Venice, FL - July 2025

            I’ve dove in Florida so many times that I’ve lost count of just how many times I’ve been there.  But this time around was different.  I was treading different waters with different intentions, in search of a new experience … fossil diving!  I was on the West/Gulf coast of Florida for the very first time.  The city was Venice which is renowned for its abundance of fossils in its shallow coastal waters.  I am unaware as to why there are so many fossils here but what I know for sure is that fossil hunting is all the rage in this lovely coastal city.  It’s not just a thrill for scuba divers but also for locals and out-of-towners just wandering by foot on the beach!

            I had an unsettled feeling when there were heavy rains the day prior to my first scheduled dive with Aquanutz, but to my surprise, conditions were perfect following the lousy weather.  According to Captain Mike, we were good to go!  When I first arrived at the dock , I was a little surprised to see how tiny the boat was.  Probably the smallest dive charter boat I’ve ever been on.  Good thing I had a car rental because I had to unpack all my gear, hand it to the staff onboard, and stow my extra large dive bag in the trunk of that Hyundai Kona!

            On our ride out to sea, Captain Blair traversed the calm seas with ease while Captain Mike showed us a collection of sample fossils.  He went on to explain what to look for in the ocean topography to be a successful fossil hunter.  Most of us onboard were novice, but eager to learn and find our own haul.  The crew supplied us with mesh collection bags.  The only other requirements were hands that were ready to dig, an enthusiastic attitude, and a keen eye.

     

            I will be quite honest though.  I was a little intimidated initially.  I knew coming into this that it would be solo diving meaning you don’t go out with a buddy.  It’s just you by yourself, in low visibility conditions in the middle of the ocean.  As scary as that sounds, it wasn’t scary at all!  It was shallow diving in calm conditions.  I actually found it relaxing!  And while the low visibility part may sound frightening, we did have 15 feet of clarity which the crew described as stellar for this area and our purposes.  The deepest I hit was 34 feet.  The benefit of it being shallow means that if you feel like you’re getting lost, you can pretty much pop up (slowly and safely!) to the surface at any time to reorient yourself to where the boat is anchored.  Once you see it, descend, and continue your fossil hunt while heading in the direction of the boat.  Simple!  This is not east coast Florida where a strong enough current can cause you to drift as far as 4 miles in 40 minutes.  Solo diving over there??  No thank you!!

            The intent of it being solo diving, I’m sure, is so you can find your own haul of fossils.  If you’re with a buddy covering the same ground, who really bears ownership to these treasures?!  So we back rolled off the side of the tiny boat, one by one, and scattered like sand in the wind.  For the first several minutes, all I was seeing was sandy bottom and nothing spectacular.  My thoughts were, “oh my god, I’m all alone, there’s no interesting marine life, there’s no fossils to find here, this visibility is awful, and this is worse than the railroad bridge at home!”  But then I started finding things that I thought looked like fossils.  So I picked them up and stuffed them in my mesh bag.  Halfway through the dive after I felt like I was super far from the boat, I thought it a good idea to pop up and see how far it actually was.  To my surprise, it was much closer than I thought!  That certainly put my mind at ease, so I descended and continued hunting.

            Once back on the boat, I emptied my bag and Blair helped me identify my finds.  I assumed I had just picked up a pile of rocks and worthless ocean rubble, but she told me I had actually found several whale bones and a dugong bone!  She also pointed out some ray tooth plates and even a rare Astragalus ankle bone from a deer!  And yes, some rocks as well.  Suddenly, I was super motivated, confident, and anxious to begin dive #2.

            On this next dive we were near a reef where I encountered some friendly sea life.  A timid toadfish hiding in a hole, some familiar crabs, busy Sheepshead fish, and tiny hermit crabs.  And then what happened?  I found my first fossilized shark tooth!  Once I found one, I started finding many.  And then I realized how divers can easily become addicted to this!  It’s quite thrilling to find that familiar shape of a shark tooth slightly buried in the sand or just sitting on top, fully exposed, just waiting to be found.  The teeth I found were mostly lemon, bull, and sand tiger shark teeth.  I even found a fragment of a Megalodon tooth!  I was so hoping to find a fully intact, super large Meg tooth like some others onboard did but I was not quite as lucky.

  

   

            Dive #3 was more sandy bottom with only some reef.  It was a little mucky with slightly lower visibility but I continued to find more shark teeth fossils.  In addition to those, I found at least 7 sand dollars.  Unfortunately, I didn’t realize just how fragile they are.  I broke at least 3 of them just by handling them.  I thought I was being gentle, but apparently not!  Aside from those finds, I was thrilled to encounter a HUGE robin fish.  I’ve seen many of these back at home but much smaller, like the size of a mouse.  This one was more comparable to the size of a cat!

            I had an amazing day participating in 3 dives that were new and outside of my comfort zone.  My confidence was boosted by diving solo comfortably without having any mishaps or incidents.  The support of Blair and Captain Mike put my mind at ease.  Unfortunately, my 2^nd scheduled day of fossil diving was cancelled due to an uptick in the winds which made for some rough seas.  But I was satisfied with my haul of fossils that filled up an entire dive mask box.

            It is so humbling to find these specific fossilized remains that belonged to once living, functioning creatures who lived their lives unbothered by humans in a world that existed and thrived as it was meant to.  These remains have been resting on the ocean floor for MILLIONS of years.  There they lay, untouched, undiscovered, until I came along.  ME!  The first person to ever lay eyes on THESE particular animal remains.  Call me crazy, but I now have a connection with a part of history that existed in a world completely different to that which we are familiar with today.  The history of life on earth and how far back it extends is truly fascinating.  Humanity is but a miniscule part of earth’s billions of years worth of history.  Earth has endured so much before we even arrived.  These fossil remains are a true testament to that.  Earth history and life in all forms is fascinating beyond my ability to even begin describing just how amazing it was, is, and will continue to be.  If only they could talk, these fossils would have such a story to tell.

     

Shark Con 11 in Tampa, FL ~ JULY 2025

         I had never been to the West Coast of Florida before but I wanted to come here for one reason … Shark Con!  Every July, shark fin-atics gather here at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa to share their passion and love for one of the most misunderstood creatures on Earth.  Having an entire weekend long convention dedicated to sharks is a testament to the progress that has been made in changing people's mindset about them.  Shark Con is proof that there are so many people out there who do not see sharks as monsters but rather as respectable inhabitants of planet earth.

My journey began with a landing at the Tampa airport which I found absolutely charming with its clean appearance and larger than life pink flamingo that stood tall above the travelers walking below it.  As with any visit to Florida in July, I found it hot outside but not the usual uncomfortable heat that I’ve grown accustomed to on Florida’s east coast.  It was hot but pleasant, if that makes any sense.  After a relaxing hour at the hotel’s pool and an amazing personal pizza at Flipper’s, I was ready to turn in for the night in anticipation of my first Shark Con the next morning.

Upon my arrival, I quite literally entered the shark’s mouth.  (At the entrance door was an over-sized, inflatable, blown-up shark mouth in the shape of a dome.)  I took just a few steps inside and was already overwhelmed but in the best way imaginable!  There were just sharks EVERYWHERE!  Larger than life inflatable sharks, a life-size replica white shark head, shark bags, shark clothing, shark artwork, shark tooth fossils, shark themed jewelry, stickers, signs, and other little knickknacks, just to name a few things, and of course the endless JAWS memorabilia.  I just wanted to buy everything for myself and my bestest of sharky friends.

It was beyond clear that this was a gathering for shark lovers.  But in addition to the sharks, there were many other animals that were given recognition as well.  It was hard to miss the super large inflatable octopus (which was actually a Kraken) and manatee.  The animal displays of living, breathing owls, a Komodo dragon, and various fish were also fun to visit with.  Fossils of whale vertebrae, horse teeth, dinosaur and other prehistoric creatures, and wooly mammoth teeth and hair were amazing and extremely humbling to see.  And beyond that there were also many other interesting things including tables/booths dedicated to conservation efforts, protecting sea turtle nests, and preserved specimens of small long-deceased sharks.  And you couldn’t help but laugh at the brave individuals trying to tame the mechanical bull shark!  I’ll also have to mention the neon yellow-haired girl walking around in the Sharknado costume and the countless shark outfits, accessories, and other paraphernalia that adorned my fellow Shark Con attendees!

I found the talented actor who portrayed Quint from JAWS to be extremely entertaining.  Interacting with him was just like being in the movie.  In addition to him, many of the child actors from JAWS and JAWS 2 were present in celebration of the 50^th Anniversary since the release of the original movie.  They had discussion panels and shared with us interesting tidbits of what went on behind the scenes filming with the big name actors and director Steven Spielberg.  Unfortunately, Richard Dreyfus had caught Bronchitis and was unable to attend which disappointed so many, including myself!

In addition to the JAWS discussion panels, there were other panels of marine biologists, scientists, and professors from Florida International University (FIU), Shark Fest, and other organizations.  They discussed shark research and conservation efforts.  I absolutely loved hearing about their personal experiences of working with sharks and their input on some of the things they see and believe about shark behaviors among other shark and ocean related issues.  It was amazing to do a breakout session with Dr. Mike Heithaus, Dr. Yannis Papastmatiou, and one other scientist (Dr. Diego I didn’t catch his last name!) in a smaller room with only a small number of attendees.  Such an amazing opportunity to pick their brains about shark science!!

What else did I love about Shark Con?  Seeing my friends/co-volunteers at the Sharks4Kids booth, of course!  In addition to them, I also loved meeting vendors who I’ve shopped from and follow on social media including SilverFinCo., FinPin Shop, Spicy Shark, and Blair Marrow from Meggoddess Designs.  I was super excited to meet her because I was scheduled to dive on her dive charter the following week to hunt for fossils in Venice.  I splurged and purchased a beautiful Megalodon tooth from Blair’s table here which she adorned with a stunning greenish-blue lacquer paint to resemble the ocean with three black, silhouette sharks swimming in it.  (I will not reveal how much I spent on that!)  It was also amazing to randomly run into Captain Cindy from North Carolina who graciously introduced me to hundreds of sand tiger sharks just two years ago.

            

Even though I arrived at my first Shark Con solo, I knew I was among friends and so many like-minded people.  The two days just flew by and by the end I felt as exhausted as if I had done two full days of diving.  Needless to say, I can see myself attending again in the future.

Tiger Beach, BAHAMAS ~ October 2024           

        My previous trip to Tiger Beach was nearly 5 years ago in January 2020, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic event that would unpredictably uproot travel plans and life in general for the next several months and even years to follow.  Back then I was a novice diver with a mere 30 logged dives to my name with limited shark encounter experience.  But even after hearing about the dangerous behaviors that tiger sharks can impose upon humans, I was still enticed to visit this place and check another shark species off my “shark dive list”.

I have learned that you can never really appreciate something or get a full sense of what it truly is unless you witness it for yourself.  Through firsthand experience is when we often discover that what others say, claim, describe with fascination or with utter fear, that their accounts are either not fully justified through words alone or they are pure falsifications.  After visiting Tiger Beach that first time I was able to create my own impression and it was this …. I was left fascinated and with a diminished level of fear for these magnificent animals then when I had arrived.  I just knew I was going to have to return to this place.

            More than 100 dives additionally logged, at least 5 more shark species encountered, and dive experiences both good and bad have been added to my arsenal of dive experiences since my previous Tiger Beach excursion.  I was more than ready to board the Dolphin Dream liveaboard vessel with Eli Martinez, Captain Scott, and his crew yet again to relive the magic that is Tiger Beach in the azure blue Bahamian waters.  Despite being a more experienced diver who has gotten herself out of a few sticky dive situations since 2020, I was still mildly intimidated by those Tigers.  But my past experiences had reminded me that this slight fear in my head was all from being away for too long.  I knew that the fear would melt away as soon as I was in the presence of these majestic creatures.

            Our first day of dives, despite intentionally having no tigers, are still worth mentioning.  While visibility was quite clear and beautiful, the current was no joke!  I would describe it as moderate to strong.  At times I felt like I was being tossed around like a ragdoll.  The purpose of these dives was to get properly weighted to avoid being knocked around like this in the presence of massive predators like tiger sharks!  The reef was littered with Caribbean reef sharks, a few lemon sharks, small colorful tropical fish, and elegant Angelfish, among other local residents.  While they were lovely to watch while sitting stationary in the sand, the moment I left the floor and tried to swim in open water to the downline attached to the boat, I felt like an Olympic swimmer in pursuit of that elusive gold medal.  I describe it as such because I was struggling and swimming so hard against that intense current pushing me back.  That was definitely the hardest I exerted myself the entire trip.

            Day 2 of diving was to be our first day with the big tiger girls.  On the first dive of the day we had only one Tiger BUT … it was the queen herself, Emma.  I’ve been hearing about her and seeing her on Shark Week for years and unfortunately, she did not show up during my previous trip to Tiger Beach.  I felt so honored that she decided to show up this time around.  I felt like I was in the presence of royalty.

When thinking back to a specific encounter I had with the rambunctious Jitterbug on my last trip to Tiger Beach, I was very intimidated by Emma initially.  I’d nervously move out of her way when she approached me.  But then I caught a glimpse of one of the safety divers, Jake, who signaled to me, “be calm, it’s okay.”  I quickly learned that beneath her intimidating-looking exterior, Emma is a sincerely gentle soul.  In fact, she was one of the calmest tiger sharks (or any type pf shark!) I have ever met.  She had a very relaxed demeanor about her and was highly tolerant of her human guests.  When she would approach me with her over-sized head and telltale grin, I quickly learned that she would not investigate me further with her curious jaws.  She would make eye contact but then would simply cruise right past me.

I quickly fell in love with this charming shark.  My fear of her dissolved and was carried away by any current that remained.  I am not saying that you should not be on your guard when in the presence of Tiger sharks because you absolutely must be at all times, regardless of how chill they are behaving!  But after several close interactions with this enchanting individual, I learned that her personality and temperament were nothing to fear.  She was a Bonafide sweetheart and I could easily see why she is referred to as The Queen.

My old friend Jitterbug did return to visit me on this return trip to Tiger Beach.  I wonder if she remembered me?  Her unique clefted snout was a dead giveaway to knowing it was her.  Still as rowdy and curious as ever, her persona is the complete opposite of Emma.  A third tiger also graced us with her presence that day and it was Gabriela.  She was a HUGE girl and most likely pregnant as her distended belly would suggest.  This day was definitely one for the books and things were only about to get better.

On Day 3 of diving I woke up with mild nausea and a moderately intense headache, but nothing that a few Advil and some ginger couldn’t stave off until I got in the water.  This day also happened to be Tutu Tuesday, so a bunch of us jumped in decked out in colorful tutus.  Apparently, the tigers were not impressed because they stayed away from us on dive #1.  I only befriended Gary the grouper who stared at me dressed in my rainbow tutu as if I were totally nuts.  Who could blame him?!  I mean, I probably looked like no other tropical fish he had ever seen before.

On dives 2 and 3, most of us ditched the tutus and then the tigers came barreling in!  (Turns out I was right … they didn’t like the tutus!)  Not only were Emma and Jitterbug present again, but a few other tigers joined the party.  They included Stephanie, Natalie, and a new tiger which the crew later informed us was a new, unnamed girl.  In addition to these lovelies, there were at least 15 to 20 Caribbean reef sharks, a couple of lemons, a couple of nurse sharks, a majestic Southern stingray, and Gary the local grouper.  It was so incredibly sharky, I felt like I died and went to heaven.  My headache and nausea quickly took a backseat to all the excitement that surrounded me.

The following day, unfortunately, was riddled with rough seas.  We were surrounded by miles and miles of open ocean, yet we were unable to jump in.  It was a great day to look through footage and photos, relax on the upper deck beanbag chairs, continue eating great food, and connect with my fellow shark-enthusiast friends.  Special mention to Kathy who I quickly grew to respect and admire as she is in her 80’s and still living life to the absolute fullest, traveling the world and diving with tiger sharks!  Life goals.  Thanks for giving me something to aspire to, Kathy, and for showing me that it IS possible!!

Our final day of diving was Halloween.  Luckily, the seas improved and Captain Scott deemed it safe for us to jump in and meet up with the girls one last time.  Lots of exciting things happened on this day.  I saw Jitterbug steal (and later spit out) a GoPro camera.  She also chomped on a small Caribbean reef shark who happened to be in her way.  The reef shark got away and hopefully learned that you don’t get in Jitterbug’s way!  Emma swam past and above me many times, giving me several opportunities to stroke her belly and side body.  These sharks are so incredibly muscular and feel as hard as steel tanks.  Dive #2 ended with Finch grabbing and gifting me a tiger tooth, freshly released from the mouth of Jitterbug!  We also witnessed some exciting topside action with a bird that decided to sit in the water right above a shiver of hungry reef sharks.  “You might be pretty, bird, but you’re not too smart,” one of my boatmates said.

The final dive of the day (and the trip) went out with a bang but it was an incredibly sketchy situation.  Visibility dropped significantly from the previous dive and was probably no more than 15 feet.  It was extremely hazy and murky.  Silt was kicked up easily and lingered, making visibility even worse.  This can be extremely dangerous when there are predators lurking around!  And what do you know … SIX tigers showed up by the end of the dive!  Emma, Jitterbug, Stephanie, Natalie, Gabriela, and an unnamed new girl.  Not to mention all the reef and lemon sharks that were also in the area.  I only stayed for about 20 minutes when 4 tigers were present.  When I couldn’t keep track of them all I decided I was satisfied with the experiences I’ve had on this trip, told Finch I was out, and proceeded to ascend to my final safety stop at the down line.

Needless to say, this trip was truly epic and priceless memories were made.  Twelve logged dives, one precious tiger tooth to take home, and a group of new friends were but a few of the rewards.  But I must say with absolute certainty that my favorite thing about this trip was meeting Emma.  She is the EXACT opposite of what common people think about sharks.  Emma is kind, gentle, tolerant, relaxed, and peaceful.  She actually made my fear, anxiety, and stress melt away.  Have you ever seen a therapy dog?  Well, if therapy sharks existed, I’d have to say that Emma is mine.

PHOTO CREDITS: Eli Martinez & myself (the amateur looking ones 😅)

Miami, FLORIDA ~ July 2024

         Tagging sharks and observing marine biologists who work closely in the field with these fascinating creatures was something I’ve been trying to participate in for the past few years.  As with anything else, seeing it televised (such as on Shark Week) is simply not the same as firsthand experience.  I can confidently attest to this from being in the water and personally interacting with sharks on several occasions as a recreational scuba diver.  Unfortunately, a few seemingly promising opportunities that came my way did not pan out in my favor for various reasons.  Luckily, the stars aligned properly and thanks to Sharks4Kids and the Field School in Miami, I was granted the chance to not only observe marine biologists but to participate in shark tagging, data collection, and  biological workups of these animals.

               Alongside several other eager shark enthusiasts like myself, we set sail early one extremely muggy July morning out of the marina in Miami aboard the research vessel R/V Garvin.  With beads of sweat collecting beneath our Sharks4Kids sun shirts, it didn’t bother us in the least as we were about to learn and contribute to the science that will help protect the vital creatures that we so love and adore.  The team from the Field School and their interns were more than accommodating to help us understand their work.  They were clearly passionate about their objectives, our safety, and the safety of the sharks we were hoping to see up close and personal.

               One of the first tasks they taught us was how to deploy drumlines, buoys, and baited longlines to lure the sharks in.  Throwing these heavy things overboard and later retrieving them by tugging on a heavy rope that felt like elementary school field day tug-of-war surely gave us our full body workout for the day!  It didn’t take long before … voila!  Our first shark appeared.

This was our largest catch of the day and therefore the scientific workup had to be done on a platform off the side of the boat rather than bringing the shark up onto the boat.  It was an attractive nurse shark who was 222 cm in total length.  (I’m not sure why, but I remembered that specific length!)  As passive and docile as nurse sharks tend to be in their natural habitat, trying to handle one, especially in an unfamiliar environment, turned him into an unhappy camper.  It took about 4 people to keep the shark calm and prevent him from resisting the biological workup to be performed.  My job with this first shark was to take a small sample of the tip of its 2^nd dorsal fin by clipping it with a pair of scissors.  It felt like cutting cardboard.  Once clipped, I placed it in a test tube and it was good to go!

Following this nurse shark we caught and released 6 more sharks.  They included 2 blacktip and 4 blacknose sharks.  All of them were small enough to be brought on board and placed on top of a small cooler to do the work up.  All the sharks that were brought onboard were obligate ram ventilators, meaning they have to continually swim in order to breath.  To compensate for this out of water experience, the team would insert a hose of running water into the shark’s mouth to keep water flowing continuously over the gills to allow for uninterrupted breathing.  They informed us that the workups must be completed in 5 to 7 minutes to cause as little stress to the animals as possible.  They also assured us that all the clippings and pokings that we were doing would not hurt the sharks as they have a significantly lower number of pain receptors than we do.

In addition to fin clippings, other jobs we volunteers were asked to do included taking 3 different body length measurements, inserting the tag into the 1^st dorsal fin, and checking for parasites which, if found, were collected and placed in test tubes to be analyzed by the research team later.  Blood drawing was another job but only performed by the Field School team.

As I held the measuring tape flat against the flank of a petite blacknose shark, I gently stroked its skin with my thumbs in the direction from tail to head.  I wanted to feel the sensation of its dermal denticles which was something I was always curious about but would never be able to do during a shark dive for obvious reasons.  It felt exactly like sandpaper.

In conclusion, my day spent as a citizen scientist collecting data and samples from local Miami sharks under the blazing Florida sun was an exhilarating experience.  Well worth traveling about 90 miles out of my way from my usual frequently visited spot in Florida.  This experience has also given me clearer insight on what marine biologists actually do out in the field and firsthand experience of how exhausting it is!  I now have a whole new level of admiration and respect for those who have chosen this career path in marine biology whether it be to restore coral reefs, save mangrove habitats, or protect vulnerable marine wildlife such as the amazing creatures we call sharks.

Check out @field-school and @sharkeducation on Instagram for some fantastic shark resources!!

Key Largo ~ May 2023

               The state of Florida is rather large in comparison to my home state of New Jersey but that didn’t stop me from traveling about 150 miles down the east coast from Jupiter to Key Largo to out plant corals with the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF).  Despite the hellish 3.5 hour ride I endured with a rather unsavory Uber driver who not only insulted me but said other ridiculous things like “the ocean has an endless supply of seafood”, I made it safely to Key Largo.

               While sharks are the absolute loves of my scuba diving life, I had a slight desire to stray a little bit away from my normal preference of diving.  I wanted to further fulfill my role as a citizen scientist through scuba diving.  I wanted to continue putting my ever-present good intentions of helping the planet to use.  My intent of coming to Key Largo was to become more educated on coral and to personally help organizations, such as CRF, in fulfilling their mission of regrowing coral.

               It all started with a 2-hour long presentation at CRF’s Exploration Center inside a small classroom with bright orange chairs and a handful of eager students, myself included.  Their power point presentation described the environmental role of coral, the ongoing plight they are facing, the reasons behind their current predicament, what we can do to prevent coral bleaching, and coral restoration efforts currently taking place in oceans all around the world.  The staff there also taught us what our role as citizen scientist divers was going to be and what exactly we were going to do on the 2 dives to assist.

               After a brief intermission for lunch and a short 20-minute boat ride through the palm-tree-lined, residential canals of Key Largo, we arrived at the Coral Nursery.  A sea of peaceful, turquoise blue welcomed us as we giant strode our way in, about 20 to 30 feet above the glorious coral trees.  The CRF staff gave us a leisurely tour through the nursery before putting us to work.  This easy swim was like navigating through an aquatic forest with trees that had branches made of algae-adorned PVC pipes and growing coral leaves with monofilament line stems.  The trees were home to growing Elkhorn and Staghorn corals.  This was a dive unlike any other I have been on thus far.  To me, these trees signified hope and an optimistic feeling that there are still people who wish to do good in this world.  And today, I was part of that group.

               Inquisitive fish residing in and near these coral trees stared at us with curiosity as we cleaned the algae from the monofilament lines and PVC pipes with brushes and chisels.  It was quite interesting and definitely a new experience for me to maintain buoyancy while doing some type of upper body work underwater.  As we performed this meaningful task, one of the CRF dive leaders was busy gathering 40 baby corals from other trees within the nursery to take to Pickle Reef where we would be out planting them.

               Our objective at Pickle Reef for Dive #2 was to secure the baby corals to the ocean floor.  To do this, we first had to take a hammer and bang/chisel away any sediment on the ground to make a smooth spot for the coral to be attached to.  We were instructed to clear away a “Costco-sized-cookie” shape on the ground for each individual coral.  Banging a hammer through a viscous medium such as water is quite different than doing so through air!  And we had to be careful to not have any fish casualties.  Worms would pop up from the ground as we banged away and fish would swarm in, trying to eat them.

Once a space was cleared, the CRF dive guide would hand us a small piece of Epoxy which was similar to silly putty.  We were then to form it into a Hershey Kiss shape, stick it onto the sediment-free spot we just created, and then plop a piece of coral onto the Epoxy.  To ensure the coral was secured, we had to wave our hands in front of it.  If it lifted easily and detached from the Epoxy, it was obviously not secure and we’d have to reattach it or find a better location for it.  If it passed the wave test and did not float away, then the coral was deemed secure and ready to grow and thrive on that very spot for months to come.  I personally planted 5 corals and couldn’t have been happier with my experience here.

The next day I did 2 casual dives, just to see what else Key Largo had to offer since I was in the area.  We dove the SS Benwood Wreck and French Reef.  The Benwood was a large World War 2 wreck that had no top and appeared to be just the base or skeleton of the ship.  The history behind it is that this ship and another ship shut off their lights to avoid being seen by German U-Boats in the area.  As a result, the two ships collided.  The other ship was eventually recovered and restored to functional use, but the Benwood went down and was history.  This wreck was full of life including schooling fish consisting of Sergeant Majors and Squirrel Fish.  My guide pointed out a cool Christmas Tree Worm which responded to sound.  When he snapped his fingers, the worm quickly recoiled into his little hole on the wreck.  He also pointed out a canon gun which was encrusted with sea fans, barnacles, and the like.

French Reef was very significant because I clearly noticed the vibrant Elkhorn corals that were growing and were possibly out planted by the CRF team and other citizen scientist divers like myself.  So amazing to see that!  We also did some fun, easy swim throughs in the reef.  Aquatic life I encountered here included numerous Southern Stingrays, blue Parrotfish, and schools of bright yellow fish.  I’m glad to say I was able to help their environment grow and thrive here in Key Largo.

As amazing as out planting corals and diving Key Largo was, my entire experience was not all peaches and cream.  In fact, my entire time spent diving in Key Largo was plagued by a clogged ear which virtually made me 50% deaf for the 2 days I was there.  So after Dive Day #2, I made it a priority to venture a mile down the road from my hotel to Advanced Urgent Care to have my ear assessed and treated.  Surely enough, my ear was severely impacted with wax as it had been six years ago when I first began diving.  I spent roughly an hour on the exam table as nurses Cindy and Sheila gently and carefully irrigated both of my ears.  (Because hey, why not just do both?!)  And it turned out that my “good” ear was infected and actually worse than my deaf ear!  While this was obviously very uncomfortable and at times painful, the staff was so kind, gentle, and caring that it actually made for a somewhat pleasant experience!

Despite that and being sent home with antibiotics, prescription eardrops, and clear instructions to not submerge myself in water for at least ten days, Key Largo treated me well.  I would gladly venture down there again to provide a helping hand with coral restoration.

Jupiter. FL ~ May 2023

               As I exited the West Palm Beach Airport in Florida, the late May humidity crinkled up my straightened hair like a sheet of aluminum foil.  Despite this unwelcome sensation which I would normally despise greatly, I embraced it willingly as I continue to return here to the point that I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve passed through the gates of this airport.  Jupiter, Florida has become a second home to me as the resident sharks reel me in time and time again, year after year.

During the course of the last 3 to 4 months, I’ve been following my favorite shark dive operators intently on social media as they’ve been posting photos of nonstop shark action which included magnificent Great Hammerhead sharks that have been spending lots of time in the area.  While I have already spent ample time with this species on 2 different trips to Bimini while sitting stationary on the ocean floor on my knees, I have never encountered one in Jupiter while maintaining buoyancy in the water column.  So I was hopeful that I would get such an experience this time around!

               The following day, my first dive was shark-packed.  We had 4 sandbar sharks emerge from the depths within minutes of submerging ourselves in the calm, flat sea.  I love the behavior of this particular species and find them generally very relaxing to be around.  I find them timid, yet bold enough to venture through a group of divers with the promise of a fishy treat from our feeder, David.  Their first dorsal fins are one of my favorites.  They almost resemble those of the Great Hammerheads as they are unusually large, prominent, and tall when compared to the first dorsals of other species.  These sandbar sharks kept to themselves and didn’t interact with us much.  Their shyness showed even more when the silky sharks appeared.

               Two silkies initially joined the bait box party followed by a third who came in a few minutes before the dive ended.  The sandbar sharks almost seemed intimidated by the silkies because once the silkies swarmed the box, the sandbars seemed to keep their distance and stayed on the perimeter or below us.  They were hesitant to approach the bait box and they did not for the remainder of the dive, even though it seemed like they wanted to!  Eventually they disappeared into the endless blue, leading me to believe that the silkies are a more dominant species.  This was surprising to me because all the silkies and sandbars surrounding us during this dive all seemed to be of similar size.  Nonetheless, it was an epic dive with seven sharks in total.

               The second and third dives of the day weren’t nearly as action packed.  Sharkwise, only a nurse shark or two showed up on each of these dives.  While I appreciate the presence of any species of shark in the water, nurse sharks are just not as exciting in comparison to others!  They are often the equivalent of an old, lazy dog who just wants to lay around as they have had their share of seeing enough pesky divers.  But, of course, that is not the case of every nurse shark encounter!  Today, however, it was.  One nurse shark in particular appeared to be pregnant, so maybe she was not in the mood to entertain us.

Some non-sharky events of these two dives included a massive Southern stingray and a less-than-welcoming Grouper.  The stingray spent a mere minute with us before he glided away gracefully in an effort to avoid any unforeseeable, yet avoidable, confrontation.  I highly enjoy how rays move themselves through the water.  This one appeared to fly away as if he were a flying saucer lifting off into outer space.  The Grouper, on the other hand, wasn’t about avoiding confrontation at all but instead was all about starting it.  As we sat on top of the Sun Mariner Wreck patiently waiting for sharks, this colossal Grouper actually bit David at the bait box.  In addition to attacking David, he seemed to be harassing us (the divers) as well, making several close passes at those of us sitting on the wreck.  For whatever reason, this Grouper just was not having a good day and was clearly not in the mood for company!  In all honesty, I felt more threatened by this one grouper than I ever have with any shark … even a tiger!

Day number two of shark diving in Jupiter was a special day because dive number three would be my milestone 100^th dive!  The dives were pretty similar to that of the day prior but just not as exciting.  We had silkies, sandbars, and nurse sharks again, potentially the same individuals we saw yesterday.  I had to end my first dive early as I was having issues with my mask flooding about 25 minutes in.  Sadly enough, I was informed topside that a smooth hammerhead showed up after I had exited the water!  Unfortunately, on our third dive of the day (my 100^th), no sharks showed up at all.  At the very end of that dive, however, as we were slowly making our ascent with hopes that any shark would still choose to join us along the way, my attention was drawn to something beneath me.  As I hovered at about 40 feet or so, I glanced down and saw the clear outline of a cephalofoil head!

The fact that this hammerhead shark was probably 40 to 50 feet below me and my knowledge of different shaped cephalofoils is minimal meant that I had a slim chance of identifying the species on my own.  After the dive ended, I consulted with my fellow divers only to learn that nobody else saw it.  Therefore, I received no help in identifying the species of hammerhead that this individual was.  (Upon review of my GoPro footage later, I didn’t even capture the shark in a video.)  I’m inclined to believe that it was either a smooth or scalloped hammerhead but I will never know for sure.  Despite that, I am still marking this as the thirteenth shark species that I have shared the water with.  I refer to this individual as “unidentified hammerhead” and he made my 100^th dive memorably epic.

Costa Rica ~ December 2022

         The hot, blazing Costa Rican sun was beating hard upon us during the bumpy ride aboard the Blue Orca dive boat.  But it was December, so that did not hinder me from wearing my thick 7 mm wetsuit as I’m convinced that winter waters in any part of the world will be bone-chilling to me.  As we approached the lush Catalina Islands off the northwestern Costa Rican coast, they looked like ancient volcanic pinnacles right out of the Jurassic era.  The seas were calm and despite being an experienced diver, I was a little nervous about performing my very first back roll off the side of the dive boat.  Nonetheless, the jitters of not having dived in a couple of months quickly dissipated as soon as the weight of my heavy tank pulled me back and I splashed into the water.  I quickly regained orientation and it was then that I realized how fun and effortless back rolls are!

This archipelago of rocky islets is home to a staggering number of sea urchins strewn amongst the rocky crevices, different species of lounging starfish, shy and bold moray eels, territorial lobsters, and tornados of schooling fish.  A distant Devil Ray drew my attention from afar but despite my burst of exertion, he effortlessly outswam me and my teal Seawing Nova scuba fins.  Trumpet fish and Morish Idol fish also resided amongst the locals as well as armies of those goofy looking Puffer fish with their big eyes, spotted skin, and subtle smirks.  Another highlight was a camouflaging octopus who graced us with his presence on more than one dive; first outside of his den and then on another day hiding inside his den, covered with shells.

We also encountered one larger than life turtle who appeared to be on a mission, pushing us aside as he glided by with intention, a pair of Spotted Eagle Rays that seemed to be flying with the graceful flapping of their pectoral fins like wings, and Southern and yellow stingrays who maneuvered their flat, pancake-shaped bodies along the sandy contour with a smooth, silky elegance.  And following a safety stop at the end of one of our dives, we found ourselves breaking the surface with a couple of Devil Rays who were energetically jumping for joy out in the distance.  What an astounding sight to behold!

But who were the stars of the show for me?  The Whitetip Reef Sharks, of course!  With their flattened heads, blunt snouts, and trademark white tipped fins, they are one of cutest species, in my opinion.  Their facial expressions are so curious and innocent.  The first one I saw was hidden in a cave.  There he lay motionless with the exception of buccal pumping for effective oxygen exchange to occur over the gills without swimming.  This shy little guy refused to move from his comfortable spot, nestled inside the cave.  This observation of behavior made me concerned that all the Whitetip Reef Sharks would remain hidden during the day as they’re known to be nocturnal.  Luckily, that was not the case.

As our group moved along, we encountered more whitetip reef sharks that were out in the open and not quite as shy and standoffish.  A family of 4 or 5 larger whitetip reef sharks lay nearby on the ocean floor.  They seemed calm and relaxed, only moving from their designated spots when they sensed our presence drawing nigh.  They naturally want to avoid conflict and not be bothered by us, so they simply started swimming away.

I later saw a pair of male whitetip reef sharks.  One kept following the other.  The one being followed seemed annoyed by the other who even laid on top of him at one point.  It didn’t take long for the annoyed whitetip to wriggle out from underneath the other and swim away, but the instigator kept following him.  Not sure what the intention was behind this game of tag but the annoyed shark clearly just wanted to relax and not be pestered by his bothersome acquaintance.  As much as I wanted to follow them and continue observing this interesting behavior and difference in personality amongst individuals, I was at risk of falling behind the group and forever being just another annoying entity to that one shark.

All in all, I found the waters of Costa Rica to be calm and welcoming.  The diversity of underwater marine life was simply fascinating from cephalopods to crustaceans, reptiles, and fish.  As with any other shark species I’ve encountered prior to this, the whitetip reef sharks were truly hospitable.  While they didn’t show much interest in us and simply wanted to lounge around and not be bothered, their unique physical traits and fairly calm demeanor made them easy to adore.