Capturing the Moment

  Often when I tell people about the beautiful tropical coral reef off the coast of Kenya and Tanzania to people back in the States I get a lot of blank stares. I feel like it is one of East Africa's great secrets. People know about the incredible savannas filled with antelope, and big adventures like climbing Kilimanjaro, but scuba diving off the coast around the ancient Spice Islands can be right up there.   Here is a quick five minute video I put together to give you a feel of that beautiful underwater world that won't remain a secret forever.

Anemone on the Reef Giant Clam and Cucumber    When my dad told me that I had to see these amazing coral gardens near this tiny island off the coast of Zanzibar I was immediately interested. Doing a little more research into this island called Chumbe, I discovered that it was an uninhabited island that was turned into a marine protected area and an eco lodge back in 1994. The eco lodge has won all kinds of accolades for self sustaining the coral park and its no-impact vow on the surrounding environment. The lodge and bungalows run on solar, complete with vegetation grey water filtration system and composting toilets. One side of the island is open to fishing while the other side consist of one of the best coral gardens I have ever seen. Healthy Reef   Since it cost $280 per person to stay overnight on Chumbe Island we decided to book a day trip for $90. This includes the return boat trip, a fabulous lunch, snorkel gear and guides, a nature walk, and acces...

Healthy Herbivores   I feel pretty lucky that I can come back to Maui for a quick two week vacation and have amazing adventures with great friends. One of these adventures was on my old boat, the Ocean Adventurer, for an all-day snorkel trip to the island of Lanai.  Kelly diving under as Ben stands guard Early Morning Rays    Lanai is often called the "pineapple isle" because it was once a massive pineapple plantation. Nowadays it is owned by the business software mogul Larry Ellison and is more of an elite tourists destination. Although at the moment the two major hotels that are on Lanai are closed for upgrades. Which means that the snorkeling around the island is almost completely untapped except for the few snorkel boats adventurous enough to make the drive from Maui. Predator jacks search for food Kelly freediving deep Underwater swim-thru    We had wavy conditions but almost no wind. We found great snorkeling conditions at...

Christmas in Fiji   What an amazing place. A week of surfing and diving on the coral coast with Myles and Jack, a private surf trip to the fabled cloudbreak, and a true Fijian island experience on Wayalailai in the Yasawas is how I've come to know this country. Eco Haven, the resort here on Waylailai, is run by the local villagers. Everyone stops to say, 'Bula', or hello in Fijian, and are just downright nice. I hung out with some local kids on top of the big rock, went for hours of snorkeling on the fringing reef, and hiked to the top of the massive granite outcroppings that make this island resemble a mini Yosemite. The guys have shared their local drink Kava, which is supposed to mellow you out kind of like marijuana, and have also taken us all out for a not so intense 'shark feeding' with one curious white tip. You could tell the guide was enjoying things when we saw dolphins on the way back.  View from the top View looking the other way ...

Hanauma Bay, Oahu   Oahu's southeast shore is very rugged and has some real gems if you look hard enough. A very popular one is Hanauma Bay. Over a million visitors come to this idyllic bay every year to sunbath and go snorkeling. But just around the corner you can find almost deserted beaches, hikes out to lighthouses, and some amazing shades of blue water.    Hanauma bay is so popular because of the easy, protected inner reef. It is a great place for people learning how to snorkel or who just want to sunbath and take a quick dip to cool off. This spot use to be notorious for people walking on the reef and the effects of this can still be seen today. Old, dead reef, which should have new coral growing on top of it still remains dead close to shore. Luckily conservation efforts were slowly put into place, and in 2002 visitors were required to pay a small fee and watch an educational movie about how to not harm the reef ecosystem. It will take a while for the inner re...

              Nudibranchs of Puerto Galera   One of the main reasons the Philippines has been so high on our scuba dive radar is the diversity of nudibranchs that can be found in the waters here. Sea slugs that come in every color imaginable and all different shapes and sizes dot the reefs and rocks just offshore. When we told our divemaster, Amil, that we were hoping to see lots of nudibranchs his eyes lit up. Apparently Puerto Galera is a nudibranch lovers paradise. Nembrotha chamerlaini Pseudoceros bifurcus   13 dives and we saw nudibranchs on every dive! Some were absolutely tiny and needed a very trained eye to see, even if someone was pointing right towards them. Others caught the eye with their wild colors making them stand out.    Some of the nudibranchs were similar to those we have in Hawaii like these two pictured here. But small differences show how the isolation in Hawaii ...