Capturing the Moment

  Here we are at the end of another incredible year. It has been filled with big travels, adventures, guiding, meet ups with family in foreign countries, and cool wildlife encounters above and below the water. Click through the different links for a look back at different posts and highlights from all the adventures. All the best pictures can be found at www.daimartamarack.com .    The year started out for me running exclusive guiding trips aboard the Safari Explorer in the Hawaiian Islands. The second half of January provided some ample off time for an incredible scuba diving trip to Indonesia with Heidi. We spent some quality time muck diving around the shipwreck of the UST Liberty in Tulamben on the island of Bali and out on Nusa Lembongan , a small island just off the coast. I was overjoyed to be joined by Ed and Jamie all the way from Savannah. Then Heidi and I flew a couple of islands east to catch a liveaboard dive boat called 'Amalia' for a weeklong underwat...

First Calf Sighting in Maui   It is nearly Christmas here in the Hawaiian Islands and we have been seeing quite a few humpback whales already. Around this time last year I remembered writing a blog post about seeing our first baby humpback calf of the season so I was on the lookout as we cruised through the Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary waters off Maui. One of the passengers shouted out, ‘thar she blows, 11 o clock!”, and sure enough a whale exhalation hung above the water like a little cloud for a few second before dissipating.  Everyone looked on in anticipation to see what the whale would do next. Mom pushing baby   Then it happened, another puff cloud but this time a second, smaller, exhalation was noticeable. I radioed up to the bridge to see if my other guide had noticed and she had. We both waited and watched until we saw the same thing again, and then we made the call over the ships loudspeakers, we had our first baby whale of the season! ...

   The blog has been quiet for the last week because I have been traveling on assignment well outside of WiFi zones aboard UnCruise's Safari Endeavor in Baja, Mexico. I spent seven days aboard the luxury small ship with 37 other passengers documenting and photographing the amazing places, wildlife, and connections along the way.    With countless scenic coves, half moon bays, sandy beaches, and deserted islands the landscape screams for adventure travel. The life aboard the Safari Endeavor made adventure seem like luxury as the hikes and snorkels were spaced out with gourmet food, fine wine, and complementary massage. The fact that the crew to guest ratio was nearly 1:1 also made for a fabulous feeling of being well taken care of.    Luckily the weather cooperated, some key wildlife showed up, and the sunsets that I had been hearing so much about did not disappoint. More pictures and stories will emerge but lets just say it was a successful and prod...