Fall has been crazy busy and I can’t believe it is the end of the year already.
Back in September I spent a week with Sangat Island Dive Resort diving the WWII wrecks of Coron, Philippines. In the summer of 1944 the Americans were attacking Manila and the Japanese tried to move ships out to save them. Several ended up the Coron, Palawan thinking they would be safe only to be sunk in the longest-range air attack ever launched from aircraft carriers at that time. I spend time on eight ships exploring the insides of the wrecks and the lovely marine life on the outside. The article just came out in X-Ray Magazine and you can download the latest issue for free here.
From the Philippines I headed to the Bahamas soon after Hurricane Dorian to find that the entire country was not destroyed as the media would lead one to believe. Aboard the Aqua Cat for a week, the Exumas and Eleuthera only experienced wind and rain and things were business as usual by the time I got there. I also visited Grand Bahama and while the damage was devastating around much of the island, tourism was ready to receive customers and start to get back to normal. Sometimes the best way to help is to go diving! The article can be read here.
The Fifth Annual Roatan Underwater Photo Fest was held at Turquoise Bay in November and it was so lovely to see so many familiar faces return and new faces as well. Weather conditions weren’t perfect, but I was amazed to see the quality of images the participants come up with even in difficult shooting conditions. Our generous sponsors so kindly donated prizes for our annual photo contest and the participants took home some sweet swag from Ikelite, Bay Photo Lab, Kraken Watersports, and Stream2Sea.
Right after the Photo Fest it was off to DEMA and the support for my book was overwhelming. Thanks everyone who stopped by, listened to my talk, and bought books. I love you guys. Special thanks to Ikelite for sponsoring me at the Author’s Corner. It was great to catch up with everyone too.
Some recent print articles in UK Diver Magazine have been posted online. You can read about my trip diving in Vanuatu and the USS President Coolidge here. And you can read about my obsession with the island of Saba here. Plus you can join me in Saba next September. The Ladies Dive and Art trip will be happening again September 12-19th, 2020 and the next week, September 19-26th we are going to invite the boys to. The second week can be an impromptu photo workshop or just a fun week enjoying the diving, hiking, and ambiance of Saba, whatever everyone is interested in.
December in Indonesia is becoming a thing and I spent some time at Siladen Resort diving Bunaken National Park. I won the trip during the Think Pink charity auction and I have the utmost respect for dive industry businesses that give back. I took a bunch of ‘pink’ photos and the article is on DPG here.
And finally, a new trip has been announced! Join me and the amazing Tobias Friedrich for an underwater photography workshop in the Red Sea, November 12-19, 2020. We will be spending a week on the Omneia liveaboard. Feel free to send me a message if you’d like more info.
I head back to Chuuk in a few days to spend some back on the Odyssey and I’m looking forward to some wreck diving. Next year has some fun adventures already planned and a few more in the works. I hope to run into you all underwater! Happy New Year and best wishes in 2020!