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M A R I N E
I G U A N A
“Only in the Galapagos Islands can marine
iguanas be found and only for a short
window of time each morning in shallow,
near-shore waters with a strong surge and
crashing waves over an algae-covered
rocky bottom. Underwater photography
is most challenging when you’re being
pummeled by waves, slammed into rocks
and protecting a fragile glass lens port
(and less fragile life and limb) while giving
the iguana enough space to go about its
business. I grew up watching Godzilla
movies on television, and if ever there were
an opportunity to encounter a pint-sized
Godzilla, it exists in Galapagos, though
solely at the marine iguana’s whim.”
L O V E O N
T H E R U N
“Working under permit in
the Kingdom of Tonga, I
really wanted to see what
goes on in a ‘heat run.’ Be
careful what you wish for.
A heat run is a behavior
in which male humpback
whales compete against
each other for the favor of
a female in estrus, which
they are all pursuing at
breakneck speed.
“Jumping in among a
group of randy 40-foot-
long whales with their
intentions alternating
between violence and
lust is something you
don’t want to spend time
contemplating. As Ron
Taylor always advised me,
‘You’ve got to be in it to win it.’ So I jumped off the stern into the whales’ path. I was overcome by the beauty of the spectacle,
and time slowed as it often does in intense situations. To be honest, it was thrilling. To be really honest, it was terrifying. My body
floating on the surface was buffeted by cavitation as the whales’ bodies and tail flukes passed, and they headed seaward, continuing
their love train, indifferent to the dazed voyeur they left in their wake.”
( O P P O S I T E )
D R A G O N M O R A Y S
“Throughout much of their former range, particularly in Hawaiian waters, dragon moray eels have been commercially overcollected
to the extent that they are now quite rare. But dragon morays are not collected in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia and
are thus more frequently encountered. They are by no means common, but on a recent two-week exploration of the Marquesas I
had the great fortune to find two together in the same crevice. This was unbelievably lucky, and I spent the entirety of my dive
concentrating upon the pair, paying little attention to the manta ray that swam in lazy circles above my head.”