Palme d’Or at Marseille Underwater Film Festival !
Fred Buyle and William Winram were in Marseille, France, on Friday October 29th for the premiere of the first documentary of the 5 part series – Adventure Ocean Quest. The film – Great White Sharks of Guadalupe – was debuting in the 37ème Festival Mondial de l’Image Sous-Marine (37th World Underwater Film Festival).
After waiting almost 1 year for the post production it was a relief to finally see the result of some amazing Ocean Encounters – without a cage and on a breath-hold – on film to be shared with the world.
The response from the audience was overwhelmingly positive and a huge step forward in changing peoples paradigms as it relates to one of the most feared and maligned of the Oceans inhabitants. The jury of the prestigious Festival selected Great White Sharks of Guadalupe as the winner of the Palme d’Or – First prize.
When asked for comment, William and Fred responded: “We are very proud of what Pierre Frolla, Christian Pétron and ourselves were able to accomplish with long hours in the water and the usual difficulties associated with filming underwater with wild animals. We arrived on site with the desire to create an honest portrayal of the Great White shark and I think when you view this film you will see a shy, cautious and curious predator, one worthy of respect and admiration.”
Ocean Encounters hopes that this film will contribute to change people’s paradigm toward these animals whose wrongful man-eater reputation still stick to their image. On the brink of extinction (there are only 3,500 individuals left in the world’s oceans) because of a widespread shark massacre, their absence signifies less fish in our plates because of the crucial role they play in the food chain.
The “Jaws” Syndrome
Since my early days, I have been interested in sharks. As far as can I remember, I was gathering information about these fascinating creatures. In the mid/late seventies when I was a young kid, sharks had very bad press. The cause of it had a name: “Jaws”.
Indeed, Spielberg’s movie released in ’75 was the unfortunate start of a shark phobia that would last over three decades.
We, at Ocean Encounters, are part of the “Jaws” generation. A generation of people petrified at the idea of seeing sharks, scared of open water territories and believing they will get attacked by sea monsters.
I have never been afraid of sharks. Don’t misunderstand me, there was always a kind of mystery, a taste of the unknown and respect, since my first encounter with a shark when I was 13 years old in Indonesia.
Since then, I have freedived with most of the species of sharks, including the ones considered as extremely dangerous, and I’m still here! Of course, they are wild animals and of course, you have to be aware of what you do in their presence but they are not the animals pictured in the “Jaws” myth.
Often we hear the term “shark attack”. It is the first myth we have to dispose of. Sharks do not ‘attack’. If you look for the definition of ‘attack’ in a dictionary, you will find something like “to use force in order to harm”, but it usually bears an emotional connotation. Well, do sharks have human emotions such as hate, anger, that would push them to attack us? I doubt very much this fear-based perception of these animals.
We, then, have to speak about shark bite, not shark attack. Yes, sometimes sharks bite. Yes, sometimes humans are wounded or killed by sharks. The motivation for these bites are mainly for feeding purposes (biting is their way to taste) or to defend themselves from human aggression such as being caught on a fishing line, or a territorial invasion by other animals, but never to satisfy an impulse of anger, hurt or hate to deliberately harm us.
Through my years of freediving, I noticed that sharks are shy and curious. But since my first dive with the great white sharks my feelings about them have evolved even more.
Portrayed as the ultimate killing machines, they are probably the most difficult sharks to approach. When you are lucky enough to have them close and you are able to spend time with them in open water, you realize how fragile they are.
We often hear about their “deep black evil expressionless eye”. Those who state that have never been close enough to see that their eyes are in fact blue and show a lot of expression, probably one of the most expressive eyes I have observed in the ocean, even more expressive than that of dolphins or other marine mammals.
The sharks are indeed victims of the “Jaws” syndrome!
Sharks need a “public relations makeover” and as they are not able to do that by themselves, it is up to us to help them with that. The survival of their species depends on it during these critical times. There is hope though. Some shark awareness organizations are doing a good job to change the public perception of sharks.
What tells me that we are on the right path? Ask children about sharks nowadays, they will tell you they are cool and important creatures for the ocean. William, Pierre and I have even been asked by young children if they could some day dive with sharks as we do…
It seems that the next generation is willing to see these creatures in a new light, it is now time that we do the same and get over over the “Jaws” syndrome.
Fred Buyle – L’Homme Poisson // Thalassa
On October 9, 2009, Fred Buyle will be featured on Thalassa.
Airing in France every Friday evenings on channel France 3, Thalassa is an award-winning tv magazine created and hosted by Georges Pernoud. The October 9 broadcast will also be a very special occasion since Thalassa will be celebrating its 30-year anniversary. While the piece about Fred Buyle was filmed in the summer of 2008, it was hand-picked along with three others to air on the very evening which will commemorate the magazine’s anniversary, an honour for the underwater photographer.
Thalassa is broadcast in over 90 countries, thanks to channels such as TV5, RFO and Planète Thalassa. The show can also be seen online at http://www.thalassa.france3.fr/.
Gentle touch between a tiger shark and Fred Buyle
Here is an abstract of the narration:
“Dans le silence des profondeurs, une silhouette ondule dans le courant. Pour Frédéric Buyle, pas de bouteille, pas de détendeur, pas d’air comprimé… Il nage en toute liberté, en retenant son souffle pour ne pas se faire remarquer… Frédéric Buyle est un apnéiste hors du commun, qui a multiplié les exploits et les records, mais aujourd’hui il a décidé de se consacrer à la photo. En toute discrétion, il se fait témoin d’un monde qui le fascine. Il ne plonge plus pour chercher l’exploit ou la sensation enivrante de frôler quotidiennement la mort. Il a trouvé une autre voie qui lui permet maintenant de vivre de sa passion : ramener les images que seul un apnéiste peut faire en se fondant dans le décor sous-marin comme un élément du milieu aquatique.
Aujourd’hui, Frédéric Buyle parcourt les mers et les océans en quête des plus belles images. Il est devenu un habitant des mers, un homme poisson.”