Bimini Hammers | Tiger Beach
In February 2020 we took part in a trip to visit the Bahamas, more specifically, areas like Bimini and Tiger Beach. We went to document an experience with the Great Hammerheads and Tiger sharks that the area has become famous for. The first thing that stood out to me was the incredibly clear blue water and pearly white sands on which we would be filming. Just snorkelling with the numerous Nurse sharks in the area was an experience to behold.
We spent a few days between Bimini and Tiger Beach and managed to get lucky at both sites with numerous sharks in the area. The question bouncing around my head was is it testament to the conservation work being done in the Bahamas or was it 'shark tourism' at its best. I tend toward the latter and am still left wondering if this is something that should be encouraged or not. Only time will tell, but from a purely photographic perspective you can see why it is so popular.
I was working primarily with video on this trip, so below are a few screen shots that I managed to grab from the RED system and as well as from the new GoPro hero 8.
Thanks to a colleague of mine I managed to get a few photos of myself for a change, operating the RED system and filming some sharks.
Something interesting about the Bahamas is the Pig Beach that has been set up near Compass Cay. It feels like an Instagram tourist trap and personally I wasn’t too sure how I felt about the pigs being left on the beach. But they seemed happy and hungry and made for some good photo opportunities for our guests. Another nearby beach is also home to a large mess of iguanas (great collective noun), who lay on the beach all day. We fed them some bits of dried coconut. But they can nip.
