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Finding Nudibranchs and More at Turtle Town: Scuba Dive

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  Art in nature - the wrapped up arms and spines of a crown-of-thorns sea star. I love spending time underwater. Especially in a place like Maui, Hawaii. I have logged hundreds of scuba dives here, all around the island. This dive took me back to one of the places where I have dove before, a place called 5 Graves or 5 Caves. Snorkel boats come here often, looking for sea turtles. But the snorkeling miss a world of small and unusual creatures living in the cracks and crevices and caves down below. That is why I geared up for scuba diving and went out for a hour-long underwater search for charismatic micro-fauna. The entrance for this dive is down a gravelly path, past a small graveyard on an tradition coastal access trail. It would be very easy to drive right by if you didn't know what you were looking for. The entrance into the water is a small, rocky cove, that can be quite tricky, especially if you have heavy scuba gear and a large camera. The waves surge into the bay, sending th
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Shark Week here in Hawaii

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  What a week for sharks here in Hawaii! On our first snorkel at Shark Fin Rock, our small boat noticed a dolphin about 30ft away from me at the surface. So I quickly headed that way. I caught a glimpse of it as it swam away, but then was happy to see another headed my way. However, I quickly realized it was not another dolphin, it was a big pelagic shark! It looked like a sandbar shark while I was in the water, but after looking at the photos I'm not quite sure.  I followed it for a minute, then it turned right towards me. I snagged a couple of photos with my little olympus tough waterproof point and shoot camera. Rare encounter with a large shark off in the blue. This was a about a six to seven foot shark swimming with me. Seeing white tip reef sharks is much more common for snorkelers around Hawaii. We saw six of them at our snorkel spots this week! It is still rare to find even white tips, I was pretty excited. I've been checking under this ledge at Kealakekua Bay all seaso
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Galapagos Day 6: Pirates, Sea Lions, Turtles and more on Floreana Island

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  Blue-footed booby takes flight in the Galapagos. The sites, adventures, and wildlife have been stunning here during this six day cruise of the Galapagos Islands. I can't believe it is coming to our final day already. We are going out with a bang though, with a visit to the famous Post Office Bay, zodiac tours, kayaking, snorkeling, and hiking to accomplish. If you are looking for adventure, the Galapagos can be your cup of tea. The famous barrel post office box in the Galapagos. We all left post cards in the barrel, and we took a look at ones in the barrel to see if any were located back by our homes. Quite a few people took post cards to hand deliver to their recipients back in the states. Post Office Bay, nestled within the pristine archipelago of the Galapagos Islands, is a site teeming with historical significance and natural beauty. Located on Floreana Island, this bay holds a unique tradition that dates back to the 18th century when whalers and sailors established a makeshi
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