If you frequent the internet, chances are you have come across some of Jaimen Hudson’s (instagram – @jaimenhudson) amazing drone footage of a standup paddleboarder with two Southern Right whales. If you haven’t, then it’s definitely time to do so – here’s a compilation of some of his fine work:
And it’s also your chance to learn more about the man behind this amazing footage.
Let us introduce Jaimen Hudson, a 25 year old guy from Esperance, WA. He was in motorbike accident in 2008, which rendered him a quadriplegic.
photo credit: Esperance Express
Once an active surfer, rider, diver & fisherman, Jaimen currently works for the family business, Esperance Diving and Fishing. They charter boats for fishing, reef & island diving and for wildlife viewing – whale watching, and “cruising with the dolphins”. He has not been for a dive since his accident but said that he has discussed it with his dad; ‘I’ll probably need a dry suit to get back in the water.’
One of the boats they use for their island tours has custom controls, so he can get out on the water. “We see a lot of whales, dolphins, sea eagles & sea lions but to this day I’m yet to see a White Pointer – I’d like to, I think it would be very cool”.
He remembers being 10 years old and going on the boat trip (which was a family business charter) with Brad Gerlach, Ken Bradshaw & crew for the filming of the Cyclops section of legendary surf movie Billabong Odyssey.
Esperance – sunset :
Photo @jaimenhudson
Jaimen said he wanted to get into photography & video making & purchased a DJI Phantom 3 drone at the beginning of 2015. Jaimen’s breathtaking video of one of his mates standup paddleboarding alongside two Southern Right whales took the internet by storm earlier this year – it’s had almost 5 million views already. Despite not being able to use his fingers due to his injury, he controls the drone using his thumbs (with rather great results!!
The next goal for Jaimen is to obtain an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) ticket; a commercial pilot’s licence, which would allow him to start doing commercial drone work. Ultimately he’d love to start making longer vids & get more into filmmaking – if these first few clips are anything to go by, he could be creating some spectacular vision in the future.
His positive outlook & enthusiasm are inspiring; he has a real energy when he talks. I asked him about his potential for recovery, and he said ‘there’s currently not much you can do with spinal cord injuries at the moment, and I’m holding out for advances in science – hopefully someday soon they’ll be able to inject my spinal cord with something that will let me walk again – I try and stay fit”. Here’s hoping that happens soon.
He said he’d be stoked if his Instagram account got a little love so head to Instagram & follow @jaimenhudson and keep up to date with his (incredibly beautiful) work.
See more here:
http://instagram.com/jaimenhudson
And to get amongst this spectacular world in Esperance, head to:
