Capturing the Moment

Sea Turtle in the Sun Rays at Mala Pier   Turtle over the wreckage Turtle Pictures    It feels good to be back in Hawaiian waters. I am back for another season as Expedition Leader aboard the Safari Explorer with UnCruise Adventures. On the week long cruises we kayak, snorkel, hike, and explore the islands of Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii. As expedition leader it is part of my job to figure out the best places to take the guests to based on weather, wildlife, wind, visibility, and a host of other intricacies that play a factor. Something I always try to do is to find a good turtle snorkel spot to show off some of most charismatic sea life to our visitors. Clouds Above Flying through the sky   We have a chance to encounter sea turtles at any of our snorkel spots, however Maui seems to be the hotbed for green sea turtles. The wreckage of the old Mala Pier and the vast coral reef at Olowalu are two of my favorite spots for almost guaranteed t...

  Continuing on my theme of wide angle underwater photography exploration around the island of Maui I enlisted the help of underwater model specialist Heidi as well as a few Hawaiian green sea turtles to add a little extra to these shots from Olowalu reef. The water cleared up nicely as we snorkeled offshore and the coral here is just incredible. I was hoping for flat calm conditions to try some over under shots with the camera lens half in the water and half out. This is a very delicate art form especially when you have some waves added to the mix. I picked Olowalu for this because to make a good over/under picture you have to have interesting things both above and below the water. The reef is always amazing, especially if you have a turtle or snorkeler in the shot, and here at Olowalu the above water scenery is breathtaking. The west maui mountains loom in the background. They are nearly always covered in clouds. At over 5,500ft tall they create their own climate zone ...