Capturing the Moment

  One of the more well known shore snorkels/dives on the Kona coast of the Big Island is a place called Two Step, or O'Hanaunau Bay. Not only is this the site of a ancient city of refuge for the Hawaiians, but quite possibly some of the most stunning snorkeling in Hawaii that is easily accessible from shore. There is parking nearby and even though it is a lava rock coastline there is an easy entrance formed by two smooth lava rock shelves that you can step down into the calm water from. Two Step is located about 20 miles south of Kona town. My dad's sea turtle encounter   Big schools of yellow tangs graze the expansive coral reef in the shallows. Sea turtles are also in the area, often napping under ledges or feeding on algae in the shallows. The water here stays clear and calm almost every day of the year thanks to the direction the bay is facing and the lack of runoff due to being in an arid environment. Spinner dolphins diving down   One bonus that som...

      How To Take Professional Quality Photos of Dolphins in the Wild    This article hopes to help you get the most out of your wild dolphin encounter. If you have ever tried to take photos of wild dolphins you know how hard it can be trying to time it just right as they leap out of the water. Or if you are headed to a place like Hawaii you may be lucky enough to see them in the water. After living on the water for the greater part of the last decade I have had countless opportunities to photograph dolphins, and I have found several tips and tricks to nailing the best shot. Leaping Spotted Dolphins    As with any wildlife photography, the more you research and learn about your animal subject, the better position you will be in to nail the best photograph. Different species of dolphins act differently so knowing what their behaviors are can be essential. What makes dolphin and whale photography so difficult is the fact that they only spend ...

Peacock Mantis Shrimp Crabs, shrimp, and lobsters can all be big finds for an underwater macro photographer. Some of these crustaceans can give nudibranchs a run for their money when it comes to bold colors. Take this peacock mantis shrimp for example. It has so many shades of colors that it is named after a peacock!     Other crustaceans rely on small size to escape notice. Luckily our local divemaster had a great eye for some of these tiny critters that I would have swam right by. Still others rely on camouflage. This tiny wire coral shrimp was the same exact color of the wire coral until I flashed him with light from my strobe. Even then it would be hard to pick him out unless you zoom way in like this.   Alot of the reefs here are covered in soft coral. This soft coral waves back and forth in the surge and give the reef alot of movement which we don't see in Hawaii. I always think the soft coral would be a great place for creatures to hide but fo...

View from the ridge Wild chameleon found nearby at Twin Falls The more you explore Maui the bigger it can seem. There are so many secret hikes and hidden waterfalls, dive sites, sea caves, wilderness trails, lava tubes, and more. I think even if you are not a water person you could still have endless days of fun exploring the island of Maui. Today after an aborted Peahi paddle in session and a forfeit baseball game we made spur of the moment plans to go tackle the Makaiwa Hike on the road to Hana. I had heard about this hike from different sources and like most of the secret hikes here on Maui, the entrance is hard to find. The beginning of the trail is very overgrown with a lot of crouching down, pushing thru foliage, and avoiding spider webs. Then your view opens up and you realize you are on a steep ridge line looking out over the wild Pacific ocean. Walking further you can see all the way down the northeast coastline of Maui. When you reach the end of the ridge...

 I try to get in as many adventures as I can during my off time. However, many times my 'on-time' is an adventure in itself. Yesterday I was captain for a wild dolphin safari. This is a three hour tour, (how many of you are humming Gilligan's Island), where we head out wherever the best chance of seeing dolphins might be. Today we headed out to the island of Lana'i which is about 9 miles away from Maui, across the Au'Au Channel. Bottlenose Dolphin  Luckily the trade winds had died down just enough today for their to be a little wind shadow off the west coast of Maui. Lately the winds have been so strong that my trips have mine as well been admission to a water park. Not to mention that rough seas can make spotting dolphins tougher. As you can see from the pictures we found dolphins today in glassy, clear water. This is great for picture taking. You can follow along as they swim underwater and see when they are about to come up for air.  The first group of ...