Capturing the Moment

      Underwater Photos of Dolphins     This week's adventure from Molokai to the Big Island brought us up close to some very fun charismatic megafauna. We saw some of the season's first humpback whales, we came across a mother and calf Blainsville's beaked whales, bottlenose dolphins, manta rays, and several pods of spinner dolphins. The spinner dolphins were curious enough that on two separate occasions, one from a kayak and one from a skiff, I was able to put my underwater camera in the water and get these shots. Their playfulness shows their underlying intelligence and their family bonds show off a highly sophisticated social network.  It is always a pleasure to be in the company of intelligent life...especially in the ocean! Check out my photo page for high res underwater photos of dolphins: daimarsphotos

A pod of Hawaiian spinner dolphins Back home on Oahu after near two months of being away I wasted no time in reacquainting myself with some of the more colorful local residents. Pods of spinner dolphins can often be seen playing in the water very close to the shoreline all around the Hawaiian islands. During the day they like to relax in shallow, sandy bays before heading to deeper water at night to find food.  While it is fun to watch spinner dolphins from the shore or from a boat, there is something magical about seeing them underwater. They have a certain grace and curiosity that hints at their intelligence. We can relate to their family grouping and playfulness as well. Knowing how to observe them is very important. I take care not to chase them or frighten them when I take photographs of dolphins. Luckily I can hold my breath for a while so when I know the dolphins are heading my way I can swim down and wait for them with my camera at the ready. That way they don't fee...

  The big island of Hawaii is perfectly set up for snorkeling and scuba diving. Massive volcanoes rise up to nearly 14,000ft, blocking all of the trade winds coming in from the northeast. This creates a huge lee, or protected zone around Kona. Flat calm waters, sunny skies, and great visibility make for some healthy coral reefs and happy marine critters. Not wanting to miss out on my quick visit I made sure to book a snorkel trip to one of my favorite big island spot, Kealakekua Bay. This bay was made famous as the spot where Captain Cook first came and there is a monument to him at the bay. This is also the spot where Capt. Cook returned later only to be killed.   We booked a trip on the Fair Winds catamaran. Breakfast and lunch included for wonderful day, although after running a similar trip in Maui with Pacific Whale Foundation for years I would have to say Maui is by far a better deal. 2 spots instead of 1, open bar, for about 2/3 of the price. But the day was beauti...

  The coral reefs and plentiful diving of Maui might be hard to find here on Oahu, at least from the shore, but our first dive since moving here provided lots of thrills. Moray eels, spinner dolphins, turtles, eagle rays, an octopus, three leaf scorpionfish, and five kind of nudibranchs. Not a bad haul as far as marine life is concerned. Check out some of the pictures from the two hour dive at Electric Beach.   Electric beach is one of the most popular shore dives on Oahu's west coast. I had never been past Pearl Harbor before in that direction so this was breaking new ground. The west coast is very dry with a ridge of mountains coming right down to the water. Very beautiful, especially when you pull into the parking lot and immediately see spinner dolphins playing just offshore. 1 of 2 Spotted Eagle Rays Green Sea Turtle, "Honu" Yawning Scorpionfish   One unique feature of this spot, is a large factory on the inland side of the road which has two under...

La Perouse Bay, Maui   I had always heard that spinner dolphins would cruise over the sandy bottom at a protected bay on the south shore of Maui called La Perouse Bay. On one of my snorkel trips that I drive called the Molokini Wildside we can sometimes make it through the windy and wavy conditions on the way to La Perouse to check out Maui's youngest lava flows and check for dolphins. Last week we saw the dolphins several days in a row so I planned on my first day off to grab my big underwater camera, wake up early, and head down to see if I could get some good dolphins pictures.   After a beautiful sunrise I saw a glint of silver from the middle of the bay. The dolphins were here! I grabbed my snorkel gear and and jumped in, carefully avoiding all the sharp a'a lava rocks. The spinners were way out in the middle of the bay in about 35ft of water. They are nocturnal hunters that spend their mornings in a resting state, zigzagging back and forth in bays such as this....