While on recent dives off Lopez Island, we were able to enjoy the company of some of this regions most  ominous, yet beautiful creatures. The Steller Sea Lion is one of the most voracious consumers of our beloved and very needed salmon. Since the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, populations of sea lions, seals, whales, sea otters, walruses and more have stabilized, and in some cases increased. Recently within Puget Sound and the Salish Sea, sea lion numbers have grown so much, these animals have become more than just a nuisance. They are becoming a serious threat to salmon levels, competing with orcas, fishers and others. 

The stunning beauty below the surface in these waters is amazing as well. We did dives at Long Island Wall on south Lopez Island as well as Secar Rock. The colors and variety of underwater wildlife is astonishing.

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge - Washington is the location for my next presentation on Puget Sound Underwater. Learn about our amazing Puget Sound, its wildlife and health. Get more information at: FWS.gov Program begins at 7:00 PM, Wednesday July 31st. 

This weekend, July 13 & 14, 2019, is the Mill Creek Arts Fest. Made In Puget Sound® is the featured artist. We are displaying and selling my unique and beautiful underwater images of our cold, green Northwest waters, and I will be doing special presentations for the audience. I will also be featuring a few new pieces this weekend. Please come to the Mill Creek center to say hello, pick up a copy of my book, Puget Sound Underwater, and also enjoy my live presentation.
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Some of the most sought after creatures around the world for underwater photographers are Cephalopods. Not only because of their spectacular colors, but also their unique ability to change color and texture within 1/30th of a second. They can hide in plain site by blending in perfectly with their environment, more than almost any other animal. 

While I have encountered and photographed many Cephalopods in many seas and oceans of the world, my favorite are the Giant Pacific Octopus of the Northwest, but this was the first time I was fortunate enough to see and capture images of Cuttlefish. These curious and gorgeous creatures can grow to 20" long. They are shy and elusive, and very hard to find or photograph. They also move very quickly. Like Octo's, they can propel themselves from predators with extremely quick powerful bursts of water from their siphons. 
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Much like Cephalopods, Lionfish too are shy animals that hide from my camera. They typically only allow for the  mostly the unenviable 'fish butt shot'. On this trip though, I was able to get a few shots of Lionfish looking directly at me. A first time experience I will not soon forget. Lionfish are also very venomous, but not poisonous. Avoid touching or getting to close, but also enjoy their beauty, in the wild. 

Enjoy many more shots of all these amazing beautiful animals in their own environment on my 2019 Solomons Island Gallery. ​You can also read my Blog Post on 2019 Coral of the Solomon Islands. Also, learn more about these amazing animals, and many others, in the book by Brandon Cole: Reef Life, A Guide to Tropical Marine Life. 

In March I was fortunate enough to spend a few remarkable days in the very warm tropical waters off the Solomon Islands. During World War II, these islands were extremely strategic for the survival of Australia and New Zealand, and the over all war effort in the South Pacific. Today these islands are home to not only an abundance of WWII wrecks laying at the bottom of the ocean, but also many stunning and beautiful Corals.

Corals can be remarkably varied and beautiful, while others may be bland and almost boring to look at. In either case, they are very important to the survival of reefs, the oceans and our planet. Corals are colonies of individual polyps, which are about 2 mm across. Many small reef fishes live near their colonies and retreat into what seem like coral branches when threatened. Environmental degradation, pollutants, warming waters, acidification and many other factors have led to dwindling populations and species of many corals. They are also susceptible to bleaching, which is a growing oceanic issue.

I enjoyed viewing and shooting many coral reefs during this liveaboard trip. On the last dive of the trip, Dive Master Adam Beard (www.adambeardphotography.com) and I were exploring massive corals that were well over 20 feet across. 

For this blog post I chose to feature only a few of my coral shots in the Solomons. My complete gallery of Corals can be viewed in 2019 Solomon Islands. I've not identified them by name because I am only learning  their names now. Some are Table Corals, Stag Horn Corals, Mushroom Corals and many, many others. Recently, I have been learning much more about Hard or Stony Corals through the help of a most amazing book by my good friend Brandon Cole: Reef Life, A Guide to Tropical Marine Life. I will be returning to the gallery periodically naming individual corals. In the meantime, please enjoy some of my favorite images. ​

We had a wonderful event and an excellent turn out Tuesday evening at the Marysville Opera House for my latest Presentation on Puget Sound. Thank you to all who took time to come listen about our local wildlife and learn what we can all do to help the local ecosystems of Puget Sound Underwater.

The audience was engaged and fascinated by many of the animals I speak about and present. Most have never heard of, or seen many of these creatures before. As is always the case, everyone loved the Octopus images, and the stories of my experiences with these amazing  animals with blue blood and 3 hearts.

If you would like for me to speak to your group, organization or classroom, please Connect with me directly. Thank you