Ocean Love

One of my favorite beaches on Oahu is Lanikai Beach. Most people know of this beach because it is one of the beaches that get highlighted the most for being one of the best beaches of the islands. There are many reasons to love this beach from the clarity of the water, to the calm surface that allows for snorkeling, paddle boarding, and  kayaking, or the powdery, soft white sand that you feel between your toes. This beach practically has something for everyone. My main reasons for loving it are when I had my dog still with me I took her here because she loved to swim and it is one of the very few beaches that are dog-friendly, and I also love the sand and the cool, clean, turquoise water. Above is the kayak that I used going out to the Moke Islands. It was a cloudy, rainy day as you can see in the photo but we didn't let that stop us. On the island we saw frigate birds nesting in the sand all over. We hiked to the back and there is this pool of clear deep water in the rocks that yo...

As a Hawaiian monk seal intern, I not only trained and cared for the 2 resident monk seals but also took care of the day octopus, tilapia, and many reef organisms. I want to share my fond memories of the 2 years I spent working as a Hawaiian Monk Seal Intern for the Waikiki Aquarium. Pictured above are Ho`ailona (top) and Maka`onaona (bottom).  Maka`onaona ("soft or gentle eyes") called Maka for short was brought from the French Frigate Shoals in 1984 at only 3 weeks old. He was abandoned as a pup and would not have survived if not been taken into human care. Unfortunately in my time working with him he developed a malignant cancer below his right eye. You can see in his picture there is a white spot below his eye which was the cancer starting to grow back soon after he had his first surgery at the aquarium to have it removed. The process was intense as you cannot put a seal fully under anesthesia because they cannot breathe on their own. He had to be put under just enough to...

The Sunrise Seashells of Hawaii These little rays of sunshine in shell form are pretty special. They are endemic to Hawaii meaning they are found no where else in the world. The shells belong to a scallop known as the Langford Pectens. It is legend that these seashells were once only worn by Hawaiian royalty (ali'i). The name sunrise comes from the most common color variation of the shell that resembles the colors of a Hawaiian sunrise. These seashells used to be far more abundant where they could be found on seashores which is not the case anymore. The growing demand for these seashells have created a major market for them. Divers collect and sell them for a pretty penny. This is the reason why you can expect to pay a high price for just one of these shells because they are not easy to come by. Where once beachcombers had the chance to get lucky and find one on the beach, nowadays it is rare. In fact, these shells can only be found on the beach after a swell brings the dead scallo...

    Oh Maui how I love you. You are one of the few places in the world that will allow me to get up close and personal with my favorite mammal... the humpback whale. Not only did I get to have an intimate experience with an adult, but I got to see their beloved babies grow stronger and learn about their watery environment.  To watch these magnificent creatures is like nothing I have ever seen before. They are so aware of us around them and while you'd think that the mommas would be not so comfortable with humans around them and their little ones, they surprisingly are. I attribute this to their high intelligence. Being out on the water with them one can see that they are not worried but instead very curious of people.  I was in a small vessel during this filming and from afar I already established that it was a mom and her baby coming towards us on the surface. I couldn't believe they were coming right towards me and readied my underwater camera for what I was h...