Week 2 at Bonnier was a blast because I got to go diving! Holding an internship during which you’re surrounded by scuba 24/7 but at a desk 40 hours a week is tough; you want to dive more than ever, but it’s hard to find the time.
Luckily, this week I got to get my fins wet at Blue Grotto Dive Resort in Williston, Florida, with Scuba Diving’s gear department, ScubaLab. We were filming ScubaLab TV spots in which an underwater videographer films staff members diving with different pieces of gear. The divers test gear like computers, regulators, wetsuits and BCs and give them scores in a number of categories such as ease of use and effectiveness.
Blue Grotto is fantastic. I got to use a SeaLife camera for the first time to take my own photos (half of which did not turn out — hey, I’m used to just a GoPro, not a whole mini rig), and it was fun to capture some of my co-workers underwater.
My favorite part of Blue Grotto is its friendly resident softshell turtle Virgil. He’s very curious and nice, and he’ll come right up to you to check you out — and see if you have any food for him.
Another part of the ScubaLab TV shoots is stand-ups, in which the divers are filmed talking about their favorite aspects of the gear.
In all, it was interesting to see what exactly went into shooting the videos, and of course, any day diving beats a day in the office.
(Special thanks to Dive Group editor-in-chief Patricia Wuest for letting me borrow her 5mm wetsuit!)
