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UNDERWATER
DVDs & VIDEOS |
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DVDs
We dont stock a great range
of underwater DVDs - only those of exceptional quality and interest. |
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THE
WRECKS OF TRUK LAGOON - A DOCUMENTARY FILM
On the early morning of
February 17th, 1944, at the height of the war in the Pacific, United States
Naval forces launched a daring air raid, codenamed "Operation Hailstone",
on the Japanese military stronghold of Truk Lagoon in Micronesia. As a
result of the raid more than 270 Japanese planes were destroyed and 50
ships sent to the bottom of the lagoon. More than 65 years later the Shipwrecks
of Truk have become a mecca for sport divers. They travel from around the
world to witness first hand these underwater relics both steeped in history
and enriched with magnificent marine life that is a wonder to behold. From
2003 until 2008 Mike Gerken lived and worked in Truk Lagoon in the recreational
diving business and amassed one of the largest collections of underwater
video, archival film and still images ever assembled and spent four years
producing this documentary on Truk Lagoon. Included within this two disc
DVD: Two hour feature film with more than thirty minutes of scenes with
rare archival film and still images depicting detailed history of Truk
Lagoon. Seventeen wrecks highlighted in stunning underwater video. Interview
with Kimio Aisek, legendary dive guide and eye witness to Truk Lagoon.
Dive at Shark Pass. Still Image Slideshow Presentation. Trailer Video for
"The Wreck of the SS President Coolidge". This is a must have for any Truk
diving enthusiast, anyone interested in diving Truk Lagoon or even any
WWII history buff. $38.00. |
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THE
PEARL SHELL DIVERS : AUSTRALIA'S DEADLIEST CATCH
An Oral History on film.
Produced by Garry Kerr.
These guys were crazy!!
Having just done a three-day hard-hat course, I am of course an expert
on the matter, and clearly recognise the dangers that the early pearl divers
faced. But did they know of the dangers! They saw the results of the bends
but did they know how to prevent them? Were they so desperate to earn a
living that they had to face the unknown ‘terrors of the deep' - the sharks,
huge groupers and giant clams? Garry Kerr's excellent DVD answers these
questions through the candid, fascinating, interviews with some of the
men who donned a hard-hat on Thursday Island after the war - after the
Japanese, who had dominated the pearling industry prior to the Pacific
War, had departed the island. You really warm to these men who clearly
did not do it just for the money - it was clearly an exciting, adventurous
way of life. What makes this DVD all the more fascinating is the excellent
still and movie footage of the divers - being dressed, underwater, raising
their ‘catch' of the eagerly sought Mother of Pearl. To see the equipment
and the men using it is, to use the modern generation buzzword in its true
context - awesome. Of course I am no expert on standard dress, but what
little I know certainly assists in understanding what these men went through.
What is particularly incredible, and would normally be missed by the general
public viewer, is that these pearl divers did not wear full diving dress;
they simply went down in what appears to be their dungarees or overalls,
and balanced the heavy copper helmet over their heads just before they
slipped off the ladder. Their argument was that if there was any danger,
they could simply pop out from under the helmet and head for the surface
unaided by surface tenders. They thought that the heavy dress, as worn
by the divers at Broome, was cumbersome. Some later relented, partly
anyway, and wore ‘half dress'; where the helmet and breastplate was attached
to an upper body suit that was sealed at the waist. This gave them better
in-water mobility that the full suit, but it still ‘trapped' them inside
the helmet if anything did go wrong. The pearlimg industry at Thursday
Island lasted not much more than a decade after the end of the Pacific
war as plastics outstripped the need for mother of pearl. We must be grateful
to Garry Kerr for recording the memories of these most courageous divers
now well into their twilight years. Of further interest in the documentary
movie is several very interesting extracts of a 1960 government film unit
documentary called 'Pearlers of the Coral Seas', and the famous Chips Rafferty
film ‘King of the Coral Sea', which, incidentally, gave Rod Taylor his
start. The documentary goes for sixty minutes; there is also an addition
fifty minutes of interviews. And as a bonus we have the innimitable Frank
Zeigler from Professional Diving Services at Portland commenting on health
and hazard issues, giving an excellent lucid account of the bends and nitrogen
narcosis. A wonderful record for anyone interested in the pearling industry
and especially in the latters years of commercial hard-hat diving.
$30.00 |
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THE
TRAGIC TRIO - THE LOSS OF THE COLLIERS UNDOLA, MYOLA AND TUGGERAH.
DVD - Filmed and produced
by Max Gleeson. Narration by Dave Pearson.
Running time: 68 minutes.
The Tragic Trio recalls
the events surrounding a short but disasterous period of Australia's maritime
history: between December 1918 and May 1919, three colliers foundered within
sight of the coastline. The sudden loss of the Undola, Myola and Tuggerah
took the lives of twenty-six men and led to a Royal Commission into the
operations of the coal ships running between Sydney, Newcastle and the
Illawarra coal fields - ths sixty-niners as they were called. Combining
stunning underwater footage of the shipwrecks and their associated marine
life with archival film and images, maritime historian and underwater photographer
Max Gleeson recreates the events of each disaster, examining the individual
wreck sites for evidence that may have led to the loss of these ‘sixty
milers'. Good grief - I called them sixty-niners above - what was I thinking
about!.
$28.00 |
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THE WRECK
OF THE SS PRESIDENT COOLIDGE.
Filmed by Mike Gerken.
Run time: 60 minutes.
The luxury liner - troopship
SS
President Coolidge is the worlds largest most accessible shipwreck,
lying a short swim off the beautiful tree-lined coast of Espiritu Santo
in Vanuatu, South Pacific. It attracts hundreds of divers each year as
she lies on her side in calm, generally clear waters, within easy reach
for the experienced sport diver. Film maker Mike Gerken has created an
excellent DVD showing early historic footage of the vessel as a passenger
liner, before succumbing to a mine in th Segond Channel at Luganville in
1942 when fitted as a troop carrier. The underwater footage gives an excellent
image of how she lies now; a fine memory of those who have dived the ship,
or perhaps anticipate to do so. Little wonder it is one of the world's
most popular shipwrecks.
For further information
on the ship, and the book, The Lady and the President, enter
here. $38.00 |
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BENEATH
SOUTHERN SEAS
Filmed by George Evatt.
Australia's temperate water
contain more species of marine life than the northern tropical seas, and
yet most books and DVDs concentrate on the Barrier Reef. This is to deny
the wonders of the temperate seas which have been superbly captured on
this DVD. There is over 100 minutes of exceptional movie footage, plus
interactive menus detailing some 180 species of fish. Five additional movies
on temperate waters are also included. It is a great DVD, not only for
the temperate water diver, but for anyone wishing to have a better understanding
and appreciation of the sharks, rays, reef and pelagic fish, seahorses
and all mnner of mrine life. Ideal also for school education, marine bilogy
classes, dive club, dive shops, the sport diver, and of course the non-diver.
$32.00 |
VIDEOS
We don't sell these
videos but we include them as they may be of interest to you, as they are
to me. Go direct to the supplier. |
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THE
LEGACY OF TRUK LAGOON
If
you have dived fabulous Truk Lagoon, or plan to, this video is a must.
It combines excellent historic footage and interviews with underwater footage
of just a few of the wrecks, and a search for the last of the lost ships
of Truk, the Katsuragisan Maru. The video features interviews with
Kimeo Aisek and Klaus Lindemann, both of whom have passed away.
Produced
by Wet Film/Dusmar Productions, producers Nick Versteeg and Gary Bridges,
directed by Eva Wunderman.
Running
time: 47 minutes. Available in PAL and NTSC.
Contact:
Wet Film/Dusmar Productions, 3540 West 35th Avenue, Vancouver, Canada,
V6N 2N5. Phone/fax: (604) 263-9842.
http://www.subsea-enterprises.com |
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THE
SEARCH FOR THE LOST SHIP SS WARATAH
In
July 1909 the passenger liner SS Waratah was lost without trace
off South African's eastern seaboard. The search for the Waratah has been
the ambition of many, as its discovery may give some clue as to what happened
to the ship. One of those dedicated men is Emlyn Brown, South African director
of the local chapter of NUMA - National Underwater and Marine Agency, headed
by the bestselling author Clive Cussler. This video documents the exciting
search for the ship right up to January 2001, using the most sophisticated
of methods. No doubt the illusive liner will be found one day, and no doubt
by Emlyn Brown and his team. The video runs for about 26 minutes.
Available
from NUMA. |
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BEN
CROPP VIDEOS
We
have had a few enquires about Ben Cropp videos. Best to contact Philip
Holt at the Shipwreck Museum, P.O.Box 5458, Cairnss Mail Centre, Queensland
4870, Australia. Email madive@smartchat.net.au |
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THE
QUEST FOR FREEDOM
One
of Australia's leading underwater cinematographers, Walt Deas, has released
this excellent video. The award-winning photographer whose credits include
'Life on Earth' and 'The Living Planet' with David Attenborough, filmed
'Quest' in the waterss of Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Antarctica, Faeroe
islands, the Azores and in Scotland.
To
obtain a copy, contact Walt direct at Seawest Productions,
11
Platypus Avenue, Sorrento, Queensland 4217, Australia.
Phone:
(07) 5538 8231. Cost is $29.95 plus postage.
Ask
also about his video on "THE BASKING SHARK".
Email
address is walterdeas@netspace.net.au
Web
is walterdeas@netspace.net.au
Walt
also has a new video out on "HERON - THE CORAL ISLAND"
$25.00
incl postage. Contact Walt direct. |
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S.S.
PRESIDENT COOLIDGE
Neil
Harris at Absolute Scuba n' Snorkelling has made an excellent video on
diving the President Coolidge at Espiritu Santo. I have seen a 'first
edition' tape and it certainly does bring back memories. Contact Neil at
Absolute
Scuba 'n' Snorkelling, 6/1 Dan Street, Capalaba, Qld, 4157
Email
abscuba@diveshow.com.au |
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MIKE
NELSON - SEAHUNT - EPISODES ON VHS
Remember
those old episodes of Seahunt starring Lloyd Bridges? Well, perhaps not
- depends how old you are. But if you are in my age bracket - that is,
you were born in the first half of the last century, then you would have
been sitting on the edge of your seat, biting your nails and wondering
if our hero would escape from the steel tank containing man-eating sharks
suspended over Niagara Falls - well, something like that. He always did
of course. Lloyd Bridges was indeed one of the pioneers of diving. He may
have been a middle-rate actor but he certainly inspired many amateur divers,
and the Seahunt series were great fun. Now you can obtain the videos
of the series - great for club nights of nostalgia, to hype up the hero
hormones, to relive the tension, or simply to see what us oldies keep raving
about.
Jim's
Rare Serials. |
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