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Marty’s photo of the day #4936: A while back, I posted a mediocre photo of a royal angelfish, explaining my failed efforts to capture a quality image of a species that seemed determined to thwart me. Then, while going one more time through the thousands of photos I took last year in the Raja Ampat, […]
I love the challenge of underwater photography—even when some challenges ultimately fail. I’ve been an above-water wildlife photographer for most of my life, but an underwater photographer for only nine years. Those nine years include about seventy times in the water and three different cameras. Each time, I feel like I’m getting better at my […]
In the Belize chapter of my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, I tell a story about getting up before sunrise for a solo rainforest hike. When I accidently hiked into an enclave of orb weaver spiders, I humorously called them “Belizean fangs-o-death.” Ever since that moment, all orb weaver spiders, […]
Whether I’m walking in a rainforest or floating over a coral reef, I love seeing unusual creatures that appear to be from another planet. This is a crested nembrotha, which is a type of nudibranch (sea slug). It’s easy to imagine a giant spacefaring version of this nudibranch attacking a red-shirted crewman in an old […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4922: When Deb and I booked ten days sailing on the Katharina, the two main attractions were the possibilities of snorkeling with whale sharks and observing birds-of-paradise. We accomplished the whale shark snorkel early in the trip. The birds-of-paradise took more work. Twice, we went on sweltering rainforest hikes to […]
Even though our ten days sailing the Raja Ampat on the Katharina was an unforgettable experience, one of the best things Deb and I did was extend our New Guinea visit by adding five days at the tiny two-cabin Raja Ampat Eco Lodge. There, the staff took great care of us, and we bonded with […]
During the past ten years, Deb and I have snorkeled in the Sea of Cortez, off the coast of Bonaire, off the coast of Belize, and in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea. Some were organized outings with other snorkelers, and others were on our own. One thing we’ve found is that we enjoy […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4917: I remember the first time I tried snorkeling. It was early in Deb’s and my marriage, and it didn’t go well. One thing I remember from my brief time in the water was all the incredible colors, brighter than I’d ever seen before. Now that I’m comfortable snorkeling, I […]
Many of the smaller islands in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea are “bat islands.” I shot this series of photos as we approached one of those islands. It was teaming with flying foxes. Since we were returning from a stop at a waterfall, I only had my underwater camera with me. I would […]
If you’ve read my book, Hits, Heathens, and Hippos: Stories from an Agent, Activist, and Adventurer, you know my history of not getting along with water. It goes back to a cigar-smoking childhood swimming teacher I had when I was about ten. His methods included holding the heads of his students under the water. To […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4902: Our accommodations at the tiny two-bungalow Raja Ampat Eco Lodge were quite wonderful. However, squeamish people might object to the open design that allowed rainforest visitors inside. During our five-day stay, Deb and I rescued nine land crabs that sneaked into the bathroom through a drainage pipe. Some, like […]
What would a tropical adventure be without a snake story and photo? One of the reasons Deb and I chose to spend our final five days in Indonesian New Guinea at the tiny Raja Ampat Eco Lodge was because the website promised good herping (searching for reptiles and amphibians). When we spoke with the owner, […]
Deb and I got to swim with bottlenose dolphins last month. Getting up early, we took the dinghy from The Katharina to an area where the dolphins were known to hang out. For most of the time, the dolphins were shy. They sank into the murky water and only surfaced when necessary to breathe (photo […]
When Deb and I stayed at the tiny two-cabin Raja Ampat Eco Lodge on the island of Waisai (Indonesian New Guinea), one of the recommended hikes was a precipitous and slippery climb through the rainforest to a panorama. Much of the hike had ropes for us to grab, keeping us from bloodying our shins if […]
This is the story of Deb’s and my six-million-dollar speedboat ride and one-and-a -half-million-dollar tip. When we booked our trip to the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea ten months in advance, we were warned to be flexible. That was good advice. Between January and October, our international airline tickets got canceled, forcing me to […]
The people of Indonesian New Guinea were among the most friendly I’ve met anywhere in the world. At the beginning of our trip, Deb and I walked the main road in Kaimana (a remote island town of about 17,000) as people on scooters whizzed by. As the only visible white people in town, we were […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4894: I’ve loved photography for most of my life but didn’t get into underwater photography until Deb and I spent a week on the Sea of Cortez in 2016. I’ve upgraded my underwater camera three times. Currently I prefer the SeaLife Micro 3.0 for videos and the Olympus Tough TG-7 […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4893: After 3 days of traveling, including 5 airplane flights and a 2-hour speedboat ride across open ocean, Deb and I are back home from the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea. Having traveled all 7 continents and written 3 nature-oriented travel books, I can say with confidence that […]
Marty’s photo of the day #4892: Deb and I are on our way back from sailing in the Raja Ampat region of Indonesian New Guinea. Our first day was an outstanding indicator of what was to come. We snorkeled near a mobile fishing platform, hoping to see the whale sharks that visit, looking for scraps. […]
Greetings from Indonesia! Deb and I have spent the past three weeks in the Raja Ampat (the Coral Triangle) region of Indonesian New Guinea. Much of it sailing on The Katharina (pictured), which is a traditional pinisi ship, built by the Bugis people. We snorkeled with whale sharks, enjoyed the most diverse and most beautiful […]
