I took more than 50 photos here as the sun was coming up This photo was taken on a multi day kayak trip in the Florida Keys. I was paddling past this small red mangrove tree at sunrise. I probably took 50 photos here as the sun was coming up. Of those photos, this is […]
Moon Jelly – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data Notice the school of juvenile fish in the mantle of the moon jelly This month our theme is “light”. What you are looking at is a moon jellyfish, with the sun in the background. These jellyfish are common throughout the Caribbean and South Florida. If you look […]
Eastern fence lizards keeled scales are rough to the touch This month our theme is “texture”, and I believe this lizard’s keeled scales exhibit our theme quite well. If you were quick enough to catch one of these lizards, you would find their keeled scales rough to the touch. These lizards are masters of camouflage. […]
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 […]
Lightning Fun Facts 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 […]
Arrow Crab – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data 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 […]
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 […]