Alexander Benedik is an underwater filmmaker who is diving since 1998 and doing videos since 2008. In this interview Alex will tell us why he started with underwater filming and share with us some of his best experiences while shooting in remote locations like Alaska and Antarctica. You can learn more from him and discover what it is that has pushed him to start diving and doing these amazing underwater videos.

Cameraman: Tell us about yourself and how you got started doing underwater videos.

Alex: After 10 years of scuba diving I have started my underwater video career. In those ten years I had many of exciting and once in a life time experiences underwater. The key moment to start underwater video was in Bali 2007. I was alone on 5 meters with a dozen of very relaxed Bumphead Parrotfish that swam close around me for 10 minutes or more. The dive buddy with the camera was out of sight, so no one was there to capture this unique scenery.
Still in Bali I grabbed a German underwater magazine and did some research on video housings. Three weeks later I bought my first housing on a water sport convention in Vienna, Austria.

Cameraman: And how did you get into diving?

Alex: Good fellows of mine had a scuba license. I spent a vacation with them at Dominican Republic. They went for scuba and I was alone on the beach. It was really boring lying on the beach. For me it’s a waste of time. So I booked a scuba course. From that moment scuba became an obsession.

Cameraman: Moving on to the videos you make – how do you choose the locations?

Alex: For this question I have to make a big swing. I was very lucky to meet an Austrian underwater photographer on an Egypt live aboard in 2002 or 2003. He is a really macro and critters specialist. He showed me some of his pictures. Until that time I had no clue about what you can really find underwater – if you have a closer look. Usually people see colored fish, corals and that’s it. We both share the same underwater interests, so we travel and choose our dive spots and dive vacations together since then. Only the cold water regions, like Antarctica, Iceland, Alaska, I dived without him.

Choosing the locations depends on what you are looking for. I know people who like white sandy beaches for their scuba vacation. (I´m wondering…) I go where the living creatures I would like to see. Like the Humpbacks, Sperm Whales, Tiger Sharks, Critters in Lembeh Strait or the Leafy Seadragon in South Australia.

Cameraman: What do you think about underwater 3D and what does 3D technology mean to you as an underwater cameraman?

Alex: I think there is a 3D underwater housing on the market. It´s just a matter of time until private underwater videographers will go to purchase 3D housings. We just started with HD a few years ago, so you can´t expect private users to purchase very expensive new systems, if the old one is still great. Notably 3D is still in its infancy.

Cameraman: Some underwater cameramen use the mixed-gas, closed circuit rebreathers. What do you think about this and what dive equipment do you use yourself?

Alex: Yes, mostly professional videographers. With a rebreather you can get very close to shy animals, like shark or whales. For that it is great to use. For macro you won’t need a rebreather. A big shortcoming is the weight, it´s about 30 to 40 kg. Who wants to travel with that additional weight on an airplane? I think in the future dive centers will offer such systems. I dive with normal air (21% Oxygen) and Nitrox (Enriched Air with 32% or 36% Oxygen). If I have the chance for Nitrox and it makes sense to use, I will go for it. This way I can increase the bottom time. That means I can stay longer deeper without getting to much CO.

Cameraman: Tell me about the camera you use for your shots and your favorite lenses and what video equipment do you take with you?

Alex: I travel with a Light and Motion Blue Fin Pro housing, with a 90 degree Wide Angle Fathom 90 lens and a flip down macro diopter and red filter diopter inside the housing. Except for the housing I take everything with a double for back up. Like a second Sony HC 7, chargers, batteries…. The small housing is great for traveling but it´s hard to get steady wide angle footage without a tripod. I´m doing really fine with the macro stuff – as you can see on my videos.

The first housing I had was a Light and Motion Stingray HD. With that housing I have used a standard lens and a mounted flip down Macro Mate lens for macro shots. I changed to the Blue Fin Pro because of the manual white balance option. Video lights are Light and Motion LED Sunray 1000. It’s a 1000 Lumen and 6500°K temperature.

Cameraman: So how do you get those amazing macro shots?

Alex: It´s the standard Light and Motion flip down macro diopter inside the housing. A few years I have worked with the so called Macro Mate. A great macro lens, too! At the beginning I wasn’t a hundred percent satisfied with the diopter. This is because I was used to the Macro Mate. The Macro Mate gave a little more enlargement. But now I´m doing fine with the diopter. I have never used a tripod or a special program in the post production to get steady shots. If it´s possible I use my pointing stick underwater or lay the housing down to stabilize the housing.

Cameraman: You shot in some very remote locations and inhospitable conditions like Alaska or even the Antarctica. How far do you go, considering the risks to get your shot?

Alex: That is a good question. The diving itself is not risky at all. You can deal with the cold water or the currents. You should have a close look on our bottom time and air. If you have no air and you have to make decompression stops you are in very big trouble.
How far I go for a shot? Unfortunately several times so far. Like in Alaska I dove most of the time alone. Because I always need several minutes to shot a nudibranch and get the footage I´m satisfied with. And with the bad visibility I lost every diver even my buddy…or they lost me. No one has the patience to wait for a videographer. Actually I have no problem to dive alone. But one day I was reminded of how dangerous it can be. I opened my tank and saw the high pressure tube leaking from several tiny holes. The tube was covered with some water, so I saw the bubbles where it was leaking. There is a pressure of more then 200 bars inside this tube. If the tube explodes underwater, the tank is empty immediately.

Cameraman: That’s very risky especially if you are alone. And what are the most dangerous things that happened to you during a shoot?

Alex: I was running out of air several times. Once at Malapascua on the Philippines, I was at 25 meters depth (82 feet) looking for Tresher Sharks. I had 50 bars (725 psi) left. And if you are deep you use more air, because of the pressure (I knew that). A few minutes later still at 25 meters, I had a second look on my manometer. There were less than 10 bars (145psi) left! I was lucky my buddy was next to me. We did the ascent on a rope. He shared his second regulator with me and I was too silly to get the water out of the regulator. So I inhaled water/air/water/air. I can´t use my regulator again because the tank was empty. I felt a little panic. Believe me, I learned a lot.
Another time, during my first vacation with the camera I got bitten by a Lemon Shark. A Dutch vet stitched my three finger right aboard the vessel. They healed really well. (thanks again Rob!)

Cameraman: Tell me about one of the most challenging experience you’ve had while shooting?

Alex: Diving the Antarctic waters – with zero (32°F) or minus Celsius water temperature I wore two layers of dry gloves. After 15 minutes my fingers started to hurt due the cold water. As I was shooting, the cold and the pain increased. I never gave up and dived until the allowed limit of 45 minutes.

Cameraman: Is there a particular sequence or shot that you are especially pleased with?

Alex: There are so many, but if I point out one, maybe it is the Puffer Fish with the busy Shrimps on it in the movie “The Muck At Night” and the first minute of my latest Alaska video…this shots are simply breath taking to me.

Cameraman: Anything else you’d like to share with us?

Alex: Switch of the light if you leave the room, turn of the water tap while you brush your teeth.

Cameraman: Thank you Alex!

More about Alex on his website: GlobalDiveMedia.com
You can watch more videos here: Vimeo.com/AlexBe
Photos by Martin Buschenreithner: Martin-busch.magix.net

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