MAGIC HAPPENED FINALLY!

Today was the day we had been waiting for.

Moral had been low due to very slow shark action, and after three days of disappointments out at sea, we were rewarded for our patience.

We got a blue shark today!

We did not get skunked entirely this week… On day one, we did have a silky shark around our boat, and we got some water time with it, but it was shy, and it did not hang around for a long time. Plus, our group was hoping for a mako or blue shark, not a silky.

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Silkies are an easier shark to find than its pelagic cousins, so it is not as coveted and glamorous a species. However, it is still a cool shark and a lot of fun to encounter.

AND this is a mako and blue shark trip, so it was cool to see a silky, but not as cool as seeing a mako or blue. lol

Today we had been chumming for about three hours when our buddy Chris asked if he could get in the water to cool off. Of course, we said yes, and not 10 minutes into his cool-off snorkel, he called out that there was a shark under the boat. It was a five-plus foot male blue shark.

Excitedly we all geared up and jumped in the water. With pelagic species, you have to get in quickly; you just never know how long the shark is going to stick around for. Thankfully the shark stayed with us for the next hour and a half straight, and it was not shy at all.

Tried to do a few split shots. After looking at the few images I shot, this one was my favorite from the day. I just wished I had tried to shoot more.

Our blue shark was extremely curious and we had to guide it away a few times. Here our buddy Chris gently pushed away the nosey shark.

The shark kissed all our dome ports. It repeatedly chased our hang baits and swam around all of us the entire time.

This is what I wanted for our group. A confident shark that gave us plenty of opportunities to spend time with it and capture nice images of the shark that they were all going to be happy with. It was an amazing player, and our guests all had one hell of a good time.

A day like today is the stuff that dreams are made of and why I love wildlife adventures. I was so damn happy, and I am looking forward to more shark action tomorrow, which is our final day in the water.

We still need to find a mako shark. I want our guests to see one, and tomorrow looks like the perfect day to do it too.

I have no doubt we will… I can feel it!

Day Three - A Rough Day at Sea.

Mathias chumming with fresh bait… Image by Chris Kemper

Well, another tough day out on the ocean. This morning we arrived at our boat, and it was a bit chilly with some wind in the marina. Signs that it was going to be rough out on the ocean. We decided to try a different spot to see if we would get better results. The site we visited was good a week ago but went cold for us the first two days.

So we tried a seamount that was a few miles closer to land. Unfortunately, the water here was green and not the blue we had had the previous two days. But perhaps the green water would help us find those elusive sharks. Green also means the water here was colder, which might help us with the blue sharks. They tend to like the cooler waters.

As we chummed for a few hours, the winds kept building, and with it came the white caps. The swells were building, and it was getting choppy. Finally, about four-plus hours into chumming, we saw our first shark. Well, Brad thought he saw a blue shark earlier, but no one else did, so we marked it off as a phantom shark.

The shark that arrived we all saw it. It cruised in on a wave as it headed towards our hang baits. It was not a mako or a blue. It was a smooth hammerhead! Excitedly we all started gearing up. I tried to rush everyone because the one thing I know about these oceanic hammerheads is that they do not stick around very long.

Sadly I was right. The shark left as fast as it arrived. A few of us got in the water, but the shark was gone. No one saw it in the water. Damn it.

The swells were building dangerously high, so we made a safety call. We pulled all our bait, dumped the chum, and called it a day. We slowly motored back to port in a very messy ocean.

The waves were high and made for an exciting ride back home.

As we motored back to port, we encountered another smooth hammerhead along the way. It was swimming on the surface; we watched it for a quick minute, called it a few dirty names for not showing up to our chum slick, then left it alone.

Sadly today was not our day, moral is low, but thankfully we still have two more days, and tomorrow looks fantastic.

In fact, I genuinely believe tomorrow will be an excellent wildlife day at sea.

I can feel it!

Day Two - A Total Bust!

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Bull sealion. We stopped by the sealion colony off Cabo San Lucas, MX. on the way out to snap a few images.

Well, we got skunked, damn it!

It happens.

This is why we run these trips over several days because with pelagic sharks, you just never know if and when they will show up. Today they were a no-show. AND the day was perfection. The weather was beautiful, and the water visibility was an incredible deep blue. The vis looked insane. Of course, I didn’t get in to confirm it, but from the surface, it was WOW.

 All we needed was some sharks… and NADA! Nothing, no sharks showed up. 

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Our group was disappointed with the makos no-show today, but that is part of the dance. You can not have good days without bad ones. It is all about time in the water and the magic is out there waiting for us.

But that is what nature sometimes does. She decides that you need a kick in the teeth, and to remind you that what we are doing is not easy. If we want to find makos to dive with, we are going to have to put in the time.

We still have three days left, thankfully, so there is time to get back out there and find some sharks to dive with. 

At the end of the day, on the way back into the marina, we stopped to watch some common dolphins jumping around and a couple of humpback whales in the middle of all that craziness. I snapped a fluke shot that looked like it might be worth sharing, and after that, we motored in and called it a day. 

We are just going to have to wait until tomorrow to find our magic… and I do not doubt that Day Three will be our day… I can feel it!

Until then my friends, thanks for reading.

Day One off Baja - The Search for Mako Sharks Begins!

Day 1 - The weather was amazing! Today was a beautiful day at sea. The sun was out, and the water was nice and calm. It was so good, everything you hope for when you set out on an open ocean adventure. There was some wind, but we needed that to help us chum.

On the way out, we encountered several humpback whales. The whales were in the green water near the island, and we wanted sharks so we pressed on.

We motored out for about ten miles, hit our marks, and killed the engine to start chumming. Our group was eager to find us some makos. Makos are always the stars of these pelagic shark dives. Blue sharks are amazing, but makos are just rock stars.

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After about 3 hours of chumming, we had our first shark show up. It was a nice-sized silky shark, which was a surprise because they are not supposed to be here. It is the wrong time of year for silkies.

They obviously did not get the memo.

Our group quickly geared up to jump in. I decided to stay on board and watch from the boat. Everyone else jumped in with our trusty guide and safety diver, Fer. I wanted them to get some solid water time with this shark. Just in case, it decided not to stay.

After a good 30 minutes, the shark disappeared. Shortly after that, a second silky appeared. This one was a bit shy and would not come in close.

It didn’t stay long.

silky shark

The shark returned after a while, and I jumped in to get a look at it. Again, it remained shy and did not come in close. I snapped a few images, but nothing I got excited about. I did not bother opening up my camera housing to look at the images.

We chummed for another hour but no other sharks came in. After that we called it a day and headed in. It was a good day and a fun way to kick off the trip. Of course as I sit here journaling about the day, I am already excited about Day Two… day two is going to be even better, and we will find our makos.

I can feel it!

The 2022 Travel Season is About to Begin!

January 26, 2022 - The month is freaking gone! Damn, where does the time go?

So this week, I got fired up to write, I wrote a blog earlier this week, but decided to write another one. I do love writing.

I also was going to cut a new video blog, for the second part of our 2021 anaconda diving trip. Check out the first one if you have not seen it.

However, I was inspired to share a video from last season’s Baja shark trip. So I will be cutting together a short vlog from our 2021 mako and blue shark trip instead - which will be out on Friday or Saturday (hopefully Friday). - NOTE; I apologize, I was not able to cut a video these past two days… got tied up prepping to leave to Mexico. But planning to get some great stuff this season for you guys.

Our first trip for the 2022 season is for makos and blue sharks off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

short fin mako shark

blue shark

Historically, I have run this trip as a three-day expedition; however, I am running this years trip as a five-day. I am pleased about this because it gives us more time to see if we can encounter more wildlife, and right now, Cabo is on fire; whales, orcas, mobulas, and lots of sharks.

It is just alive and going off, and I am very excited about seeing what we might find out there. 

Last year we had a really good trip, with surprise visitors on our final day out there.

SPERM WHALES!

We were chumming for sharks when we saw a lot of blows in the distance. Once we figured out what they were, we ditched the chum and took off after them. We ended up spending the rest of our day swimming with a family of sperm whales.

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An extremely close encounter with a massive sperm whale. Image by Roberta Manchino

Unfortunately, the visibility was not the best, the water was green and murky. The encounters were a bit intimidating because you could not see the whales until they were less than 20 feet away from you.

Even though the vis sucked, it was epic… we had sperm whales! At the end of the day we were all exhausted, our nerves were shot, but so very happy.

Anyway, I am looking forward to the trip, and the unknown, and the magic, and the fun with our guests… and of course the sharks. Plus, Cabo is always a fun town to hang out in after a day in and on the water.

After our mako trip, we leave Cabo and head North to San Carlos to Magdalena Bay for the annual grey whale migration. Mag Bay is one of my favorite places in the world to visit. The wildlife here is all-time great.

San Carlos is a sleepy little fishing town, with really nothing going on most of the year. Tourists flock here during grey whale season, and that was it. When the whales left, the locals would revert to fishing, and the town would go quiet again.

Of course, when tourists started visiting Mag Bay for the marlin migration, in the wintertime, the town exploded with tourism again. But there is twice as many people there for marlin season, then the grey whale season. The amount of people wanting to swim with the marlin is something that still surprises the locals. 

Anyway, the area was initially made famous for its friendly grey whales. The greys migrate here to breed, socialize, and pup, then they head off to where ever it is that they go for the rest of the year.

The whales here are so much fun, they will swim up to the boats, ask for face rubs, and they will do it over and over again. It is such a fantastic feeling having a wild animal like this come up to you and want you to give them a rub. 

The experience is truly magical; there is nothing like it in the world. This expedition is possibly one of the most underrated trips that we offer. Because people just do not understand how EPIC an encounter like this truly is. 

Anyway, I will be posting a lot while I am in Cabo, and it will slow down when I am in San Carlos because the wifi sucks. But that is ok and part of the experience. Sometimes it is nice to unplug for a bit and just get lost in nature. Mag Bay is one hell of a great place to do that too. 

Oh yeah, while I am there, I will set up my camera traps again. A couple of years ago, I brought a camera trap out there to try and find a good spot for coyotes. We found a great site, not only for coyotes but also for bobcats. So I will set the cameras up again and see if the cat action is still good.

I am addicted to those amazing looking wild cats.

If it is, then I will bring a more sophisticated camera trap set up in the wintertime when I return to try and capture high res stills of these Baja wild cats. (more on that project later)

Bobcat scent marking in front of our camera trap. We managed to record three different cats at this spot.

Well, that is my update for today, I need to get back to packing for the trip and I think I have carried on for a while.

Get ready for more than s few posts over the coming weeks, our season is about to begin, and we get to go back out to do what we love… all day, every day!

Thank you for reading.

Are You Writing Your Stories?

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Oil rig diving. Venice Louisiana, May 2009. We swam with between 100 - 200 silky sharks on this day. Complete insanity.

Are you a story teller? Do you collect your memories? If you do not… Why Not?

I think everyone should document their lives down on paper, or their computer.

Write down your goals, what you did today, what you did yesterday, what you ate, who you met, how you felt… everything. 

You do not have to share it with the world, but you should do it for yourself. 

There is nothing like looking back at your life from 20 years ago and reading your thoughts on paper. How you have grown, reflecting on what you have seen, and felt, and lost, or gained. 

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My first 8 second ride on a bull. I worked so hard to learn to ride bulls when I was young. On this cold winter day in 1995, it all came together and I made my first eight on this young bull. When I jumped off the bull I lost my balance and landed on my face. The dirt was soft, but I hit it hard and and i got up dazed. But when I got up, my face covered in dust, there was a huge smile on my face. It took me so long to finally hit that 8, I was so happy, and beaming with pride. This image along with my journal entry helped me to remember details from this epic moment that is forever a part of me. It is one of my most favorite days of my life on earth.

Since my early twenties, I have been keeping journals, and it is nice looking back at that crazy kid and reading stories from those long-gone days.

I cringe, I smile, I ache. It is so nice to be able to look back and see how much I have changed, how far I have come, how I have lost, how I have risen up from my horrible face plants, and how much further I still have to go.

So if you have not already started keeping a journal, please start today.

Maybe you feel you have nothing interesting to say or anything worthy of writing. But I disagree; everyone's story is worth documenting. 

And hey, if you don't think you are living a life worth writing about… a journal is a great way to remind yourself that you need to get out and do more. Take more walks, see more sunsets, ride a bike, go for a swim, head off on a road trip… whatever it is you feel like doing, you should do it. 

Get out there and experience the beauty of life. And when the day is over, take out that pen and get to writing.

Have a Beautiful Week Everyone!

Anaconda Diving Video

We finally created a vlog from our anaconda diving expedition. This was one of the best days I have experienced here in the water. It was an amazing time spent with good friends in an epic setting with amazing wildlife. This was taken from day three of our second week in Brazil. I am going to be cutting a couple more videos from this trip, but for now, here is this one. I hope you enjoy!

Thank You For Being You!

Today's blog is dedicated to you - the Wildlife Photographer, the Adventurer, the Shark Diver, the Surfer, the Hiker, etc... I want to thank you for being out in the world - for writing your blogs, for sharing your images and videos on social media, for writing books and publishing your stories in journals, and magazines. 

And thank you for being on TV for everyone to see. 

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Thank you for risking it all… for risking ridicule, and embarrassment, and loneliness, and death. Thank you for putting yourselves out there and trying new things. For being bold, fun, and different. Thank you for expressing your art and sharing your moments with the world.

Thank you for being brave enough to escape boredom, fear, work, and routine, so that you can travel and experience life. 

All of life, the good and bad. 

It is because of all of you that I started on this journey. It is how I found the courage to start a magazine all those years ago and how I got to live this travel life I get to experience. 

Your stories inspired me, and tens of thousands of people like me, to travel, and to want to experience adventures like yours. I grew up wanting to be like the amazing photographers I read about in National Geographic magazine. I wanted to be out there, experiencing incredible adventures - photographing wildlife in exotic places around the world. 

Your work and sacrifices gave me permission to realize so many of my dreams.

So thank you, because I know first hand that the adventure life is not easy, at least for me it has not been. I have fallen flat on my face so many times; I can't count them all. 

But that's part of what makes this crazy life filled with adventures so damn beautiful. It is unpredictable, it's not safe, and you have no idea how it is all going to end. 

So to all of you out there living your crazy dreams - please continue living life on the path less traveled. Please continue making mistakes and taking chances, and please, please, please, continue sharing your magic with us all.

The world is a much better place with you out there… so thank you for being you!

New Video Blog - Photographing Giant Anteaters

I created another, Notes from the Road vlog from our September 2021 anaconda expedition. While we were out there we woke up early to seek out giant anteaters. Normally we go looking for them at dusk, but it was so hot during the day, that the anteaters would stay under the tree canopies until the sun went down. So we decided to try our luck at 6AM when it was still a bit cool to see if we could find them… We did.

Life Will Not Wait For You!

There is a sad reality on how many people go through life stuck in a routine. They wake up every day, go to work, come home, feed the kids (if you have kids), walk a dog, eat, then go to bed. 

Wash, then repeat. 

Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with routine; we all need them. I have mine. But if this is your whole life, without any twists and turns in it - no adventures, no fears, then yes, there is a problem.

I knew a guy who was fifty-five years old, and lived his whole life in my home town, as a freelance carpenter. He was terrified of driving 40 miles out of town to get to a potential job, so he wouldn’t take it if he had to go by himself. 

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I have trouble understanding that mindset. But hey, the guy seemed happy, always had a smile when I saw him. So, if this is how you want to spend your life, good for you. You know what you want... and that is all that matters, knowing what you want and living the life YOU want to live. 

But if you are reading my blog, or subscribe to my newsletters, you probably want something more out of life, because that is what I write about... Travel, adventure, the magical world filled with wildlife, and the total unexpected.

I always wonder how many people live out their lives wishing they were doing something else with their lives? Or living somewhere else? Or just traveling more. I will be bold and say 90-95% of us do. 

So it leaves me thinking... Why are we slaves to routine? 

Why are we afraid to step out our doors without the certainty that we are coming back? Why are we all afraid to do something new or totally out of character?

This a harsh truth for some people to hear, I know and I am sorry. But sadly life will not wait for your "one day, I am gonna..."

Life will pass you by.

I know this is deep for a Tuesday morning, but I was thinking about this over the weekend, and I realize that people sometimes need a wake-up call - this one is yours.

Have an amazing week my friends!