Filmmaking and Snorkelling with Whale Sharks in the Maldives

underwater filming in the maldives
23 September 2019
Filmmaking and Snorkelling with Whale Sharks in the Maldives

This summer, two students (one filmmaker and one mathematical biologist) from the University of the West of England took off to the Maldives equipped with Two Bare Feet dive gear to help them capture scenes for an upcoming documentary. And having just returned from their trip, we thought we’d share a few little insights from the white sand beaches and tropical, crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean archipelago.


The Mathematician, the Zebra and the Whale Shark is the name of the soon to be documentary and Cristina, the creator and camera operator behind the project, told us, “it’s a short wildlife documentary about some incredible patterns in nature and how they may help with conservation. The film will take viewers on an adventure of beautiful visual patterns and the ecology of whale sharks.”

Th purpose of their Maldivian adventure was of course to capture all the footage of whale sharks needed for the documentary. The Maldives is a well-known hot spot for sightings, given that the largest fish in the world are permanent residents all year-round, so the girls’ chances of success were always going to be pretty high. However, without the right gear to keep comfortable in the water, it would only make things more difficult. That's where we came in.

To help the girls with the project, we provided two sets of our X-Dive Mask & Snorkel Sets with F70 Swim Fins. The X-Dive Mask, like the rest of our range, features only silicone to make up the flexible parts of the mask ensuring maximum comfort and no irritation. The large lenses are designed so there’s minimal restriction in your line of sight and the glass is also tempered meaning it’s extra durable and strong.

 

Included in these sets was also our Dry-Top snorkel which features a special valve to stop any water from entering the tube. This means the girls could snorkel and dive under the water freely without worrying about clearing the tube when returning to the surface.

For warmth and comfort in the water, Cristina and Natasha opted for different choices. Natasha going for the full coverage of our 2.5mm Thunderclap wetsuit to ensure warmth, especially on deep dives, and to stay safe from the sun. While Cristina opted for our Heritage 3mm Wetsuit Jacket and Harmony Capri Pants allowing for ultimate flexibility and comfort in the warmth of the Indian Ocean.

 

Upon her return, Cristina let us in on the following: “the gear provided by you guys was really helpful for us in the Maldives. The snorkel sets and fins were very useful for our snorkelling and scuba trips, and the wetsuits were incredibly helpful, especially on our deep dives when the water gets a little cooler!"

"At the end of our two weeks of filming in the Maldives, we ended up donating the snorkel sets and fins to a local dive school called Island Divers. We wanted to help out the local community so more people could learn about the beauty found beneath the waves. Thank you, Two Bare Feet!"