Capturing the Moment

Alright, I've put together the best of the best underwater GoPro footage from last week's Galapagos trip with UnCruise on La Pinta. This is from six different snorkel spots on three different islands. Magnificent! Best to watch in 1080, high definition resolution. If you have trouble with the above you can follow the link below: https://youtu.be/M3sUJ1KYpEY?si=rDKZ1_a6zkRb_Kv3

  This behavior of opening its mouth underwater is a bit unusual. It gives a nice look at the tooth-like bony structures in the mouth that it uses to scrape algae off the rocks. The old Mala Pier on Maui, situated in Lahaina, is a poignant relic of the island's maritime history. Constructed in the early 20th century, this wooden pier was once a bustling hub of activity, crucial for the shipping and transportation needs of the region. Its location at the edge of the serene Mala Wharf area made it an ideal spot for cargo operations and passenger disembarkation. Over the years, the pier witnessed the ebb and flow of Maui’s development, reflecting the changes in the island’s economy and infrastructure. As time passed, the pier fell into disuse, overtaken by modern ports and updated transportation methods. Today, the Mala Pier stands as a picturesque, albeit weathered, remnant of a bygone era. The structure's aging pilings and rusted fixtures tell a story of resilience against the e...

  What a week for sharks here in Hawaii! On our first snorkel at Shark Fin Rock, our small boat noticed a dolphin about 30ft away from me at the surface. So I quickly headed that way. I caught a glimpse of it as it swam away, but then was happy to see another headed my way. However, I quickly realized it was not another dolphin, it was a big pelagic shark! It looked like a sandbar shark while I was in the water, but after looking at the photos I'm not quite sure.  I followed it for a minute, then it turned right towards me. I snagged a couple of photos with my little olympus tough waterproof point and shoot camera. Rare encounter with a large shark off in the blue. This was a about a six to seven foot shark swimming with me. Seeing white tip reef sharks is much more common for snorkelers around Hawaii. We saw six of them at our snorkel spots this week! It is still rare to find even white tips, I was pretty excited. I've been checking under this ledge at Kealakekua Bay all seas...

Snorkeling in the Galapagos!   Everyone knows about the giant tortoises, iguanas, and blue footed boobies in the Galapagos. You literally have to step around them as you walk around the different islands. However, the real wildlife bonanza here is revealed only when you put on a mask and snorkel and look underwater. Giant schools of fish fill the water column. Sea turtles and sharks swim by. And curious sea lions come so close that they might even chew on your camera playfully. I could have stayed underwater here for a long long time. I was very eager to see some of the rarer endemic wildlife underwater, like the Galapagos penguins, flightless cormorants, and marine iguanas. I had my old GoPro camera mounted on a pole ready to go. Well, it turned out that the ocean conditions didn't cooperate entirely with us for our underwater time. The waves were quite big, which stirred up a lot of sediment, decreasing the clarity of the water. We had to cancel one beach snorkel because of huge ...

  What a week. Here is a small taste of what we saw. Despite some major camera gear malfunctions (mostly my hard drive biting the dust, with all my photos on it), I was still able to save a lot of video footage. Here is a short look at some of the cool experiences I had this week in the Galapagos.  -Dai Mar

  Incredible Snorkel at Mala Pier, Maui This may be one of the best kept secrets of Maui. Just outside the bustling port village of Lahaina, there is an old concrete pier, lying at the sandy bottom after hurricane Iniki wrecked it with massive waves back in 1992. Since then it has become a magnet for marine life. Corals cover the wreckage of the old pier, giving it a bit of a shipwreck feel as you hover at the surface. Fish have come to live in the coral, and sea turtles also call the area home. Today was one of those lucky days were the water was flat calm, the sky was sunny and blue, and the site was uncrowded. The reason this is such a great spot to know about is that you can actually get here without a boat. If you know where to swim out you can easily reach the snorkel site from the beach. I often grab my scuba tank and do shore dives here, although today was all about snorkeling with my guests. And what a snorkel it was! Check out the description below each picture for a litt...