As someone said before me – Mother Nature is amazing but fickle, tooooooo. The first week we were here was totally dry, with only one whale encounter in seven days.

Now we’re starting the second week – and it is only the second day – and every one of my four guests is in love with another Sperm whale – we are experiencing about a dozen encounters per day.

However, nothing is like seeing Scar in the water (see first image below) and Enigma, his pod member…(middle image). They both are about 10 meters (33 feet) long. Scar is easily recognized as he comes very close to the swimmers and requests to be petted. Enigma just hangs around and demands that we swim along with her. As long as we do, she’s happy, and she has stayed with the swimmers once for 20 minutes and another time for over 30 minutes.

Yes, we all have great expectations from Mother Nature – now we hope to see a socializing group of seven or more underwater looking into our cameras…

Keep your fins wet, and remember that I am planning to return with three more expeditions next year…

~Amos

Here are some images.  There are more on my Facebook album.  Equipment? I use the Canon 1D Mark IV and the Canon 1Ds Mark III. Lenses used are all wide angle – from the latest lens,  8 – 15mm, and also 14mm, and 16 – 35mm. Underwater housing -  Seacam.

There was a time when Blue whales were hunted almost to extinction. That changed in 1966 when protective laws were enacted to save the blues, the largest animal on earth. Now there’s a new development, and it’s a good one. A huge Blue whale colony has been discovered in Sri Lanka.

Last year I scouted Sri Lanka for the fifth time in order to set up diving and photography operations  - my first exploration there was in 1982. I was amazed at what I saw. I have been waiting all this time for the moment of peace and freedom.  I’m very glad to start my first Biganimals Blue whale photography expedition. I’m offering three departures to Sri Lanka in March and April, 2012. I’ve prepared a PDF for you with all the details. Click to download it.

Also, the new BigAnimals Expeditions Blue whale schedule for 2013 is in the making. March 20 – April 1, 2013, March 29 – April 8, 2013,  and April 5 – 19, 2013. I accomodate only four guests per adventure – space is very limited. If you’re interested please email me at bluewhales@biganimals.com to reserve your place on this amazing adventure.

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Reefs have had it tough in recent times. Pollution, overfishing, and global warming have all taken their toll, as msnbc.com’s Future of Technology reported recently. Higher water temperatures, for example, can result in something called coral bleaching. Warmer water causes some of the algae that sustains a reef to leave. An sustained event like this in 1998 killed one sixth of the world’s tropical reefs.

But there’s new hope for the world’s reefs, and the process might shock you. Actually, it will send an electric current through the waters where reefs need help A technology called the Biorock Process runs low-voltage electric currents through seawater. This causes dissolved minerals in the water to crystallize metal frames place near reefs, growing a white limestone similar to that which makes up a coral reef. According to the Global Coral Reef Alliance, the artificial reef grows quickly. A Biorock project needs electricity, of course, and that can come from solar panels or tidal current generators.

If you want to support this work you can sponsor a baby reef through the Biorock group. There are other ways you can help, too, because reefs are negatively affected by pollution from runoff. The Nature Conservancy provides some suggestions, like supporting reef-friendly businesses and practicing safe and responsible diving and snorkeling. (You know that touching a reef is bad, right? And you should never anchor your boat near it.) More tips from the Nature Conservancy at this link.

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Image courtesy of Rani Morrow-Wuigk and Global Coral Reef Alliance.

I’m about to embark on an adventure to the Caribbean island of Dominica. I’ll be there with a few new guests and old friends to photograph what was once one of the world’s most hunted animals – the Sperm whale in Dominica. These whales have made an amazing comeback from near extinction. We’ve sold three departures with four guests to each team. I’ll be there until February 9th … and always pleased to be working with my camera with guests and friends among the Ocean Giants

island of Dominica. I’ll be there with some guests and old friends to photograph what was once one of the world’s most hunted animals – the Sperm whale. These whales have made an amazing comeback from near extinction. We’ve sold three departures with four guests to each team. I’ll be there until February 9th … and always pleased to be working with my camera with guests and friends among the Ocean Giants.

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Afrikaans: Geseënde Kersfees
Apache: Gozhqq Keshmish
Albanian: Gezur Krislinjden
Arabic: Milad Majid
Argentine: Feliz Navidad
Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce
Bosnian: (BOSANSKI) Cestit Bozic i Sretna Nova godina
Brazilian: Feliz Natal
Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Chile: Feliz Navidad
Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan’Gung Haw Sun
Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian: Sretan Bozic
Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish: Glædelig Jul
Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak
Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast
English: Merry Christmas
Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal
Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish: Hyvaa joulua
Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
French: Joyeux Noel
Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!
German: Fröhliche Weihnachten
Greek: Kala Christouyenna!
Haiti: (Creole) Jwaye Nowel or to Jesus Edo Bri’cho o Rish D’Shato Brichto
Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew: Mo’adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi: Shub Naya Baras (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic: Gledileg Jol
Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.
Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags
Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Lao: souksan van Christmas
Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu
Maori: Meri Kirihimete
Navajo: Merry Keshmish
Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul
Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu
Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo
Philippines: Maligayang Pasko!
Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie
Portuguese: Feliz Natal
Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele or Craciun fericit
Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh
Serbian: Hristos se rodi.
Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene: Vesele Bozicne Praznike Srecno Novo Leto
Spanish: Feliz Navidad
Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas
Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym
Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh: Nadolig Llawen

Another giant has left us. The International Union for Conservation of Nature said that the Western Black Rhino of Africa was officially extinct, and two other subspecies were close to the same fate. Amazing to consider also that a quarter of all mammals are at risk of extinction. But there is also a ray of light: the IUCN said that the Southern White Rhino and Przewalski’s Horse have been saved from extinction. Why? Successful conservation programs.

This is why I believe that the battle to save Big Animals from extinction begins with experiencing them first hand. You need to be in the presence of a rhino, a lion, a gorilla or a whale to fully comprehend its power, grace and magnificence. Conservation measures are the answer, as Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission said: “In the case of both the Western Black Rhino and the Northern White Rhino, the situation could have had very different results if the suggested conservation measures had been implemented.” Getting people and governments to take those measures means they have to experience, appreciate and make an emotional connection to Big Animals. I’d like to offer you a way to do that, yourself, and have the experience of a lifetime.

Big 7 African Safari

Nobody ever said getting spectacular images of the world’s iconic animals was easy, but I want to offer you a way for your personal photos of lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, cape buffalo and mountain gorillas to be worthy of a spread in your favorite nature magazine. Come with me to Africa June 2 through 24, 2012 and I will be at your side to coach your camera work, show you how to work with various lenses and telling you about the best ways to shoot in natural light. On the expedition we’ll avoid the usual tourist destinations so you can get a sense of Africa at its most welcoming and magnificent. The grand finale is to strap on some scuba tanks and swim with Nile Crocodiles in the Okavango Delta. We’ll be in the Nxamaseri Lodge, a unique African experience on an island in the delta. We make the trip doing the best time to be in the water – June and July when the water is clear (visibility 15-20 feet) and cold (55-60 degrees F) which brings the crocs to the surface for great viewing and interaction.

There is hope for Big Animals. Sperm whales were among the world’s most hunted animals – almost driven to extinction. But how they have made the best comeback in the history of wildlife with almost as many now as there were a hundred years ago.  Will you join me on our next adventure to Africa?

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According to NBC News, a pair of 40-ton giants got dangerously close to a surfer in Santa Cruz, California. The US Coast Guard isn’t saying for sure, but there are many reports of more humpbacks coming closer to shore than ever. Some whale experts, like those at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA, say this is something to worry about. They’re concerned about people getting hurt.

NBC quoted Kera Mathes of the Aquarium as saying “Being that close to an 80,000-pound whale when it’s coming up and looking for food isn’t safe,” she said. “When these surfers and kayakers are so close, it definitely poses a danger to the whale and those in the water.”

She’s right… but I believe it’s possible to get close to this remarkable animals, and get close safely.

Here are ten facts about Humpbacks from the American Cetacean Society and from my experience.

1. They belong to the same family as the blue whale, fin whale, Bryde’s whale, sei whale and minke whale.
2. The females are bigger than the males: from 45-50 feet to the males’ 40-48.
3. Humpbacks feed on krill, small shrimp-like animals, and small fish and eat up to 1.5 tons of food a day.
4. Baleen plates, not teeth, trap their food to be swallowed.
5. Humpbacks are acrobatic, breeching their 40 tons completely out of the water.
6. They sing, and their songs are complex with each population singing its own unique song.
7. Their songs are not inborn – they learn them from each other.
8. The are capable or migrating the globe, from Antartica to the Pacific.
9. They breed, give birth and care for their newborn calves in the warm waters of Tonga.
10. If you want the best pictures of them, you’ll need a wide angle lens and will need to learn how to safely swim close to them.

I’ve got dozens of years’ experience photographing Humpback whales, and I know the way to get the best photograph is to treat them respectfully and free dive close. I’ve trained adventurers to do this over 10-day expeditions that I lead, and I have picked the tropical paradise of Tonga for this. Not only is it the very definition of an island paradise, but it is prime territory for the Humpbacks during their breeding period. As you free dive among them on this adventure, you’ll see mother and calf interacting and the bulls tail-slapping and breeching. Would you like to join me? My next Humpback whale adventure departs August 20, 2012.

Coming up right away next year is my adventure in the Carribean to see the largest carnivore in the world – the Sperm whale. There are only a few spaces left, so get in touch with me to reserve yours. Sperm whales were among the world’s most hunted animals – almost driven to extinction. But how they have made the best comeback in the history of wildlife with almost as many now as there were a hundred years ago. Sperm whales are the easiest whales to approach – they are curious and friendly as they socialize in pods of five to thirty. For this encounter, Big Animals Expeditions has teamed with Andrew Armour, known in the diving commmunity as the ‘whale whisperer.’ We will be on his boat, the Domnik. Download the PDF flyer now.

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A sad day.  The passing of Steve Jobs.

I’ve owned and used an Apple computer for 25 years now, more than quarter of my life. Little did I know, learning how to type on my Mac SE in the early days of business life in the USA, it would become such an amazing tool and flourish as it has. It just seemed a better & cooler way to get work done, process images, and edit video to share with all of you.

I remember when Jobs created, upon his exile from Apple, the NeXT computer. It was used by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN (“the man who invented the internet”) and became the world’s first web server. I remember when Jobs got rid of the floppy disc port with NeXT, and I thought, is he crazy?? And he was, like a fox, as this email streams to you over WiFi, the internet ‘ether’, and maybe into your Mac, iPad or iPhone as well.

I recall the days Apple was almost gone as a company and PC was king, when the ex-Pepsi Cola CEO took over the company, the Macintosh was introduced and the visionary Jobs booted out, only later to bring Pixar alive and create Toy Story —  and that was still in the mid 90’s.’

But then the prodigal son came back to the fold, sold Apple his NeXT operating program, than created iMac and in 2000 he took the company again ..  in 2001 he brought us the  iPod, in 2003,  iTunes…in 2007, the iPhone…2010, the iPad. As they say, he made history.

Here’s my favorite Apple ad, the famous famous Think Different commercial, featuring Einstein, Gandhi and Amelia Earhart.

A fitting eulogy – so long and thank you, Steve.

Image credit:  JD Hancock via Creative Commons License.

I have been leading expeditions to the Canadian Arctic for years.  It’s an incredible trip that I would like to share with you and – according to some scientists – time is of the essence for you to come along.

Polar Bears in Danger

A recent polar bear study says that polar bear mothers and cubs are now being forced to swim hundreds of miles to reach food sources.

Why? Because the ice they use to walk across is melting.

We time our trips perfectly so that we can see the moment when polar bear mothers lead their cubs out of hibernation and into the bright sunshine for the first time. You get close to the action.  It’s an amazing time for photographs or simply enjoying Biganimals in nature.

Scientists are saying that the ice melt is causing problems for the cubs. They have to swim farther for food and long swims like that are tough for little bodies. They don’t yet have the strength or the body fat to sustain long periods of exercise in the frigid waters of the Arctic.

Polar bears are not naturally aquatic creatures – they hunt, eat, sleep, and give birth on land. Their food sources, however, are aquatic – mostly seals. A mother bear will eat the vegetation surrounding the den while her cubs grow big enough to swim in the early spring, but that’s not enough calories for a polar bear, much less a nursing polar bear. So they must swim to find food and with water levels dropping steadily, that means a long journey for the mother and her baby.

Want to know more?  On my ice trekking and wildlife photography expeditions, we travel by snowmobile and dog sled across the magnificent Canadian Arctic. Our guides are Inuits and our goal is to photograph polar bear families as they emerge from their snow dens.

This trip is filled with endless white landscapes topped by the purest of blue skies. We enjoy and photograph the breathtaking Aurora Borealis as you’ve never seen it before – so close, you’ll feel you can reach out and touch it. And of course, we get unforgettable portraits of polar bear adults and cubs. Visit the expedition page on my website to reserve your spot. I look forward to seeing you there!

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The 1975 Steven Spielberg movie Jaws had a universally chilling effect on the human perception of sharks and, unfortunately, firmly stamped the Hollywood version of vicious shark behavior in our memories.  A more recent Hollywood effort, Soul Surfer, based on the true story of 19-year-old champion surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack, left the shark out of the story, for the most part.

Sharks get a lot of bad press.  But who will defend their reputation?  At TEDx Conejo, I talked to an enthusiastic audience about how Jaws is a complete fabrication.  Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to the real nature of sharks.

End the ‘killer’ shark stereotype

Still, the misinformation and hysteria around sharks remains, and biologists, scientists, and others like myself have been working to counteract the negative shark reputation ever since.

You want the truth?  The National Aquarium in Baltimore says that more people die of bee stings every year than shark attacks. And remember this: Humans are not a normal or even preferred part of the shark diet.

A  number of world-famous divers, including William Winram (also known as the Shark Publicist) and Fred Buyle have been working to fight the myths around sharks and eliminate the ‘killer’ reputation of these Biganimals. These divers are known for diving with sharks and taking only their cameras – no weapons.

We recently had a well-attended scouting mission diving with the Okavango River Crocodiles, another Biganimalof seven to 12 feet in length who also comes with a sinister reputation. Our direct, personal experience – and the experiences of my crew and guests – with these river crocodiles was very different than the current public perception that labels these magnificent creatures as terrors along the river.

The Great White shark’s reputation as a nasty predator is also highly undeserved. Certainly, yes, they’re big ‒ as long as 16 feet and as heavy as two thousand pounds ‒ and they’ve got loads of teeth  ‒ as many as 300  ‒ and they are powerful, but the truth is most sharks are actually quite shy and prefer to stay away from humans. Plus, they are some of the most fascinating animals you will ever encounter and some of the most rare.

Humans kill over a million sharks each year – some for their meat, cartilage and skin, some for their fins. Many are killed as bycatch by industrial fishing operations. The bottom line is that sharks have a lot more to fear from humans than the other way around. It’s not hard to figure out who the hunter is in this scenario.

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