First Day on the Water...DAMN!!!

January 4, 2017 - Our first day on the water was pretty dramatic. It was minus 13, so needless to say it was freaking cold. This was also our introduction to Arctic diving, which always takes a day to get used to. Sadly though, the orcas were a no show. It turns out the herring is late this year, which means the orcas are late. There was a pod in the area two days before, but where that pod is now, is everyone’s guess. We did have some great moments with sperm whales. Now that was exciting for me. I’ve never seen a sperm whale. We didn't try to get in the water, because by the time we found them, we were all frozen. So we enjoyed watching them come up for a few breathes before they would drop back down into the depths to feed. 

A quick video of the ice build up on our boat. Crazy cold.

We had one curious sperm whale that turned towards us, swam up to the boat and right underneath us. It was a massive male, what a privilege to see it up that close. I would of videoed it, but my cameras batteries all were frozen and useless. Need to figure that out. I am also kicking myself for not dunking my camera,Vera under to snap a photo. It probably would of come out like crap, but it was so close, you never know? 

I was able to snap a few topside pics with Tony’s camera. He was boat sick. So he lent me his camera to shoot. It was great, poor Tony had to throw up and didn't quite make it into the sea, so he ended up, chucking on the side of our inflatable. It instantly froze, so we had all these different colors spread out on the side of our boat. It looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. It was sooo pretty! lol

Sperm Whales

We finished the day with about 3-4 different sperm whales. Which was very cool. But sadly we were not there for sperm whales, we were there for orca bait balls. Don’t get me wrong, if we had gotten in the water with the sperm whales it would of been insanely amazing and what a privilege seeing them out there. But whale watching from a boat is not what we are here to do… Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. 

We capped off the evening with more Northern Lights. The show was just amazing. 

Northern Lights

Travel Day - Arrived In Andenes...finally!

Sorry this one is a day late guys...trying to balance writing/editing blogs and time with our friends. Is difficult. 

January 3, 2017 - The trip begins. We arrived in Andenes and talk about a shock to the senses. In Oslo, it was sunny, no snow and a beautiful 30 degrees. How quickly your perspective about what is beautiful weather changes. Once we jumped in that airplane and headed to Andenes, I quickly saw the color in the landscape change. The further we went, the whiter everything got. Well, so much for my 70 degree dream.

We landed in Bodo (which is a huge city, surprised the shit out of me.), for a quick layover before we headed to Andenes. There was some sort of snow flurry / or storm blowing through. I thought they were going to ground the airplanes, but nope! We took off in that shit. In Texas they would of closed down the whole airport. Here, this was just another day at the office. I guess thats just like me and my sharks, some people see craziness and chaos… I see a dance. The game within the game, I suppose?

I met up with half of our group in Bodo, which is always great seeing old friends and knowing they made the journey safely. We traveled together to Andenes. As I remembered from last year, the scenery as we flew to Andenes is the stuff that dreams are made of. It is so damn beautiful here. Everywhere you look is like a postcard, just breathtaking. Snowy mountains as far as the eye can see. 

Viewer discression...Don't think I am crazy because I laugh at myself in this clip. The weather is making me lose it. lol

We landed and drove to our hotel. It had just snowed the night before so there was fresh powder everywhere. The snow plows had already piled the snow up on the sides of the road. The town looks like something you would see in a christmas movie. You know the one; where no one believes the old man walking around is santa, except that one kid who everyone thinks is crazy as shit and in the end, they all praise the kid for not being crazy as shit. Well, Andenes would be the town the movie would be set in. Lol

We checked in and I met up with the rest of our group. Everyone except Tony had made it. His flight was not coming in till 10 in the evening. Anyway, we checked in with the dive shop, got the plans for the following morning. And well, we got good news and bad news.The good was that the orcas were seen and also humpbacks, fin whales and sperm whales. Which is great, but the bad news is the huge pods of orcas were late in arriving, AND the weather we were going to wake up to, for our first day in the water is one of the coldest they have had in a while, (minus 13 I think?) AND we have a couple days of shitty weather heading our way. Damn, “Welcome to the Arctic!”

We went out for dinner and then decided to check out a place, out of town where we could see the auroras without any light pollution. We took a taxi to a spot where the land owner allows people to shoot the auroras on his property, which is really great. A beautiful Fjord setting. We hiked though this wooded trail along with his big ass Rottweiler. It was pitch black and his bear sized dog was super excited running up and down the trail. The dog was friendly and cute, but the sound of him running at you in the dark sounded like a grizzly. Very unnerving. 

When we got there the auroras were kicking. The sky was dancing its dance and the colors were just swirling as the flew by. We all had a blast. It was a great way to kick off this trip. I am only hoping the weather and the animals will both cooperate tomorrow?

Northern Lights Gallery

Travel day - 23 hours of travel can kick your a@#!

January 2, 2017 - Sleep day. 23 hours of travel to get here from my home airport in Texas to Oslo, Norway - all I have done is sleep. I wanted to go around and film some of the local architecture around the airport here in Oslo, but I was wiped out. This past week has been nothing but late nights with family and friends (due to the holidays), and then I capped it with this marathon flight. My body just gave up the ghost and I crashed hard. Its 9:15pm here and 2:15pm back home. So there is a 7 hour difference that I need to adjust too as well.

Its all worth it though. Norway is beautiful. Its 30 degrees right now and there is no snow. So thats good I think? We will see how it is in Andenes, because that is a few hours (flight) away from here.

Hotel room vlog...sorry about the bed head. 

I spoke with the owner of the boats I chartered for this trip, Marten. He told me they already have orcas in the area. Which is good. That part always stresses me the hell out. But they are out there. Now we just need favorable conditions, and some baitballs. We have 6 days out there to try and make that happen. So we will see?

I will keep this write up short. I can see trying to keep a daily vlog/blog is going to be challenging. But I really want to share this world and the craziness (both highs and lows) of the Travel Life as a pro Shark Diver. It sounds wierd to me to say that, since I am out looking for orcas. But sharks are still my favorites and my career was built around the shark world.

I tried to upload this blog in my hotel room before I headed to the airport for Andenes, But ended up finishing it in the Bodo airport, Which is where we have our layover. It is a really nice airport. Small and cozy but plush as hell. There is also a snow storm blowing through here right now, so my dreams of no snow this week have been shot to hell. The adventures continue.
 

The cafe in the Bodo airport. My bro Thomas who has been on many adventures with, cleaning up cards for the orcas this week.

The cafe in the Bodo airport. My bro Thomas who has been on many adventures with, cleaning up cards for the orcas this week.

First trip of the 2017 Season...has begun!

January 1st 2017 - Travel day. Headed to Norway. This is going to be a long ass day of travel. I had a 5:30AM wake up. Which was not easy since we stayed up with family past midnight to ring in the new year. Oh yes…happy new year my friends! I want to wish all my friends and crazy shark family all the blessings in the world. 2017 is looking to be an amazing year filled with fun, love and kick ass adventures. 

6am snaps taken while at the airport. Told you guys some of this crap would be boring as hell.  Follow us on snapchat for more. Eli_sharkguy

Ok so back to travel day. Again I was up at 5:30am. Needed to be at the airport at 6AM for my 8am flight. Thankfully people are smart and stayed home for the 1st, my home airport was very empty. I am excited about getting to Norway, but torn as well. I have to leave my girls for this trip and that is always so hard. Despite living this life, that part never gets easy. But like always, the road and the ocean calls me and so a traveling we must go. 

Norway is going to be great…although I am nervous as hell. I know the orcas are in the area, because the activity has been really great. But until I see that first orca. I have trouble relaxing. And even though we see the orcas, it doesn't ease up the stress I will feel. We still need to find good bait ball activity. That is the main reason our guests are going out there with us. To experience that ocean madness and capture photos and video of the experience. My buddy Ernst, is joining us to do a story for Red Bulletin and Terra Mater magazine, so I know he is hoping (needing) for great encounters. Damn it…more pressure.

And I know there are zero guarantees when you are dealing with wild animals. But I cant help feeling pressure for my friends. They travel a long way and are hoping for the best experiences possible. I want to help them do that. That is what I live for. To see their soul’s on fire after having amazing encounters. 

Last season we had great bait balls. We had orcas everyday, but out of 6 days in/on the water, we only had two days where the orcas were feeding. The rest of the days they were hunting and running hard. However the magic from those two days was just insane. Here is a quick video from last season and the boys when they got out of the water after one of those days. I do love that shit!

So here we go. I still have another day of travel. My flight leaves JFK at 10:30PM and we do not arrive in Oslo, Norway till 11:30AM the following morning. Ill figure out the time difference later. 

I spend the night in Oslo, then catch a puddle jumper to Andenes where I will meet up with our guests. Its going to be great, I have traveled with them all before, so its going to be a nice reunion. Our first day in the water is January 4th. Cant wait to share the beauty of this place with you…and of course the conditions? How freaking cold will it be this year? Last year it was below zero on a few days so we will see what this year will be like. Hopefully, it will be 70 degrees and sunny with orcas feeding on bait balls everywhere…Hey, I can dream!

2017 Diving Season Begins! Well at least the prepping does.

Happy New Year my crazy Shark family! It all begins today for me. As promised I will be blogging our entire 2017 season for you guys. I really want to document the highs and lows of life as a professional Shark Diver and this amazing season we are about to experience. Its getting kind of wierd saying I am a professional Shark Diver Well, since we do dive with other big animals. But... down deep in my core I am still a Shark Diver...because it's all about the sharks. Always has been. Always will be! 

So anyway, I leave for Norway in two days and today is camera prep day. Batteries need to be charged. Cards need to be cleaned, o-rings need to be lubed, and the dome needs to be polished. (the camera dome port guys. lol)

So this year will be a mix of written and video blogs, because some stories are better told in their proper format. So here is a video I recorded live on Facebook earlier today.I am a bit rusty with live chats, but will get better at it, as time goes by. I also added some clips from last seasons trip so you guys can really see the conditions and the crazies I shared that adventure with. 

Hope you enjoy...

I have decided to document my journey throughout the entire 2017 diving season. The highs and lows of life as a professional Shark Diver. We kick off 2017 with a trip to Norway for orcas. I originally recorded this video live on Facebook, on our Shark Diver Magazine page.

2016 Was an Amazing Year...Thanks to all our Shark Family!

2016 season was an incredible season with great adventures, beautiful scenery, epic animal encounters and amazing people. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us out there. No words to truly share our gratitude for allowing us to share this world with you all. 

Guadalupe Island Expedition Sept.

Guadalupe Island Expedition Sept.

As I reflect back on our year, its pretty mind blowing realizing how fast the year flew by and how many miles we traveled to get to the places we visited. From orcas in Norway to belugas and polar bears in Churchill, Canada. Not to mention the countless hours we got to spend with my beloved sharks. 

2017 is shaping up to be a crazy great year with even more adventures. Me and 'Vera' are looking forward to kicking off the year. (Vera is my camera for those that didn't know.) But before I go crazy with that I am going to enjoy the end of this year and my home time with my family. The true sacrifices of living the travel life is missing out on precious family moments that I will never get back. Sadly and to my lasting regret, not ever.

I hate missing every moment with my family, more than anything. But the call of the ocean and the pull of the magic of this world is such a strong call and I cant imagine not being out there. Such is the internal ying/yang of the travel life. 

So for the 2017 season I decided to share this personal journey with you all...
I am going to be blogging, both written and video blogs of my entire 2017 season on the road. Something I have never done before. Its going to be difficult trying to balance it all, but this is a goal of mine that I have always wanted to do but I never disciplined myself to see through. I decided that 2017 is the year that I finally do it. 

It is going to be a look at the highs and lows of my life on the road. Might be completely boring sharing it all. For sure there will be many boring moments, but it will have amazing animals and great scenery for you all. Lots of animal behavior observations and definitely some very cool people that I get to share my time with. So that is the plan, it's going to be raw and real. Some locations may be difficult trying to document in real time, because I am out in/on the ocean with no signal. But for those trips I will be posting on the days when I get back. This is the dream I had when I originally planned out our documentary ‘Summer of the Sharks.’ I have always wanted to document the true experience.

When we made the film back in 2006, we didn't have the tools available to us like we do now. Lots of small cameras that are not invasive, So it just makes for a easier way to document the journey once we are out there. 

I will be starting with my prep for my orca expedition coming up January 1st and then it will be full bore from there. (No pun intended. Lol). 


So now that I made that announcement, back to 2016. Thank you again to everyone for sharing this journey with us. Wishing you all happy holidays and an amazing new year. Want to say thank you with a quick highlight video of our animal encounters from our 2016 season. Hope you enjoy…

Here is a quick highlight reel from our 2016 season, diving with sharks, whales dolphins and crocodiles. Thank you to all our extended Shark Family who joined us out there. You all have made this year special and amazing. Footage by Eli and Maritza Martinez, Kourosh Taie.

New Highlights Video Added...White Sharks.

So this is quick blog for you guys. I recently wrote a trip report on our Guadalupe expedition this past September for white sharks. What I didn't share was a highlights video from the trip. I have been so busy with our store and other projects that I never got around to editing a video for you guys. And one was over due. The only video I have shared of white sharks with you is the one I made years ago from our 2012 trip. Very outdated. Its still fun, but I wanted to do something new. 

So here you guys go. I have already added it to our white shark expedition page. But thought I would also share it here as well. Hope you enjoy. 

My Perfect Moment; I was ONE with nature…or was I?

I have so many favorite moments in the water. It is difficult to find my most memorable one. However, one particular story that I have shared many times, is a story where I felt like I was one with nature. It was perfect, it was beautiful. Until that is… I realized the fish I shared my moment with, were actually assholes.

It was a perfect day in the Bahamas; beautiful, deep blue water, hot, sunny, with flat calm conditions. We were looking for oceanic whitetips off Cat Island. We had been chumming for a while, but no whitetips. I decided to go on a scouting snorkel to see if I could find any sharks skulking around. This was pre gopro era, and the only camera I had was my big bulky Equinox camera. So I decided to go without it. My captain suggested that I swim in the direction of some sea birds that were out in the distance. The birds were pretty worked up, so I started my swim towards that activity. 

There was not much shade on our little boat, so the water felt amazing. I snorkeled out around 100 yards from our vessel and I could see the birds getting closer. I was hoping they were following a shark, but marlin or schooling tuna would be amazing as well. The birds were flying in my direction, so I started scanning the area. I would pop my head up, look at the birds, see where they were, then look down to see what they were following. They got closer and still nothing. 

I just kept looking, scanning and finally I could see a few fish hauling ass towards me. The group got bigger and bigger. Finally a school of about 20, 3 foot rainbow runners approached me and started circling me. Underneath them was a group of about 10 tunas (about the same size). On the outside of them were three dorados that also joined in the spin. They all circled me, over and over. I was totally blown away. They were within touching distance, but I didn't try to touch them. I crossed my arms and stopped swimming to enjoy this perfect amazing moment. I was glad I didn't, but at the same time, I was wishing I had a camera. It was so magical. 

Moments later, a huge oceanic whitetip approached me. The swirling fish parted and the shark swam up to bump me. I put my hand on her head and gently guided her away. She swam around me and tried to bump me again. I put my hand out and guided her away again. She approached me for a third time. As I picked my hand up to put on her head, she winced and swam away from my touch. This time, she swam around me and dropped down into the blue abyss. The entire entourage of fish that was with me followed her and disappeared.

I was left alone in a daze of what I had just experienced. It was easily one of the most amazing moments I have ever had in the water. I have shared this moment with people countless times. It was perfect and beautiful, just everything we all dream of when we think about the ocean and the animals that live there. I was thankful for this gift…that is until, I really understood animal behavior. Then it hit me like lightning. Those dirty buggers were all there because they wanted to eat me!

Now, I see clearly what happened that day. Those game fish were out hunting for food. They probably were rounding up baitballs, which is why they had the birds excited. The oceanic was tailing them to join in on their action. And maybe to eat one of the distracted tunas or rainbow runners, while they were feeding on the baitball. I showed up, all by myself and the game fish found me. They started circling me to attract the oceanic in. Their plan was for the oceanic to kill me and they would grab a free meal, courtesy of the oceanic whitetip.

They left when they realized I was formidable prey and it was not worth the risk of injury. It is fight or flight in their world. Well, I ain’t gonna lie, I was a bit heart broken when I realized it was not this perfect zen moment with all these fish. Instead it was a tribal dance of death. Whatever it was, I still dream of something like that happening to me again, because even though those fish wanted to eat me…it was still was so great, almost getting eaten by those awesomely beautiful assholes. 

Advice for the budding professional Wildlife Guide…or whatever you want to call yourself

“YOU ARE SO LUCKY.

How do I get a job like yours and do what you do?”
That’s a question I get asked all the time.

I get emails and DM’s like that nearly every week.

And I’m always a bit hesitant in how I respond, because the truth is, I don’t really know.

I’m not entirely sure how I ended up here, doing what I do for a living.

But if there’s one thing I can say with absolute certainty, it’s this… LUCK, had nothing to do with it.

Editing and Laundry in between trips. The work never ends.

"Editing and laundry—hotel floor edition. The behind-the-scenes hustle never stops."

When I step back and look at what I do, and what I get to do, I’ll admit, it’s pretty exciting and fun.

But what people don’t see are the years, the countless hours, and the behind-the-scenes hustle it took to make this life work.

I get emails all the time from people asking to intern or work with me.

And honestly, I think it’s cool that they’re reaching out.

But most of them don’t really know what it is we actually do.

They’re under the illusion that I spend all my time on or in the water.

They want to shadow me, learn about wildlife and shark behavior, and mostly, they want to learn how to feed sharks.

But what most don’t realize is that I spend about 75% of my time at a desk.

Behind a computer. Writing, editing, marketing, responding to emails. It goes on and on. Sometimes 10–12 hours a day… all day, every day.

Weekends do not exist.

When I think about it, why would anyone know that part? I don’t exactly post about it.

What ends up on the website or on social media is the excitement, the life of a professional wildlife photographer and guide.

You see us out there, playing with sharks, swimming with orcas, photographing polar bears.

Of course, that’s what you’re supposed to see.

Not the boring stuff, of me sitting at a computer for 12 hours straight; writing emails, updating the website, reserving boats and hotels, editing videos or updating social posts.

So… how did I get here?

Again, I’m not really sure. It’s all kind of blurred into one long, bumpy uphill wild adventure.

I’ve never really had an official job title either.

I guess if I had to write it down, it would look something like:
Professional Shark Diver / TV Host / Photographer / Wildlife Guide / Teacher / Storyteller / Marketing Rep / Toilet Scrubber / Mail Boy.

I wear a lot of hats here at SDM, and I genuinely love every part of what I do.

Except the toilets. Don’t really love that crap (no pun intended).

We’ve been in business for 22 years, and it took a very long time to get to where we are today.

There were so many nights I’d lie awake, trying to figure out how to keep things going.

We were struggling to keep the doors open. I’d ask myself:

Why am I doing this?
Why am I still trying to run expeditions?
How am I going to pay for this boat charter?

But somehow… it worked.

We made it.

Quitting??? That was never an option.

Even when I questioned it.

Even when it would’ve been easier.

Because I don’t really know how to quit.

That part of me, the drive, the determination, it all stems from my youth and my bull riding days.

When I was riding bulls, I wanted to be great. So I trained hard. Like, really hard.

I didn’t have natural talent, and I didn’t have a coach.

I had to be both student and teacher, and gut it out the hard way.

To be a great bull rider, you have to keep your feet in the fire, all the time.

There’s one story I always remember:
I was at a practice buck-out, riding a bull, and I got thrown off after just a few seconds.

I landed face-first in the dirt. A second later, the bull stepped on the back of my neck and shoved my face even deeper into the ground.

Luckily, the arena had just been tilled, so the dirt was soft. In a weird way, it kind of acted like an airbag.

I got up, did a quick damage check.
My neck hurt really bad. It was red, raw, and missing some skin.

My face was sore and completely caked in dirt. A little blood in my nose, but nothing broken.

And I was furious. Not from the pain, but my pride was shattered, because I bucked off.

I grabbed my bull rope, dusted some of the dirt off my face, and threw my rope on the next bull in the chute.

I was ready to ride again.

Everyone around me was telling me to take a break, to catch my breath.

They wanted to make sure I was okay.

But I didn’t want to wait. I was okay.
Physically, at least. My pride was bruised, sure… but that failure lit a fire in me.

I was more determined than ever to ride that next bull, and I wanted to channel that negative energy into the next ride.

So I did.

And that’s energy is still how I live and work to this day:
I take the sting of my failures and turn it into fuel.

That grit inside me, that’s what drives me.

It’s what’s kept me on this journey and allowed me to live this life and do what I do.

It took a lot of work to get here. And I guess if I can do it… anyone can.

But it does come with a price.

Long hours.
Rough seas.
Freezing oceans.
Shitty travel days.
And so many missed family moments you’ll never get back.

That’s one of my biggest regrets in life.

But the highs… the highs make it all worth it.

Those magical moments you carry with you forever…
Sunsets that you will never forget.
New friends from around the world.
Landscapes so beautiful they don’t seem real.
And the privilege of sharing time with some of nature’s most incredible animals, both big and small.

I’ll finish this rant with this:

This life is amazing, and it’s worth everything you’re willing to put into it.

If you want to work with wildlife, then chase that dream.

Find a way to make them your life.

But know this:
You’ve got to be willing to do the work.
To make the sacrifices.

You can’t give up when things get hard, because they will get hard.

You just need to find your own kind of grit.

Wishing you the best of luck on your journey.

Even though, in the end…luck has nothing to do with it.

Interested in traveling with us…
visit our expeditions page, find and a trip and join us on an adventure!

Shark Diving can contribute to Shark Science!

New Girl the tiger shark.

Tequila the tiger shark. Formerly known as New Girl.

There has always been a love-hate relationship between shark divers and shark researchers. Researchers have often been very vocal about their dislike for shark diving. Some researchers, not all.

Of course, many shark divers have also been critical (again, some—but not all) of shark research and the methods used.

I admit, I’ve been very vocal in the past about my issues with shark research. Though, as I’ve mentioned before, I do understand the value and necessity of some of it. On the flip side, some researchers have also been very vocal about me and what I do in the water—how I’m invasive, how I shouldn’t be touching sharks or feeding them, or how I’m “molesting” them. The criticism goes on and on.

That said, I absolutely respect legitimate shark researchers and the contributions they’ve made to shark conservation. I’ve even participated in tagging programs in the past. But I’m just too hands-on, too huggy and kissy with sharks to ever feel completely comfortable with that kind of work.

I know shark research is important. But there’s also so much more we can learn—beyond just hooking sharks, drawing blood, and taking measurements. There’s immense value in simply observing sharks, especially at dive sites like Tiger Beach.

These places are living laboratories: you can witness shark social structures, hierarchies, mating behaviors, healing processes, interspecies dynamics, and more.

So many stories. So much science. But as I’ve been told by researchers, because it’s a “non-natural” setting, it doesn’t count as real science.

Still, I finally got a chance to contribute in a way that made my point clear.

On December 2, 2014, I filmed one of our resident tiger sharks—Tequila—showing up with fresh mating scars. She had two chunks missing from her tail fin. I remember seeing her and thinking, “That’s not good.” She was clearly agitated and skittish, which is typical of a shark that’s recently been injured. She never came in close, and that was the only dive we saw her on during that trip.

Fast forward to October 12, 2015—less than a year later—Tequila showed up again, and to my amazement, she was completely healed. What’s more, the missing sections of her fin had grown back. I didn’t even know that was possible. (And yes, before anyone asks—it was definitely her. She has a distinct color pattern on her left side that makes her easily recognizable.)

This shows that some shark species are capable of not only healing but regenerating parts of their fins. While it’s widely known that sharks heal quickly, the idea that they can regrow damaged fin tissue is still relatively new. I had documented the whole thing in my journal—something I do for all the tiger sharks we encounter here—and I happened to catch it on video.

I shared the footage with the research community and asked if this was already known. Some aspects of it were, but for the most part, it was new information.

Now, this isn’t research that’s going to get published. It probably never will be. And that’s fine. What matters to me is that the footage sparked discussion within the researcher community. That, in itself, proves that shark diving sites like Tiger Beach can make real contributions to science—without needing to hook a single shark.

Maybe some researchers will still disagree with me on that… some, but hopefully not all.