Capturing the Moment

Hungry Whale Shark      Whale Sharks, ( Rhincodon typus ), are the world's biggest fish. They are a shark, but unlike their more well-known relatives the whale shark does not have teeth. Instead it uses gill rakers to filter out tiny plankton from the ocean water. While it may seem daunting to jump in the water with these gentle giants the truth is you couldn't be with a safer, more harmless animal. And if you are lucky they might just stick around long enough for you to get a feel for just how big they really are. Emerging out of the blue    This is what happened on a recent trip to Baja, Mexico. I was sent on a photography assignment for UnCruise Adventures on their small ship cruise down in the Sea of Cortez . Every week the passengers have a chance of encountering whale sharks as the Sea of Cortez is one of their favorite haunts. It is never guaranteed but this week we were lucky. The upwelling brings in nutrients which powers the phytoplankton...

Cute BnB's are the way to stay in Tadoussac    Tadoussac is a small town about three hours drive north from Quebec City deep in the heart of French Canada. Nestled in the hills where the St Lawrence waterway meets the only fjord on the east coast of North America, the Saguenay. Because of this ideal location Tadoussac was the first trading outpost set up by French explorers in New France. Nowadays tourists flock to the rugged village for its quaint beauty, easy hiking trails, and its facilities for whale watching. The main draw for me of course is the whales. Even though I get to see whales all the time in Alaska and Hawaii through my work I love experiences different whales in different parts of the world. Here in Tadoussac you can see not just humpbacks, but also blue, fin, minke, and beluga whales. Most are here in the height of summer for feeding on the upwelling just offshore, although the belugas live here year round. You can see the whales from shore but the ...

Shark's Cove, North Shore, Oahu Ed and Heidi descending    My friend Ed had just become a certified scuba diver before coming to Oahu and Heidi had recently procured an underwater camera so we were all anxious to check what was below the waves of Oahu's North Shore. We picked up tanks from one of our favorite dive shops located in Haleiwa, called Hawaii Eco Divers. The three of us packed in our dive gear and Jamie came along to do a little solo snorkeling. We headed to our favorite North Shore spot called Shark's Cove. There is a pretty easy shallow entry near the entrance to the huge tide pool. Lots of huge boulders give fish plenty of places to hide near shore and excited snorkelers who don't want to stray to far. Ed, Heidi and I headed away from the protected area out to the point where we were going to drop down and start our dive. Just before we arrived I heard Heidi's tank banger and whipped around to see a pair of spotted eagle rays gliding under us....

  The entrance to this popular east side Oahu hike can be found near the private golf course just up from Lanikai town. A bright and colorful sign post points you in the right direction and away from private driveways. I have often looked up from Lanikai beach and seen people working their way up this ridge line to a series of old military pillboxes. We finally had a windy, rainy day with no chance for surf of scuba so we decided to tackle this hike.   It turned out to be a relatively short hike, with some steep uphill sections, but overall not too tough. I think at a slow pace even families with small kids could do it. There are some very steep drop offs to one side of the trail but luckily the wind was blasting onshore and pushing us away from the dropoff. The view of Lanikai beach and the Moke Islands just offshore was breathtaking. It also looks like it would be a perfect spot for watching the sun rise. Hold on to your hats, its gonna be windy! Living on the ...