2003 has been the busiest year for us by far. The most exciting project of all has been the filming of our debut production, Facing Jaws' which we've co-produced with RDF International in UK on behalf of National Geographic US / International Channels.

This mega-production involved all 3 directors in South Africa for 5 weeks filming the epic natural u/w phenomenon, the Sardine Run. Simon Christopher (Associate Producer), Jason Isley and Simon Enderby (Underwater Cameramen) met up with Jenny Jones (Director) to film British u/w photographer, Tony White, as he embarked on his quest to return to the water once again after being bitten by a shark in a feeding frenzy the previous year.

Jason and Simon's u/w footage of humpback whales and bait balls with sharks, hundreds of diving gannets, seals and dolphins, all screaming right past their cameras, is without any doubt some of the most dramatic of the Sardine Run ever filmed!

Please check out the Facing Jaws page for a detailed description of the shoot by each of the directors, as well as photos and video stills taken on location.

Scubazoo joined Tall Order Productions once again for their sequel to last year’s hit series ‘Laut’. This time Jason Isley joined Hans Isaac and the rest of the crew for the first four locations around Peninsula Malaysia, including Pulau Bidong, Pulau Kapas, Pulau Redang and Langkawi. The highlight of this part of the shoot was without doubt the Underwater World on Langkawi Island. Here Jason and Hans entered the huge aquarium containing sharks, stingray, giant grouper, giant trevally and moray eels - being up close with many friendly sharks and rays was an amazing experience.

Simon Enderby then joined the crew for the Sabah locations, visiting Mabul, Lankayan, Sipadan, Pulau Tiga and the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Once again, Sabah proved to be an amazing location with its remarkable biodiversity and variety of dive locations. The inclusion of Pulau Lankayan and Pulau Tiga this year brought some dramatic footage of juvenile black-tip reef sharks and banded sea snakes. Simon’s personal highlight was filming two male mandarinfish displaying at each other for a full 15 minutes, oblivious to the camera, lights and two passing harlequin ghost pipefish - this could only happen in Sabah!

Comments:

"SCUBAZOO! Truly an underwater zoo experience... an underwater film company in Malaysia like no other. Making "Laut" a true adventure above and below the waves, with humour, laughter and great underwater visuals, enhancing the colours and capturing many great moments.

The success of my first ever underwater show, featured on RTM1 for two consecutive seasons, must be given to the boys from SCUBAZOO. From my 12 years experience in film and TV, I can safely say I would be at a loss filming any underwater moments without the mad boys from Kota Kinabalu called... SCUBAZOO.'

Hans Isaac - Presenter/Director/Producer of Laut 2.

The Mild Seven Outdoor Quest revisited Sabah this year and once again SCUBAZOO provided the underwater/wetcam footage as part of TransWorld International's coverage of this prestigious event.

With over $200 000 in prize money and covering hundred’s of kilometres over the 4 days of racing, the Outdoor Quest is one of the richest and most gruelling events on the World adventure race circuit. Filming this event is a far cry from the white sandy beaches, azure water and pristine reefs normally associated with underwater filming - cameraman Roger Munns found himself wallowing in tidal mud flats, running rapids on the Kiulu river and even fighting some heavy surf in Karambunai.

As ever the race was a huge success and viewers should be able to catch the coverage on satellite and terrestrial stations around the world in early January.

'AMAZING RACE' - AXN CHANNEL

In February the contestants came rushing through Sabah, creating two episodes for the exciting TV show that recently won an Emmy Award in the US. Jason Isley joined the crew for two hectic days of filming, both above and below the water.

Starting out at Gaya Island near Kota Kinabalu, the contestants had to pull lobster traps from the seabed or attempt to catch a minimum number of fish from a fish trap. Most of the contestants opted for the lobster traps not knowing they had been weighted with half a dozen bricks! Jason filmed the contestants as they struggled to pull the traps to the surface. Once this leg of the race was complete it was off to Poring Hot Spring, a four hour drive from Kota Kinabalu, for some food and little sleep, before getting into position to film the contestants as they came racing uphill through the jungle path and across the canopy walkway.

This Malaysian series follows presenter Sue Suriyani as she explores the wild and remote areas of South East Asia, both on land and underwater.

Jason Isley joined the crew as they explored the ship wrecks of Usukan Bay, north of Kota Kinabalu. These wrecks, including the ‘Rice bowl Wreck’, ‘Upside-down Wreck’ and ‘Usukan Wreck’, were all sunk during the Japanese occupation of Borneo during the second world war. Jason then followed the crew as they explored the reefs off the coast of Miri in Sarawak.

Boys don’t grow up to become men, they just get more expensive toys. Cue Bladerunner - a luxury powerboat for the man who has everything. Powered by twin 225Hp Mercury outboards it delivers powerboat performance without the rough edges. The interior is all leather and ‘must have’ optional extras include a DVD player and video game console!

During November, Jason Isley and Roger Munns have had the enviable task of shooting a promotional video for Bladerunner. Long hard days filled with champagne, beautiful models and high octane action have left the pair understandably exhausted and numb, but with some great footage in the bag. The shoot took place around Sutera Harbour marina and out at some of Kota Kinabalu’s stunning local islands. Bladerunner was shot from the land, sea and air, including 2 days of helicopter filming with Sabah Air . This is Scubazoo’s first foray into the world of yachts/powerboats and was a great experience for everyone involved.

Big boys looking to buy a big toy should contact info@scubazoo.com for further information.

'PORTRET KEJAYAAN' - MALAYSIA'S RTM NETWORK

This series documents a day in the life of successful Malaysian business men and women. Simon Enderby followed Adeline Shak, director of Borneo Divers and one of Malaysia's leading female professional scuba divers, as she trained open water students in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park and tells RTM how diving has changed and shaped her life.

Scubazoo provided the footage for the thresher shark section of this DVD given away free with Dive Magazine. Filmed as part of the Thresher Island shoot, rare shots of Thresher sharks being cleaned at dawn were included. Check out Thresher Island for more details.