Vaka

Vaka is the name given to the traditional craft used by the ancient Polynesians to cross the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean. It is the type of craft I will be aboard when I join an expedition in June to sail from Southern Polynesia all the way to Hawaii. Primitive yes, but quite capable. What makes the journey more interesting is that there will be no compass or GPS on board. Just like the boat, the navigation will be traditional. Granted we do not know all the secrets the ancient Polynesians used to sail the ocean, but we have a few people who know a lot still, and have helped pass on their knowledge. One of these will be a team member.
I have a lot to learn. That is what is exciting about this project though. It is about preparation, dedication, and a mission. The mission is not just to arrive safe. It is to bring awareness to the plight that whales are facing in our seas and oceans. So, along the way we are searching for them, trying to make contact in an ancient way. Below is a picture of a single hulled Vaka. We will building a double hulled Vaka, roughly 60 ft long. A truly ocean going vessel.

West Coast tripping

Here are a few pictures from a camping trip up the West Coast of South Africa. It is an amazingly beautiful place. Barren, yet very alive. Warm, yet the water is freezing. It is Africa after all, the place of extremes.

Costa Rican bliss

Last week I was sitting in a hammock looking out to sea at a pod of whales basking in the sun. As perfectly blissful as it may sound, it was not an unordinary experience there. It was one that was appreciated greatly though, as the past six months have been chock full of American highways, noise, and surrealism. Not that the setting in Costa Rica wasn’t surreal, it was just nice to back in a place where nature has a chance to be seen on a daily basis, firsthand.
The main goal this trip was to try and film some tuna. The success of the story Rogue Studios has been trying to tell rests upon a few precious images which are all but impossible to describe effectively with words. Hundreds of dolphin, and hundreds of tuna. Thats the idea. To get these shots a lot of time has to be spent at sea searching for the tell tale signs of spinner dolphin. Many days have to be spent in seeming futility in order to get lucky. By spending more time, your chances would appear to get better, although it doesn’t always feel like it.
We found dolphin this trip, but no tuna. We even found millions of jellyfish, or they found us to be more precise. Along the way there were turtles, sailfish, mobular rays, and manta rays. One even slowed down enough to let me get a short ride. My camera didn’t get to see any tuna this trip, but there was a lot of other things to see for sure that made up for it.
I just got an email from one of the guys on the boat Kingfisher who I was with. The day after I left, the tuna showed up. Oh well. At least I know they are there. Maybe in May I will be back. I just landed in South Africa. I will be here the next couple weeks and “work” will involve a lot of diving. There should be a lot of sharks too. The big kind that South Africa is famous for. Hopefully they will be kind enough to allow filming from outside a cage. Full open water diving with great whites. This will be good.

Brazil

Brazil is a place I have always wanted to travel to. Two weeks ago i got the chance. I have heard about it all my life since my parents lived there for 4 years. Seeing the places they described was really a great experience, as my created images gave way to reality. I ate fancy food, and beans and rice. I survived half a trip to jail, when the cops decided to let us go suddenly, probably when they realized they weren't getting a bribe. I was on a couple $100G a day movie sets.
Most impressive to me was Rio. It is a place of extremes. The Favelas,or ghettos provide a visual and sensory overload that my mind still has yet to comprehend fully. The first one I saw was at night and it seem to explode up from the famous Copacabanna, contrasting ultra wealth, with ultra poverty. My trip to Brazil was work inspired, and we were filming around Rio for several days. A early morning flight over Rio provided some amazing images. The only drawback to the flight was that we couldn't fly too close to the Favalas, because you will get shot at.

Whales vs. Navy II

The ruling in favor of the Navy a month ago is still being fought. As with many issues, this is a complicated one, but only if we need submarines and ships to attack and defend ourselves instead of explore and fish. This is not going to change any time soon, but at least the problem is still being studied. I know quite a few people who are fighting this at the front lines, doing all they can to help the whales. They are fighting an honorable cause with implications much greater than most people see. Here are a few key excerpts from an article on the latest developments. Picture by Ben Horton

"The Navy has settled a lawsuit filed by environmentalists challenging its use of sonar in hundreds of submarine-hunting exercises around the world.
The Navy said Saturday the deal reached with the Natural Resources Defense Council and other groups requires it to continue to research how sonar affects whales and other marine mammals.
The Navy uses mid-frequency active sonar to send sound pulses through the water. Sailors listen for what objects the sound bounces off of to identify if enemy submarines are lurking nearby.
This technology is different from passive sonar, which sailors use to listen for the sounds enemy submarines emit themselves.
But scientists aren't sure why sonar affects some species more than others. They also don't fully know how it hurts whales.
Other plaintiffs were: International Fund for Animal Welfare, Cetacean Society International, League for Coastal Protection, Ocean Futures Society and Jean-Michel Cousteau. "
By AUDREY McAVOY

Cocos takes a Hit

Cocos Island, Costa Rica is one of the worlds most beautiful islands. I'm not just saying that because I agree, but it has been stated by the likes of Jacques Cousteau as well. Efforts to help keep the island beautiful and a refuge for the animals that live there, are constant, ongoing, and frustrating at times. I have been able in the past few years to observe, and then take part in these efforts alongside several people who are pioneers in this fight for the environment. One such man is Kifah Sansa, a Costa Rican who has worked closely with the UN and the french Fund for the Environment to help preserve Cocos's beauty. Unfortunately Kifah Sasa's contract (FFE UNDP)with the Costa Rican Government has been revoked.
This honestly comes as no surprise. Kifah has worked hard and pushed the Government to enact preexisting laws. The Costa Rican Government is not one to enact justice though, especially when it comes to the sea. The fishing industry in C.R. is much too important. There are hundreds of documented cases of fishing boats illegally fishing in Costa Rican waters, and only a hand full have ever gotten anything more than a warning, even gross repeat offenders. I personally have filmed the Coast Guard firing warning shots across the bow of a fishing boat on Cocos Island, while the captain of the fishing vessel looks on with disdain, a cigarette burning low in the early morning light. The fishermen know the Government is on their side.
I don't know the exact reason Kifah has been "let go" but I can imagine. He jump started numerous plans to help the island recover from years of abuse, and has annoyed the wrong people. It is sad. Not really for me, or Kifah, who knew what his job entailed, but for the island itself. The hundreds of thousands of sharks, millions of fish, birds, and vegetation. They are the legacy that the U.N. has tried to help protect, but the best of intentions paved the way to hell too. I guarantee there are about 15 tuna fishing boats sitting just outside the parks boundaries right now. They are waiting for dark, when they will run with no lights, enter the park from the South, drop hundreds of miles of long line, and then head back out to the North side, and wait for the Southern current to bring them their lines. This is going on right now, every day, and they all know Kifah is gone.

Sweet Justice

Has anyone ever offended you while driving? Have you ever felt the emotions of "road rage" welling up inside, wishing that a higher power could inflict instant justice upon the offending party? This is a short clip of an experience I had. I had passed a car while driving in bad winter conditions, only to have the car begin to tailgate me, and then attempt to race. His driving was stupid and dangerous, as he would weave between cars and brake hard on the icy roads. I slowed down against the wishes of my male instincts, and tried to tell myself what a smart, wise, safe, and intelligent decision I had made. I felt anything but those. A wimp, scared, and very much a pansy is more like what I felt. Anyway a few minutes later I got my moment of sweet justice.
The driver was unhurt, although his female companion was freaking out in the passenger seat. She looked like a monkey trying to get out of a cage. I'm sure he slept alone that night. You can tell from the video the car barely took any impact, so I suppose I got sweet justice without anyone getting hurt ............ Volvo's are extremely safe cars.