The northern stargazer buries itself and then ambushes its prey! You are looking at a northern stargazer partially buried in sand. Seldom seen by divers, this fish is a master of stealth. Sometimes the only thing exposed above the sand are its eyeballs. If you look closely, even the skin around the eyeball is dotted […]
74+ mph is when we start calling them hurricanes Before we get to hurricanes, you should be aware of tropical waves, tropical depressions, and tropical storms. A tropical wave is an elongated area of showers and storms that typically moves from east to west across the Atlantic Ocean, along the tropics, near the equator. As […]
The storm did end up coming my way. This photo was taken on day 3 of a 4-day solo kayak/camp trip through the Middle and Lower Florida Keys. I was paddling south, and hammock camping in the mangroves each night. I remember looking out at this storm and thinking, yikes I hope that isn’t headed […]
I was out on a “blackwater night dive” Capturing a flash of lightning in a photo can be pretty challenging, even in Florida (the state with the most lightning strikes every year, ~1.45 million strikes). This photo was taken about 5 miles offshore of West Palm Beach, Florida. I was out on a “blackwater night […]
Arrow crabs don’t seem to mind divers This is a photo of two arrow crabs fighting. During this dive, I remember watching the arrow crabs battle, presumably over territory. When the one arrow crab grabbed the other arrow crab’s blue claws, I took the shot. Arrow crabs don’t seem to mind divers, which makes them […]
This shrimp can be found among anemone. Believe it or not, this beautiful shrimp is less than one inch long. Spotted cleaner shrimp are found among certain species of anemone, in this case a corkscrew anemone. As the name implies, this shrimp actually “cleans” the parasites, dead tissue, and algae off of fish. If you […]
To say the turtle was wrapped in fishing line would be an understatement Diving on a patch reef in the Florida Keys about a month ago, I came across this turtle. It swam right up to me and my dive buddy. To say he was wrapped up in fishing line would be an understatement. The turtle had fishing […]
Ormond Beach has been home to countless vacations for me and my family Ormond Beach, Florida has been the home to countless vacations for me and my family. Matt has even joined for some vacations there. It’s a great place nestled just north of Daytona Beach that has an expansive beach and small crowds. Whenever […]
Look closely, you can see the baby osprey in the nest. This is a photo of an osprey, my favorite sea bird. I took this photo down in Key Largo, Florida, where I used to live. I regularly visited this particular osprey nest. If you look closely, you can see the baby osprey in the nest. The […]
There is a flurry of activity… This photo comes from a coral spawn dive off the Upper Keys in Florida. Once a year staghorn coral reproduces by broadcast spawning, generally after the full moon in the late summer months. This simultaneous release of eggs provides a feasting opportunity other reef species. This Acropora coral crab […]