hollywoodtone.blogspot.com Breathtaking dolphin stampede, whales captured by drone video
hollywoodtone.blogspot.com Breathtaking dolphin stampede, whales captured by drone video
Captain Dave Anderson of Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari used a drone mounted camera to videotape migrating whales and stampeding dolphins in Maui, Hawaii. The footage is breathtaking.
The five-minute video shows a whale snuggling with her calf, among other things. Anderson says it is the “most beautiful and compelling five minute video I have ever put together.” Anderson shared on his website that filming the whales and dolphins carries significant risks. He almost lost the footage and had to dive alone into cold waters six miles offshore to retrieve it. Anderson launched the quadcopter drone by hand off of a 14 foot inflatable. A miss could mean he could easily lost the drone of suffer injury from the four propeller blades. One drone nicked his VHF antenna on takeoff, landing in the water. Anderson dove in and managed to retrieve it unscathed, but continually nervous. "It was a stupid move, but the copter started sinking so fast it was my only hope to get the amazing footage I had just shot." Now Anderson attaches flotation to save his footage. He explains the $1,700 rig is not waterproof, nor would the skids keep the gear upright in the ocean. “My wife says no more drones if I lose this one. But she said that before I lost the other one. Now that she’s seen what it can do, I think she’s just as hooked as I am,” Anderson says. Anderson uses a DJI Phantom 2 Quadcopter mounted with a ZenmuseH3-2D Gimbal and a GoPro HERO3 Black camera. With has 20 years of experience with whale watching, Anderson emphasizes that nothing was done in the filming to disturb the whales and dolphins with the small drone. He notes that NOAA is reviewing drones to determine if they should be used around whales that cannot be approached closer than 100 feet NOAA explains the inability to get close makes videoing dolphins and whales challenging. Airplanes and helicopters must stay at least 1,000 feet above the water. NOAA has no rules for unmanned drones and are used because they don't disturb whales. California has a high density of whales where Anderson conducts "whale safaris"according to the agency.
hollywoodtone.blogspot.com Breathtaking dolphin stampede, whales captured by drone video