Capturing the Moment

Moments before the Kangaroo boxed Myles in the head Green Boa Christmas card for the boys Me and Roo How to carry a wombat    We wanted to break the drive up a bit from the Sunshine Coast down to Coolangata and were lucky enough that the Australia Zoo was not too far off our route. I have always been a big fan of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. I guess he reminds me a bit of my own dad. If you are a fan and have never read the biography of him written by his wife Teri it is a moving piece and well worth a read. His father started the Australia Zoo which has turned into a really nice park. We actually saw Teri and her two children, Bindi and Robert, filming just like their dad used to. They have all the rare Australian and Tasmanian animals like wombats, Tasmanian devils, and dingos. But the kangaroo and koala exhibits are the two that really shine through. The kangaroos are in big open pastures that you casually stroll through. You are allowed to si...

Avoiding obstacles at Honolua Digging in the rail   Fresh off a month long adventure in Indonesia it was time to get back to work in Maui. The Humpback whales are migrating down from Alaska and big winter storms are pushing down pulses of great surf along Maui's north shore. Juvenile Kangaroo Nudibranch White Margin Nudibranch   Also during the winter we get periods of calm from our usual trade winds. All of this adds up to some great surfing, some great diving, and lots of good photo opportunities!   A good friend Ryan Shamburger was out for a visit which prompted a visit to the fabled surf break of Honolua Bay. Located way up on the northwest shore of Maui I seldom get here just because of the long drive. But when I do it can be world class. These top two photos were taken there by Heidi Miller. The first pretty far off at the middle break and the second just below at the cave. Slender Tail Moray Then came the diving. Heidi and I were able to ...

Jolly Green Giant, the holy grail Jolly Green Giant (Ceratosoma sinuatum)   Searching for nudibranchs and other rarely seen creatures has become a passion for Heidi and myself out here in Maui. But up until now we have only been searching 'Nudi Flats', our secret dive sive, during the day. Once we finally decided to explore the place at night it was like a different reef. The major find on the dive and one that we have been searching for since we found out about its existence was the Jolly Green Giant nudibranch ( Ceratosoma sinuatum ). This little guy is considered the holy grail for nudibranch hunters out here in Hawaii, and we finally found one! Up until now we havn't seen these beautiful greens and light blues on any of our nudibranch finds. Heidi joked that now we can stop diving. Three snow goddess nudibranchs Other nudibranchs and flatworm quickly followed. Snow goddess nudibranchs and kangaroos seemed to be perched out on rocky outcroppings, a giant...

a lone Imperial Nudibranch the dusky blues of a Gloomy Nudibranch Decorator Nudibranch ( Goniobranchus decorus) Kangaroo Nudibranch Trembling Nudibranch Tom Smith's Nudibranch Indian Nudibranch Porcupine Fish close-up 2 Imperial Nudibranchs trailing What a dive. Muck diving here in Maui has turned up yet another treasure trove of nudibranchs. On this dive at one of our favorite spots we found 20 nudibranchs! Here are just a few of them. Some people are calling this spot "Dai Mar's reef", although Dai Mar and Heidi's reef would be more fitting. I think eventually it should be named nudibranch heaven or 'Nudi Flats'. Sometimes all you have to do is put it in writing and its official.