September 12, 2024 • 15 mins
It's peak hour for whales up and down the coast right now, so we get our sea legs to meet the crew from Saphhire Coastal Adventures, and also chat to Tathra's David Rogers, one of Australia's best wildlife photographers, on how to get that perfect shot.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Why are Fast South Coast goday? I'm James Fantasy. Great
to have you with us.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Right now, the Far South Coast is in the middle
of whale watching season, and later in this episode we're
going to meet David Rodgers, a wildlife photographer who is
at the top of his game when it comes to
capturing one of those thirty five ton beasts in full breach.
Absolutely amazing. But right now, let's get out onto the
water and see if we can find a pod for
(00:28):
this podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Now, folks, as you can see absolutely beautiful conditions out
you're at the water this morning, So we're going.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
To get out there, folks and get amongst it. So
keep your eyes tune, folks.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
All around us, that's Simon Miller the skipper aboard Bubbles,
one of three whale watching vessels operated by Sapphire Coastal Adventures,
the business Simon runs with Jess out of Eden, Marimbula
and Burmaguey. They've been running whale watching tours for the
last twenty one years, including sixteen on the Far South Coast.
Business is good right now simply because there are more
(01:01):
whales around, more than Simon can ever remember.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
This morning, you could see we must have had fifteen
to twenty different points of whales out there, so it's
definitely increased. The migration is getting bigger and bigger every year.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
It's estimated between forty five and fifty five thousand humpback
whales migrate along our coastline twice a year. They head
north from the feeding grounds of Antarctica, typically between May
and June. Then after they've had their calves in the
warm waters of Queensland, they start making their southbound journey
from around August to November, so it's peak hour on
(01:35):
the Humpback Highway at the moment. But the South Coast
wasn't always this whale friendly, with places like Eden historically
known for its whaling stations. It wasn't until nineteen seventy
eight that commercial whaling actually ceased in Australia. Then in
nineteen eighty six a world wide band came into effect.
The number of humpbacks was estimated to be just over
(01:57):
five thousand whales in the early nineteen eighties, with just
five hundred to one thousand in our region. Rosalind But
was the first whale watching operator in New South Wales
and one of the first in Australia. In the late eighties,
she and her partner Gordon ran sightseeing tours out of
Eden from a small boat by the name of cat Ballou,
and after about ten years the couple realized they were
(02:19):
going to need a bigger boat as the public lapped
up the experience.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
In November in nineteen ninety we did three experimental trips
on Saturdays, and the first day we went out we
missed out finding wales. Not many around in those days,
but on the other two occasions we did find them.
So the following year we added Saturdays through October and November.
We noticed a few more people were interested. I think
(02:43):
the first year we were lucky if we took twenty
people out on those three trips, and then I grew
from there. We added Wednesdays to the Saturdays, and then
it got to being the major part of our business.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
But as Simon recounts, even when he was learning the
ropes in the early two thousands, it's still it wasn't
that easy to find them.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
When I first started, we often would have to get
planes up in the air and it was a really,
really big ord deal.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
To find whales.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
So just in my twenty one years in the industry.
That's been a massive change.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
As the humpback whale population started to thrive, so too
did the expectations of the tourists. Roz says. People used
to be thrilled with a minor interaction, but not anymore.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
People would get excited if they saw a tail or
a blow, and now their expectations are probably too high.
They want them breaching, they want them tail slapping, they
want them coming right up to the boats. So I
think people's they've definitely changed in their attitude of what
they want.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
There's no doubt about it. These giant mammals are mesmerizing
and you can't beat the thrill of seeing them up close.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
They're so massive in size, like they'll grow up to
about fifteen meters and might up to forty tons, So
that's a lot of fish in the waters, we'd say.
But they're so gentle and you can have them rolling
around you under the boat. You're going to have them
popping their heads up, spy hopping, and they're looking at
you watching them.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
After running tours for close to four decades then finally
selling their business, Roz says she and husband Gordon now
like to spot the whales from the windows of their
family home in Eden, well occasionally getting out on the water.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Well, we've got our own little boat, husband and I
do go out in that watching them, but I also
enjoy coming out when I can. I'm a golf widow today,
so I thought, well, why not come out and have
a look at them, And I still get a buzz
out of it. And yeah, it's just one of those
things that once you've seen them, I think they're in
(04:43):
your blood for the rest of your life.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Most people who've been on one of Simon Miller's tours
would know his dog, Roger, the seven year old kelpie
who never misses the chance to get out on the boat.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Glenn, he used to work for me and still does
work for us casually at the moment. He had his
kelpie that used to come out and to love the
whales and she'd sort of bark and the whales had
come over and checks out. She had a little puppies
of which hundred was one, and he's been coming since
he was eight weeks old and he loves coming out
the boat. He first started with dolphins, like he's really
keen on the dolphins and wales. He could sort of
(05:14):
leg or take. But now with the whales, he loved it. Yeah,
as soon as they come close. So he gets right
in there and he'll off and bark a few times,
not repetitively, but he'll bark a couple of times, and
they'll often come right over and check him out.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
And it's obviously a noise that tweaks the whales interests.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
So guests on the boat seem to like having Rod
John board.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Yeah, he's very very cool, like he's not too like
in your face.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
He just sort of keeps to himself, but he loves
interacting with people at the same time.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
So yeah, it's cool.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Well, watching along the Far South Coast employees over one
hundred people and it keeps the tourists coming. It's an
important part of the broader Oussie tourist industry, which contributes
around three hundred million dollars to our national economy, and
Simon says it's worth a lot to regions like ours.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
It's huge, Like it's definitely it's a major tourism driver
at a of the year where potentially not many tourists
come to our region, especially like the second half of
August and through May, June and July, there's not a
huge amount of other stuff like the beach.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
The water is cold.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
It's cold on the beach, so typically a lot of
the drivers that bring people here at other times the
year are not great that those colder months. So Wales
certainly bringing people to town at the time of the
year when a lot of the other tourism sectors are
not in.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Full swing, which is good because it gives versatility.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
There's so many accommodation places Marie Miller Bermiguiden that want
to drive people to town and the Wales is great
because it brings something for people to come to town
and do and you can do it multiple times.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So I always say to people you've got to get out.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Five or six different times to see a variety of
different behavioral activities. You can't just expect to do one
trip and see all the different behavioral activities.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
But yeah, I mean it's huge to this region.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
As it is huge to the whole tourism New South Wales,
tourism Queensland, you know, like the whole.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
East Coast of Australia. Wales are huge.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Next on Iheartfast South Coast our conversation with Tartha's David Rogers,
the wildlife photographer who might just be the best whale
whisperer we've got.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
I art far South Coast, I art fast South Coast.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Get a I'm James Fannasee. If you like me and
your photography skills amount to not much more than the
trusty auto focus on your iPhone, well you can only
stand in awe at just how good the professionals are,
those photographers that have the patience and skill to capture
that split second moment in environments that can be hard going.
(07:40):
David Rogers is one of those guys. Born and bred
in Tarthara, the fifty three year old is definitely one
of Australia's best when it comes to wildlife photography. You're
bound to have seen some of his work. He spent
a good part of his life in Sydney before returning
to the coast, where the call of the ocean was
too hard to resist.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
You know, I wanted to explore this area when I
came back down to live and I knew that the
whale boats were going out, and I'd seen the whales
from shore. I went out on the boat and met
Simon ad Jess from SAPPI Coastal Adventures and took some photos,
and I think I was pretty much hooked from day one.
My first time I went out with them. I had
a great camera and we had the most absolute magnificentent
(08:22):
day on the cruise with whales breaching and tail slapping,
and those first photos I got it just blew my mind,
you know, not only photography wise, but I guess also
as a natural spectacle and tourist attraction on the Sapphire
Coast to see these animals burst out of the water
(08:44):
up close and personal. It's something that people travel all
around the world to go see. And I was just
actually blown away that, you know, the same thing was
happening right in our backyard. So from day one, I
was completely hooked.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And during whale watching season, your daily office is the
South Pacific Ocean. You obviously need the stomach for dealing
with conditions and the swell, especially on those choppy days.
You've been doing it for years now, But did that
take time?
Speaker 5 (09:11):
You definitely need sea legs, and I'm kind of lucky
I don't get seasick at all, but you know, it
takes probably about a week to get your sea legs
on the boat and to you're comfortable and confident enough
that you can run around without any worry, but you
get your sea legs pretty quick.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
And I had the pleasure of going on one of
the tours with you recently. I noticed you were actually
running at one point when a whale was spotted. Tell
us a bit about that.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
Yeah, Well, you know, the thing is, you'd never know
on the boat where the whales are going to pop up.
I mean, you do get an idea, but when you're
first sort of coming up to them, they could be
up the front, they could be down the back, on
each side. So you've got to do a little bit
of running around the boat and until you get sort
of comfortable with a whale and your cruise alongs it's migration,
then you can settle down. But yes, definitely there is
(10:03):
some running up and down the boat.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Keep the cardio up exactly Apart from the running up
and down. Is there a trick to anticipating when or
where the whale will surface or breach?
Speaker 5 (10:15):
Well, you know, it's about understanding whale behavior. I always
listen to the commentary on the boat, particularly you know
Simon or Jess pointing out where the whale is in
relation to the boat in the water this morning. So
I'm always kind of, you know, got my ear listening
(10:36):
to the commentary and my eye down the camera, and
once you sort of hook on, I make sure I'm
totally focused and have that focus point set on the
whale because you never know when it's going to strike
into action. And do you ever get the jitters or
the shakes when you're doing the Yeah, always a little bit.
I mean it's quite exciting when these whales start breaching.
(10:57):
That's the ultimate shot to get a breaching whale. And
also you know to get at that point where it's
just exiting the water, so you know, the adrenaline does
pump up.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I'm gonna say, And what's the best time of day
or conditions to shoot whales and shoot them with a camera.
I mean, like I've heard they like the wind.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
There's so many theories, but they're all sort of blown
out of the water. Excuse the pun, but you know
some people say wales do breach more in wind, but
then again, you can go out in a calm day
and get exactly the same. It really all comes down
to that individual whale. You know, one can suddenly strike
(11:39):
into action at any point for any unknown reason, and
you get a spectacular.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Show, and you've taken some outstanding photos day of whales
over the past few years. Do you have a specific
whale image that's your money shot, you know, the one
that's as close to perfection as you could get.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
Well, I think I do. But you know, really I've
got about at least over five thousand shots, you know,
in my bank, and then I've probably taken more than
two hundred thousand frames. You know, when I'm shooting a while,
I get twenty frames a second from my camera, So
my bank of raw images is huge. But yeah, I
(12:19):
do have a few favorites, you know, over the years.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
What about in terms of I mean the Sapphire Coast,
What is it about this region and our whale scene
that continues to fascinate you? Behind the lembs, what.
Speaker 5 (12:33):
I particularly love is, you know, getting out there and
photographing the landscape behind the whales. Love going out in
each town, you know, Birmaguey, Marimbula and Eden and shooting
back you know, not only into mountains, but trying to
get local landmarks in there. There's so many great landmarks,
you know. For example, there's Gulago in Birmaguey Birmaguey Blue
(12:55):
Pool in Marimbula, there's you know, Rainbow Rock and Haycock
Point and the pinnacles in eden ben Boyd Tower and
to capture that landscape in the back, it just puts
a sense of location into the photo. And got to
say it's also a good one to use for tourism purposes.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Absolutely, which the whale watching season has a massive impact
on tourism and businesses.
Speaker 5 (13:21):
Yeah, correct, And you know what during a time here,
you know, I know that summer pretty much sells itself
down here. People love coming to the Sapphi Coast. For
summer being a winter tourism destination a little bit harder,
but you know what, I really feel there's huge potential
for whale tourism to increase down here and bring you know,
(13:43):
people to the area during an off peak season.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
And just lastly, Dave, what's your advice to aspiring photographers
on the far South coast who don't get seasick or
happy to try and get past that and who would
love to do what you do? What tips would you
have for them? And is there a good camera if
you're just starting out.
Speaker 5 (14:03):
I am a cannon fan, so you know there is
some rivalry on the boat between Cannon and Nicon, but
you know what, it is a big investment in terms
of camera gear if you want to get serious about it,
and it's a big time investment as well. But I
think the main thing is, you know, if you want
to get into it, make sure you do it for
(14:23):
a passion and come out and do it for fun,
because if you're not doing it for that, it's going
to be a very rocky, seasicky sort of hobby for you.
But I can assure you that you come out and
you get a few good shots, you'll be probably hooked
from day one like I was.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
And you can check out some of the most beautiful
shots of Wales playing off the coast by going to
David rodgersphotography dot com or checking out Davy Underscore Rogers
on Instagram. That's all for now on Iheartfar South Coast,
proudly supported by the New South Wales Government. I'm James Fantasy.
Catch you next time. I Heart Fast South Coast.
Why are Fast South Coast goday? I'm James Fantasy. Great
to have you with us.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Right now, the Far South Coast is in the middle
of whale watching season, and later in this episode we're
going to meet David Rodgers, a wildlife photographer who is
at the top of his game when it comes to
capturing one of those thirty five ton beasts in full breach.
Absolutely amazing. But right now, let's get out onto the
water and see if we can find a pod for
(00:28):
this podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Now, folks, as you can see absolutely beautiful conditions out
you're at the water this morning, So we're going.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
To get out there, folks and get amongst it. So
keep your eyes tune, folks.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
All around us, that's Simon Miller the skipper aboard Bubbles,
one of three whale watching vessels operated by Sapphire Coastal Adventures,
the business Simon runs with Jess out of Eden, Marimbula
and Burmaguey. They've been running whale watching tours for the
last twenty one years, including sixteen on the Far South Coast.
Business is good right now simply because there are more
(01:01):
whales around, more than Simon can ever remember.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
This morning, you could see we must have had fifteen
to twenty different points of whales out there, so it's
definitely increased. The migration is getting bigger and bigger every year.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
It's estimated between forty five and fifty five thousand humpback
whales migrate along our coastline twice a year. They head
north from the feeding grounds of Antarctica, typically between May
and June. Then after they've had their calves in the
warm waters of Queensland, they start making their southbound journey
from around August to November, so it's peak hour on
(01:35):
the Humpback Highway at the moment. But the South Coast
wasn't always this whale friendly, with places like Eden historically
known for its whaling stations. It wasn't until nineteen seventy
eight that commercial whaling actually ceased in Australia. Then in
nineteen eighty six a world wide band came into effect.
The number of humpbacks was estimated to be just over
(01:57):
five thousand whales in the early nineteen eighties, with just
five hundred to one thousand in our region. Rosalind But
was the first whale watching operator in New South Wales
and one of the first in Australia. In the late eighties,
she and her partner Gordon ran sightseeing tours out of
Eden from a small boat by the name of cat Ballou,
and after about ten years the couple realized they were
(02:19):
going to need a bigger boat as the public lapped
up the experience.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
In November in nineteen ninety we did three experimental trips
on Saturdays, and the first day we went out we
missed out finding wales. Not many around in those days,
but on the other two occasions we did find them.
So the following year we added Saturdays through October and November.
We noticed a few more people were interested. I think
(02:43):
the first year we were lucky if we took twenty
people out on those three trips, and then I grew
from there. We added Wednesdays to the Saturdays, and then
it got to being the major part of our business.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
But as Simon recounts, even when he was learning the
ropes in the early two thousands, it's still it wasn't
that easy to find them.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
When I first started, we often would have to get
planes up in the air and it was a really,
really big ord deal.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
To find whales.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
So just in my twenty one years in the industry.
That's been a massive change.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
As the humpback whale population started to thrive, so too
did the expectations of the tourists. Roz says. People used
to be thrilled with a minor interaction, but not anymore.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
People would get excited if they saw a tail or
a blow, and now their expectations are probably too high.
They want them breaching, they want them tail slapping, they
want them coming right up to the boats. So I
think people's they've definitely changed in their attitude of what
they want.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
There's no doubt about it. These giant mammals are mesmerizing
and you can't beat the thrill of seeing them up close.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
They're so massive in size, like they'll grow up to
about fifteen meters and might up to forty tons, So
that's a lot of fish in the waters, we'd say.
But they're so gentle and you can have them rolling
around you under the boat. You're going to have them
popping their heads up, spy hopping, and they're looking at
you watching them.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
After running tours for close to four decades then finally
selling their business, Roz says she and husband Gordon now
like to spot the whales from the windows of their
family home in Eden, well occasionally getting out on the water.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Well, we've got our own little boat, husband and I
do go out in that watching them, but I also
enjoy coming out when I can. I'm a golf widow today,
so I thought, well, why not come out and have
a look at them, And I still get a buzz
out of it. And yeah, it's just one of those
things that once you've seen them, I think they're in
(04:43):
your blood for the rest of your life.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Most people who've been on one of Simon Miller's tours
would know his dog, Roger, the seven year old kelpie
who never misses the chance to get out on the boat.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Glenn, he used to work for me and still does
work for us casually at the moment. He had his
kelpie that used to come out and to love the
whales and she'd sort of bark and the whales had
come over and checks out. She had a little puppies
of which hundred was one, and he's been coming since
he was eight weeks old and he loves coming out
the boat. He first started with dolphins, like he's really
keen on the dolphins and wales. He could sort of
(05:14):
leg or take. But now with the whales, he loved it. Yeah,
as soon as they come close. So he gets right
in there and he'll off and bark a few times,
not repetitively, but he'll bark a couple of times, and
they'll often come right over and check him out.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
And it's obviously a noise that tweaks the whales interests.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
So guests on the boat seem to like having Rod
John board.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Yeah, he's very very cool, like he's not too like
in your face.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
He just sort of keeps to himself, but he loves
interacting with people at the same time.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
So yeah, it's cool.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Well, watching along the Far South Coast employees over one
hundred people and it keeps the tourists coming. It's an
important part of the broader Oussie tourist industry, which contributes
around three hundred million dollars to our national economy, and
Simon says it's worth a lot to regions like ours.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
It's huge, Like it's definitely it's a major tourism driver
at a of the year where potentially not many tourists
come to our region, especially like the second half of
August and through May, June and July, there's not a
huge amount of other stuff like the beach.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
The water is cold.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
It's cold on the beach, so typically a lot of
the drivers that bring people here at other times the
year are not great that those colder months. So Wales
certainly bringing people to town at the time of the
year when a lot of the other tourism sectors are
not in.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Full swing, which is good because it gives versatility.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
There's so many accommodation places Marie Miller Bermiguiden that want
to drive people to town and the Wales is great
because it brings something for people to come to town
and do and you can do it multiple times.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So I always say to people you've got to get out.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Five or six different times to see a variety of
different behavioral activities. You can't just expect to do one
trip and see all the different behavioral activities.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
But yeah, I mean it's huge to this region.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
As it is huge to the whole tourism New South Wales,
tourism Queensland, you know, like the whole.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
East Coast of Australia. Wales are huge.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Next on Iheartfast South Coast our conversation with Tartha's David Rogers,
the wildlife photographer who might just be the best whale
whisperer we've got.
Speaker 5 (07:12):
I art far South Coast, I art fast South Coast.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Get a I'm James Fannasee. If you like me and
your photography skills amount to not much more than the
trusty auto focus on your iPhone, well you can only
stand in awe at just how good the professionals are,
those photographers that have the patience and skill to capture
that split second moment in environments that can be hard going.
(07:40):
David Rogers is one of those guys. Born and bred
in Tarthara, the fifty three year old is definitely one
of Australia's best when it comes to wildlife photography. You're
bound to have seen some of his work. He spent
a good part of his life in Sydney before returning
to the coast, where the call of the ocean was
too hard to resist.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
You know, I wanted to explore this area when I
came back down to live and I knew that the
whale boats were going out, and I'd seen the whales
from shore. I went out on the boat and met
Simon ad Jess from SAPPI Coastal Adventures and took some photos,
and I think I was pretty much hooked from day one.
My first time I went out with them. I had
a great camera and we had the most absolute magnificentent
(08:22):
day on the cruise with whales breaching and tail slapping,
and those first photos I got it just blew my mind,
you know, not only photography wise, but I guess also
as a natural spectacle and tourist attraction on the Sapphire
Coast to see these animals burst out of the water
(08:44):
up close and personal. It's something that people travel all
around the world to go see. And I was just
actually blown away that, you know, the same thing was
happening right in our backyard. So from day one, I
was completely hooked.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And during whale watching season, your daily office is the
South Pacific Ocean. You obviously need the stomach for dealing
with conditions and the swell, especially on those choppy days.
You've been doing it for years now, But did that
take time?
Speaker 5 (09:11):
You definitely need sea legs, and I'm kind of lucky
I don't get seasick at all, but you know, it
takes probably about a week to get your sea legs
on the boat and to you're comfortable and confident enough
that you can run around without any worry, but you
get your sea legs pretty quick.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
And I had the pleasure of going on one of
the tours with you recently. I noticed you were actually
running at one point when a whale was spotted. Tell
us a bit about that.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
Yeah, Well, you know, the thing is, you'd never know
on the boat where the whales are going to pop up.
I mean, you do get an idea, but when you're
first sort of coming up to them, they could be
up the front, they could be down the back, on
each side. So you've got to do a little bit
of running around the boat and until you get sort
of comfortable with a whale and your cruise alongs it's migration,
then you can settle down. But yes, definitely there is
(10:03):
some running up and down the boat.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Keep the cardio up exactly Apart from the running up
and down. Is there a trick to anticipating when or
where the whale will surface or breach?
Speaker 5 (10:15):
Well, you know, it's about understanding whale behavior. I always
listen to the commentary on the boat, particularly you know
Simon or Jess pointing out where the whale is in
relation to the boat in the water this morning. So
I'm always kind of, you know, got my ear listening
(10:36):
to the commentary and my eye down the camera, and
once you sort of hook on, I make sure I'm
totally focused and have that focus point set on the
whale because you never know when it's going to strike
into action. And do you ever get the jitters or
the shakes when you're doing the Yeah, always a little bit.
I mean it's quite exciting when these whales start breaching.
(10:57):
That's the ultimate shot to get a breaching whale. And
also you know to get at that point where it's
just exiting the water, so you know, the adrenaline does
pump up.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I'm gonna say, And what's the best time of day
or conditions to shoot whales and shoot them with a camera.
I mean, like I've heard they like the wind.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
There's so many theories, but they're all sort of blown
out of the water. Excuse the pun, but you know
some people say wales do breach more in wind, but
then again, you can go out in a calm day
and get exactly the same. It really all comes down
to that individual whale. You know, one can suddenly strike
(11:39):
into action at any point for any unknown reason, and
you get a spectacular.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Show, and you've taken some outstanding photos day of whales
over the past few years. Do you have a specific
whale image that's your money shot, you know, the one
that's as close to perfection as you could get.
Speaker 5 (11:57):
Well, I think I do. But you know, really I've
got about at least over five thousand shots, you know,
in my bank, and then I've probably taken more than
two hundred thousand frames. You know, when I'm shooting a while,
I get twenty frames a second from my camera, So
my bank of raw images is huge. But yeah, I
(12:19):
do have a few favorites, you know, over the years.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
What about in terms of I mean the Sapphire Coast,
What is it about this region and our whale scene
that continues to fascinate you? Behind the lembs, what.
Speaker 5 (12:33):
I particularly love is, you know, getting out there and
photographing the landscape behind the whales. Love going out in
each town, you know, Birmaguey, Marimbula and Eden and shooting
back you know, not only into mountains, but trying to
get local landmarks in there. There's so many great landmarks,
you know. For example, there's Gulago in Birmaguey Birmaguey Blue
(12:55):
Pool in Marimbula, there's you know, Rainbow Rock and Haycock
Point and the pinnacles in eden ben Boyd Tower and
to capture that landscape in the back, it just puts
a sense of location into the photo. And got to
say it's also a good one to use for tourism purposes.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Absolutely, which the whale watching season has a massive impact
on tourism and businesses.
Speaker 5 (13:21):
Yeah, correct, And you know what during a time here,
you know, I know that summer pretty much sells itself
down here. People love coming to the Sapphi Coast. For
summer being a winter tourism destination a little bit harder,
but you know what, I really feel there's huge potential
for whale tourism to increase down here and bring you know,
(13:43):
people to the area during an off peak season.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
And just lastly, Dave, what's your advice to aspiring photographers
on the far South coast who don't get seasick or
happy to try and get past that and who would
love to do what you do? What tips would you
have for them? And is there a good camera if
you're just starting out.
Speaker 5 (14:03):
I am a cannon fan, so you know there is
some rivalry on the boat between Cannon and Nicon, but
you know what, it is a big investment in terms
of camera gear if you want to get serious about it,
and it's a big time investment as well. But I
think the main thing is, you know, if you want
to get into it, make sure you do it for
(14:23):
a passion and come out and do it for fun,
because if you're not doing it for that, it's going
to be a very rocky, seasicky sort of hobby for you.
But I can assure you that you come out and
you get a few good shots, you'll be probably hooked
from day one like I was.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
And you can check out some of the most beautiful
shots of Wales playing off the coast by going to
David rodgersphotography dot com or checking out Davy Underscore Rogers
on Instagram. That's all for now on Iheartfar South Coast,
proudly supported by the New South Wales Government. I'm James Fantasy.
Catch you next time. I Heart Fast South Coast.
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