While in Cancun, the roommates took a sailing trip to the Island of Mujeres.  When you arrive, there is a very large circular tank of water alongside the docks where a variety of sharks are on display, including some very large and aggressive bull sharks.  You can stand above the dock and look down at the sharks, or snorkel below the dock and swim around the tank, where you look through holes at the sharks up close as they cruise by.  The roommates all got into snorkel gear and watched the sharks from the water.  It got really crazy when the keepers lowered a large amount of chum (shark food – lots of small fish packed together) over the tank.  The sharks begin to swim faster and faster around the tank, and you are bounced and tossed around in the water as the sharks circle under the chum.  When the keeper dangles it just above the water the sharks go crazy, pulling the chum out of the air, and eating in a frenzy creating powerful waves that knock you all over the outer tank.

Watching this process from above, our crew’s tech manager decided it would be a really cool shot if he dangled a small ‘cigar’ camera over the shark’s tank, like chum, to see if he could get the shark to open their mouth for a really exciting shot!  (Our tech manager had successfully tied these cameras to jet skis, water boats, and shot underwater snorkeling and dolphin shots too!  So why not use them on the sharks?)  So he held the camera by its cable and slowly lowers it over the tank.  Suddenly, one of those bull sharks leaped up and grabbed the camera with his teeth.  Our tech manager pulled on the cable, and surprisingly got the camera out of the shark’s mouth.  He was certain he had the greatest shot ever! 

We hurriedly ran over to the dock to inspect the camera.  There were some marks from the shark’s teeth but the camera seemed okay.  So we played back the tape, and waited to see the coolest POV shot ever!  But…there was nothing!  Only static, electronic snow.  No shark, no teeth.    Apparently, when the camera was dangled by the cable, there was too much stress on the cable and the internal wires between the camera and cable pulled out, so no signal was sent from the camera to the record deck. 

Our tech manager was beside himself – he said it would have been the best shot ever.  I suppose National Geographic has days like this?