetaddiction. i just built my new hvx 200 waterhousing. i was the safety rescue lifeguard for the bigwave africa event at dungeons. i have trained alot of the african surf rescue guys. worked 4years on the tahitain waterpatrol. shooting bigwaves is a team sport. i was working teahopoo the day world renowned film maker jack mccoy was almost killed when his gath helmet cut his throght after being slammed on the reef by a doubleup .
 
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