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High Five | Mike Coots Collection
High Five | Mike Coots Collection
Photo 1
As seen in the Mike Coots Collection
Sitting on the seafloor - This is my happy place. Surrounded by an ocean of abundance, in warm clear water. I wish the entire world could experience this, as I think our collective perception of sharks would change instantly.
Photo 2
As seen in the Mike Coots Collection
Pipe and Friends - This is just another day at The Pipeline. Photographed on a random evening from a helicopter, you really get the sense of the crowd and intensity of surfing this wave.
Photo 3
As seen in the Mike Coots Collection
Apex - Smart, stealth, and sleek. We need these guys and gals in our oceans. I photographed this at Guadalupe Island, Mexico on my first ever white shark dive. A moment seared in my brain forever.
Photo 4
Bonus feature: Twiggy at Wiamea
This was the last time The Eddie ran, and photographed this image from a two-seater helicopter. The best thing about shooting large surf from the air is you can really see and anticipate the larger sets that come in. They just seem to emerge higher than the rest out on the corduroy horizon. Then it's really your communication with the pilot on where to be positioned for the shot. This day it was more just logistical, stay out of the bay's airspace because of drones and messing up the live broadcast's audio from our noisy chopper blades. Gotta love when everything comes together, and this day it did.
Photo 5
Bonus feature: Boss In Blue
This is a frequent female shark that visits Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. Its a sandbar far from land in about 30 feet of water, and arguably the best place on Earth to dive with tiger sharks. The water clarity, abundance of large fish, and bright sand makes it a shark photographer's heaven. The only thing you really have to keep in mind at all times is eye contact and knowing where each shark is at all times. The photography comes naturally, its just being keenly aware of your surroundings. It's hard not to get consumed by focusing, composition and settings, but you need to have all that second thought. First and foremost is your safety and the sharks.