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 do not know most of their names. Some are Table Corals, Staghorn Corals and many, many others. Corals are not my area of expertise and I do not possess a book on corals - yet. Perhaps in the future I will return to the gallery and name each individual coral. 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

I've not been in the water locally as often or as much as I'd like to be so far this year. Traveling and research projects for 'Made In Puget Sound®' have kept me rather busy. But I have had some time this week to post a few shots of the wildlife I have been able to photograph to date. The images have just been posted this morning in my new 2019 Puget Sound Aqua page in my Images Gallery. As usual, these are some of our amazing and beautiful creatures living in the cold, green, current filled waters of the Northwest.

I will also be posting many images very soon of my trip to the Solomon Islands, March 2019. 

Tuesday, May 14, I will be speaking at the Marysville Opera House for the Marysville Parks and Recreation Department. Please come out and enjoy learning about some of my favorite wildlife in our Puget Sound Underwater. You can also purchase of copy of my book by the same name. ​

I've been incredibly busy for the first few months of 2019. Besides traveling for over a month to Australia, New Zealand and the Solomon Islands, I've been very busy working on new research projects for 2019. I'll be posting some new underwater images and videos on both my website Galleries pages and also my recently upgraded YouTube Channel. 

I've also completed many Presentations to hundreds of people around Puget Sound this year, communicating our message of conservation and education through my unique underwater photography and videography.

The upcoming summer months will be primarily selling my work at various Art Festivals around the Sound, view my Art Events page to learn more. 

Connect directly with me for more information or to order my book: Puget Sound Underwater.

In only 7 days from now, I'll be presenting my new book: 'Puget Sound Underwater' at the Elliott Bay Book Company on Capitol Hill.
​Please join me for an hour of interesting stories and amazing images. I'll read a little from my book and provide some very simple conservation solutions to help our delicate ecosystems and all of its wildlife.
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We are booking presentations around Puget Sound at bookstores, libraries, schools and corporations now. If you would like for us to come speak to your organization, please contact me. 

Help us help Puget Sound. Visit the Contributions page and learn how you can support the 'Made In Puget Sound®' nonprofit organization.

Since launching my new book: Puget Sound Underwater, the response has been tremendous and sales have surpassed projections. Although only a soft launch to date, over the next few months we will be increasing our exposure and sales opportunities.
This week I have scheduled 3 events around the Sound: On Thursday, August 16, I will be inside Tabby's Coffee at the Everett Public Library. My book and art work is on sale now at Tabby's Coffee, in the Everett Public Library. I will speak a little about the amazing underwater world of Puget Sound. Please stop into Tabby's Coffee, get your latte, then relax and enjoy an hour of great images and stories from my new book: Puget Sound Underwater. 
Saturday, August 18, 2018, I will be in Anacortes at the Farmers Market from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. 
Finally this week, I will be in Everett once again at the Everett Farmers Market on Sunday, August 19, with some art and my book. Stop in and say hello.