Coastwise starts to some fabulous tides
Coastwise Marine Festival 2020’s first weekend was spent, fittingly at the coast.
The idea behind Coastwise was to invite citizens to participate in the celebration of their coastline. To come a little closer to the creatures that live on the intertidal, to the fish they consume as seafood, to understand fishing practices, to know how to best engage with the wildlife that lives so close to us.
In that, the first weekend of Coastwise can only be described as a wave of encouragement. We had two days of events: a. A photography workshop with photographer, filmmaker and diver, Umeed Mistry, and b. six walks (4 shorewalks + 2 fishploration walks) across six places.
The workshop helped participants understand the nuances and techniques of shooting in the marine space. While he talked about photographing wildlife, it also examined how to navigate the habitat – the intertidal and the deep ocean. Umeed spoke at length about photography, yes, but he also talked about the close connection that exists between understanding ourselves when we attempt to understand the wilderness we aim to capture. His own curiosity about the oceans he works in plays a pivotal role in how his wonderful photos come about. He urged participants to think about composition and technique and about the message we want to deliver. There was a three-hour shore walk after, where he engaged on an individual level with each participant.
Here are glimpses from how joyous this weekend looked.
February 8, 2020
We made good use of the artwork made for us by the excellent team at Visual Sarkasm. This gorgeous thing graced the doors of our photography workshop. Day 1 started well.
It got better rapidly. Umeed Mistry talked to a packed workshop about in-water photography, discussing techniques, focus, exposure and light. He also emphasised the need for boundaries with animals. We were all rather overwhelmed by his honesty and generosity of knowledge. He’s one of the good ones, this man.
Half-and-half photographs look beautiful but at the same time, give so much more detail.
Using light in the way suitable to the moment
After a 3-hour indoor workshop, Umeed and the participants took to the shore to have a practical session, shooting in the intertidal. The wind picked up, and the shore was cold, but we spent hours there, saw anemones, crabs, sea snails, an octopus, and even a sea snake.
February 9, 2020
Juhu shore walk participants at the end of the Coastwise walk. Look how that beautiful banner looks at the coast.
A Spiral Melongena sea snail and her egg cases.
At the very same time, Chaitali Patil led a Coastwise walk at Dive agar. Outreach had moved beyond Mumbai to interested tourists on the sandy beaches of Maharashtra.
A Sea star on the sandy shore at Diveagar. Photo by Chaitali Patil
Nepean Sea Road walk went very well, indeed. Look at those smiles. The next photo gives you a glimpse into why.
And here’s one of the reasons for it. The Elysia Hiresei sea slug at Nepean Sea. A solar powered slug, this one’s a challenge to find and then, a delight to watch. Photo: Harshal Karve
A Fishploration walk at Sassoon Docks in Mumbai.
Golden hour at Goa’s Coastwise walk. Photo: Gaurav Shirodkar.
Goa’s zoanthids are glorious in their beauty. Photograph: Abhishek Jamalabad.
A silhouetted intertidal space, a fishing rod and the colours of the Goan sunset. Photo: Abhishek Jamalabad.
A leopard whipray as bycatch at Sassoon Docks. photo: Swapnil Tandel.
Swapnil Tandel shows people the different types of fishing gear and methods used in Mumbai.
A weekend that will stay with us for a long time. And it’s just the start. Next up, movie screening, and our ‘Flight of the Flamingos’ festival at Airoli. Watch this space.
