A wise inVESTment!

On a recent trip I decided to wear a photography vest to the airport as a precaution against carry-on limitations.  And honestly, I couldn't be happier with how it worked out.  All too often I check in for a flight without being asked to weigh my carry-on case which is usually filled with sensible items.  But then when I arrive at the gate I get raised eyebrows from the flight attendants and next thing I know I am being directed to a scale to weigh my bag.

Chasing Crocodiles

Up until recently I’ll admit photographing saltwater crocodiles in their natural habitat was not high on my list of shots to get. At least not face to face in the water. But that’s exactly what I set out to do with five other crazy divers one calm February morning in Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen). Our adrenaline was already pumping as we had just finished up our first dive of the trip with two dozen Caribbean reef sharks. It was an incredible way to start off the trip so our spirits were high as we were heading back to the main boat for some coffee. Through the noise of the boat engine and water breaking we heard our expedition leader, Michael Aw, shout Niño (pronounced neen-yo) in a suggestive tone to our guide Noel Lopez. Unless you have been to Jardines, the word Niño means nothing to you but for me Nino had meant a few restless nights alone in the dark with my wild imagination. I knew we would meet some saltwater crocodiles on our trip, I knew I would be getting in the water and photographing them, but I hadn’t realized just how quickly it would happen. The fact that the time had finally arrived was a bit unsettling.

Why YOU Should Dive with Sharks

Sometimes people ask me what it’s like to dive with sharks and why I choose to do so.  “Aren’t you afraid of them?”, is a common question or maybe just another way of saying “You’re an idiot!”.  Of course I understand where this feeling comes from as not very long ago I was the one asking the same thing.  I really enjoy answering these sorts of questions because I hope that through my little stories others will be encouraged to let go of their fears and see sharks in a different light. 

I’ve come to realize that giving in to your fears can be very limiting. Certainly a healthy dose of it can be handy from time to time but letting it control you is a mistake far too many people make. People always say that when you set aside your fears you are capable of accomplishing anything. You see, there were so many things that I had always wanted to do but my worries kept holding me back.  It took far too long for me to realize I was missing out on so many amazing experiences because I kept getting in the way of myself.  In the beginning of my diving days I constantly worried about sharks. Having never had any close encounters with them I really couldn’t justify it. So what did I do? I went looking for sharks, of course!