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 […]
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Tag: snorkel
Unintended Whale Shark Rides
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. […]
Off the Coast of Bonaire
Marty’s photo of the day #4584: My wife, Deb, and I snorkeled 26 times off the coast of Bonaire in September. Each time brought the excitement of a “new species,” sending us to our fish ID books once onshore. This one wasn’t in any of our ID books. Our best guess is that it’s a […]
The Critically Endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Marty’s photo of the day #4496: When Deb and I visited the island of Bonaire earlier this month, we enjoyed 26 hour-long snorkels. I fell in love with above-water wildlife photography many years ago, but all those snorkels made me passionate about underwater wildlife photography, too. It’s incredibly challenging, as underwater creatures never stop moving. […]
Long-Spine Porcupinefish
Marty’s photo of the day #4490: This long-spine porcupinefish is about 20 inches long. If frightened, it could swallow a large amount of water to inflate a pouch near its stomach, thereby doubling in size and raising spines all over its body. Deb and I didn’t see any of these fish during our first week […]
The sea lions can’t wait!
Marty’s photo of the day #3052: These sea lions are waiting on a tiny island in the Sea of Cortez with great anticipation. As soon as Deb and I dropped into the water with our snorkel gear, they were in with us. It was one of the few times I’ve observed wildlife where the observee […]





