The Wandering Waterman

While working as 2nd camera on “Season On The Edge” it was decided that the host, Ken Baldwin, would swim out past the surf and do a little freediving in search for fish. I looked out at the surf that was crashing on the beach and silently thanked the stars that I had bought the POD fins for this gig.

POD Fins ready for the job

POD Fins are body-surfing fins out of Australia, shorter and stiffer than snorkeling or scuba diving fins. They are made for speed so that body-surfers can roll onto waves with little effort. I bought them so that I could power through surf while shooting video for my cameraman job, and they worked great!

They are stubby chunks of rubber, they sort of look like shark fins, except they have splashes of orange on them and these stiff rails that help you turn on a dime.They also create channels that jet water down the body of the fin and give you extra oomph, which I needed that day as the waves raced at me, as if determined to slam me into the sand and shove my camera down my throat!

They have an open foot pocket design, which means they have no toe pocket, your toes stick out at the bottom of the fins, but this allows for water and sand to drain easily.This also keeps you from bringing a gallon of water onto the beach and having it drain all over your gear, which isn’t the best thin at the end of a day of shooting!

They do tend to run a size larger, I wear a 10 in shoes, but the 10 in the fin is a bit loose. No big deal, as I wear neoprene socks for a bit of protection, but even if they come off, they float, and the splashes of orange help you easily find them.

I slipped on at the waters edge and crabbed walk into the surf. I waited for a wave to come at me and with a deep breath I dove through, holding my camera housing to my chest and kicking like mad. The fins powered me through, I literally felt like I had a pair of miniature jets strapped to my feet as I cut through the water and past the surf zone.

I was not only able to keep up with Ken who was wearing standard snorkeling fins, but I was also able to maneuver easily around him with my camera, plus they were powerful enough to drive me underwater while wearing a 7mm wetsuit and no weights.

Relaxing on the surface after flying through the surf.

Getting out was as easy, their stubbiness helps in exiting, no floppy blades to catch in the sand and cause you to pitch forward, which was really important that day as there were two women walking by and watching as I exited in a very manly way! Of course, they pretended not to notice and walked away when I said hi; probably just being shy … right?

So if you’re looking for a solid fin to use as an all-around, I highly recommend the POD fins, you won’t regret it!

Pro: small, easily transportable. Tough, powerful, and they float.

Con: Sized a bit large; get a size smaller. Really that’s it.

“It’s not the sharks you have to worry about; it’s being sucked out to sea by the currents.” With that said, Paul Melnyk and Ken Baldwin headed into the water, wetsuits on and fishing poles in their hands, ready for a bit of Skishing.

Paul Melnyk and Ken Baldwin doing a bit of Skishing

I was in Montauk shooting a new fishing show, “Season On The Edge” hosted by the aforementioned Ken Baldwin, a long-time fisherman and Alaska Fishing guide. We were swimming out with Paul in order to shoot a scene with Ken and him Skishing for Striped Bass, a form of fishing that Paul developed.

Basically you put on a wetsuit, grab some fins and your fishing pole and swim out beyond the reach of surfcasters. You float around, casting in 360 degrees around you. It’s great because you’re not limited to shore; you see a bunch of birds dropping into the water, you kick out there. You see a bunch of “boiling” water, you swim out there. Yeah, lots of swimming is involved.

The best part of it is when you actually hook into a Striper; if it’s large enough it drags you across the surface as you reel it in! Hence the name “Skishing”, water skiing + fishing = skishing. Get it?

I swam around with them, filming as they cast and bickered with each other good-naturedly, keeping an eye on the coastline, which seemed to be disappearing in the on-coming fog. I imagined a night spent floating around Montauk, their bickering eventually driving me to pray for a shark to show up!

They caught a few fish, we got our shots and then we headed for shore, ready for a shower and a night out in Montauk. No shark materialized, and nobody was dragged out to sea by the currents, so it turned out to be a great day. Below are the images I shot while in Montauk.

Haven’t had a lot of time to write on my blog during this job; up at 5am and back at the hotel around 10, so I’ve been sleeping instead of writing!

I did get a few hours to put together this short video of me in the water yesterday. I was in Mackerel Bay waiting to shoot some footage for Season On The Edge” and shot some stuff of myself while waiting for things to happen.

Enjoy!

Imagine floating in the ocean in the middle of the night, wearing only a wetsuit and carrying a fishing pole with you, in hopes that you might hook a fish that is then going to waterski you around as you reel it in. Oh yeah, imagine you’re doing this in the waters of Montauk where sharks are regularly caught, including Great Whites! Can you hear the JAWS theme song in your head?!?

It’s been playing in my head since Thursday. I hired on as a 2nd cameraman/water photographer with a new show that’ll be airing in December called “Season on the Edge”. I worked on the pitch reel with them last year, around the same time. I had just gotten back from Europe and a week later I was flying out to Montauk to join up with the crew. It was a great experience, great team and we shot some good stuff. Stayed up long hours, spent a night on a breakwater while a Nor’easter blew the rain sideways, swam out with fisherman Paul Melnyk for a bit of the aforementioned Skishing, and just had a general good time (Yeah, I love my job!)

Really looking forward to this shoot, it’ll be good to get back out in the water with my camera and work with this crew. The weather isn’t looking too great; rainy and cold apparently, but at least I’ll be able to test out my new Marmot PreCip waterproof pants! I’ll be posting a review of them here, plus a few other products I’m bringing along. Check back here during the week to see what’s new.

Wandering is in my blood. Not literally, that would be weird, but it is such an integral part of my existence that my blood might as well be composed of wandering … mixed in with seawater, which is another obsession of mine, hence the name; The Wandering Waterman.

The world has always fascinated me. Even as a kid, I knew my little town was just that; little. It was too small for me, I knew there was a whole adventure-filled world out there and I wanted to experience it first hand! The books that I read made my imagination run wild! I could see myself running through the desert with the Masai, hiking through snake infested South American jungles, or sitting in the outback watching the sunset on Ayers Rock. From a young age I knew there was no office-filled future for me; that would be the death of me! I knew that I was destined to travel, to explore!

I’ve been doing that for twenty-two years now. Two days after graduating from high school I enlisted in the Navy and my wandering began. I’ve been around the world; first with the Navy, then on my own, and I’ve loved every single second of it. Stepping out into a foreign city excites me now as it did the first time I experienced. Knowing that I am out of my element, that I am somewhere that isn’t familiar, makes my life full! Experiencing my life the way I want to live it is the most important thing to me and I’ve had some great adventures.

I’ve swam with Whale Sharks in Honduras, biked down Austrian mountains, worked on a western riding ranch in South-West Wales and laid in the dark under a canopy of stars in Bahrain. I’ve met people from all over the world, some who have become dear friends, some that are simply great memories, none that I would trade for anything in the world. The stories that reside in my soul make my life richer and let me know that I’ve been living and not just existing!

I guess that’s what this blog is about; a way to share with you my experiences with wandering this beautiful planet. I’ll write about my experiences, my adventures and try not bore you. I’ll include product reviews, videos, interviews, photos and hopefully I’ll inspire a few of you to pick up a bag, check out of society, even for a few weeks, and go explore the world.

When you explore the world, you explore yourself.