2020 has been a crazy, crazy year. Not sure what to think of it. All I know is we made it through to the end, and despite having to cancel quite a few trips, we still managed to run 11 expeditions (thank you, Mexico). Not all were in Mexico, but we ran half of them there.

Sadly we had to reschedule quite a few of our trips this season; sperm whales off Dominica, Tonga humpbacks, Mountain gorillas, orcas off Baja and Norway, and polar bears off Churchill.

But we did managed to run these trips this season;

Tiger Beach (Bahamas) - January
Threshers (Malapascua Phillipines) - February
Orangutans (Borneo) - February
Grey Whales (Mag Bay, MX) - March
Makos (Cabo San Lucas, MX) - March
Whale Sharks (Isla Mujeres, MX) - July
Croc Diving (Banco Chinchorro, MX) - July
Tiger Beach (Bahamas) - October
Striped Marlin (Mag Bay, MX) - November (2 Trips)
Tigers/Great Hammerheads (Bahamas) - December

I am not making light of what has happened with covid, it has been a heartbreaking year, and many people have lost loved ones. But this year has also taught us a lot. Especially how to take better care of ourselves, appreciate our freedoms, and be extremely grateful for everyone in our lives that matters and everything we do have. 

Financially the year was filled with uncertainty, and many companies struggled with keeping the doors open. We were one of those companies. Tourism got hit hard, and if it wasn't for my Dad and my brother's help, giving me some work during the downtime, I am not sure how the year would have finished for us. I know I would have found a way to make something happen, but working for MJ Masonry made life much more breathable for us. So a shout out to my family for the help. Love you guys. 

Despite the lack of travel, we stayed busy, and the year went by in a crazy blur. Now we are days away from the beginning of a new year. Thankfully we are here, SDM’s doors are still open, and we feel rejuvenated, and excited to continue taking our friends to encounter wildlife around the world. If I was asked one word to describe how I felt about this year, it would be 'Gratitude.' I feel so grateful for everything in my life; family, career, my health, all of it.

I have been running trips for 17 years, and I have always felt lucky and blessed that my job is also my passion and hobby. If I was not doing this for a living, I know I would be working, saving every penny to travel - seeking out as many wild animals and places that I can experience in this lifetime.Wildlife is basically my obsession and what I think about. Well, I also think about cameras and photography, but I am passionate about cameras because I love capturing videos and stills of animals we encounter. 

I guess you can say I am on a high right now and very excited about the new year… I know that the flipping of a calendar page will not automatically reset things back to normal. There is still so much uncertainty in the world. But thankfully, there is daylight in sight, and I am fired up and in love with the future. 

So with that, I will end my blog by giving thanks; thank you for being a part of our journey. Thank you for watching our videos, reading our blogs, sharing and liking our images, and especially for joining us out there on our adventures. We are incredibly grateful to you all.

We love you guys and wish you all a fantastic new year filled with love and adventures.