The Big Blue
Philippines
An ethereal underwater ballet at twenty fathoms
Firstly, apologies for missing a week with my posts to this blog. It was probably a little ambitious of me to expect a decent internet connection from the middle of the South China Sea. That’s not to say that such a thing is impossible, just extremely inconvenient and quite tricky when you’re living on a small out rigger, equipment perched perilously close to the surf and a plug extension block shared amongst 7 voltage hungry colleagues.
I’m back on terra firma now with a fresh case of land sickness after our amazing time at sea. It’s tempting to say that I’ve just experienced one of the most memorable weeks of my life, but then again I’m well aware that I keep saying things like that on this blog, so I’ll just tentatively mention that the exceptional people that I’ve met these last days and the things I’ve seen here have affected me very deeply.
To understand the full story of our time here in the Philippines, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until Human Planet hits the screens next year. Needless to say, I’m sure you’ll be as amazed as I was at what you will witness happening 120 feet below the surface of the sea. This particular segment of the Oceans program will also be accompanied by a ‘Making of’ film that will show you how our underwater cameramen managed to capture the astonishing footage contained in the sequence.
The meeting of two diving traditions
My next port of call with be Mongolia again, to the mountains this time. Stay tuned.
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To see a video clip from our time at sea in the Philippines click HERE
For more stories about people who work under extreme conditions, take a look at Human Planet‘s Mekong fishermen or African honey gatherers.
