10.29.09

Location, Location, Location

In the matter of two weeks we have gone from sandy, white beaches and beautiful turquoise waters to cold, white snow drifts and white-out conditions.

I'm thinking the sun deck on the Turks & Caicos Explorer II looks much more inviting than the Jensen's back deck.

Enjoying our 2nd snow day in here in Douglas County!  If it's like this in October, what will winter bring?

10.17.09

CSE Underwater

At school we have a bulletin board to showcase the locations our CSE shirts visit.  I took my t-shirt with us to Turks & Caicos and soon realized that a photo on a boat in the middle of the ocean would be boring.  I decided to put my shirt on over my wetsuit...had a little explaining to do when the other guests on the boat were just looking at me.

I had hoped to get a shot with a shark over my shoulder, but that didn't pan out.  :o)

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.16.09

Not a Shark

Okay, we did some other fun creatures...other than sharks.  :o)  We saw several turtles...they are always fun to watch and swim with.

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.15.09

Another Shark

I said that we saw a lot of them...here's another.  I thought about bringing one home, but I don't think the neighbors would let me keep it in their pool.

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.14.09

Up Close and Personal

It was great getting to see the Grey Reef Sharks so upclose.  There were a few that made me nervous, but it was very exciting.

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.13.09

Head-On

An underwater head-on takes on a whole new meaning!

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.12.09

Angels & Memories

Even underwater you can find angles (or grey angelfish). Today was bittersweet. One year ago today, my friend and colleague Tonya passed away. Tonya was on a family vacation in Hawaii. It was freak and tragic accident. One of the toughest things for me about Tonya's death is that the ocean, the one thing I love and so enjoy, is what took her from us. I remember Tonya greeting me with her wonderful and contagious smile every morning. Tonya will live on in our hearts and memories forever.

10.11.09

Shark on Reef

Sharks are amazing creatures.  I particularly liked how the sun reflected off their them.

The sharks on this trip came closer than the other ones...they were within arms' reach and on every dive.  There was no type of chumming going on.  These sharks were simply interested in us.

10.10.09

Chad & His New Friend

One of the reasons we wanted to go aboard the Turks & Caicos Explorer II again was because of the sharks we had encountered on several of our dives.

And we weren't disappointed the second time!  On this particualr dive we ended up with three different sharks that circled around both Chad and I.  I captured the still photos...Chad captured the video.

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.09.09

The View for the Week

Fall Break has officially begun and we are headed to Turks and Caicos.  Our morning started early and a little white-knuckled.

The weathermen were forcasting a little snow.  Things didn't seem bad until we got a few miles down the interstate...black ice and LOTS of it.  On our drive to the airport (which usually takes 45 minutes) we saw 5 different rollover accidents.  Fortunately we made it to the airport in one piece and on time for our flight. Deicing at DIA took an extra 1 1/2 hours, but our layover in Atlanta gave us enough of a buffer.  After grabbing a snack we boarded the last leg of our journey and actually arrived early in T&C! 

These two photos were the views Chad and I had for the week.  We were aboard the Turks & Caicos Explorer II.  We were on this same boat two years and had a wonderful trip.  On the last trip there were 18-20 people on the boat...this week, only 6...it was AWESOME!

The first picture is of the dive deck and the second photo is of the bottom of the boat...took it while on our safety stop.

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

05.17.09

ISLANDS Magazine Photo Contest - Honorable Mention

Well, I was hopeful that this week I could tell everyone to run out and purchase the June issue of ISLANDS Magazine and turn to a certain page...unfortunately that's not the case.

I learned back in February that I won Honorable Mention, for a second year in a row, in the ISLANDS Magazine 20th Annual Photo Contest.  (I was able to "formally" announce anything until the magazine came out.)

My winning photo was of a sting ray laying on the sand. I took the photo while on a liveaboard in Turks & Caicos.  We were just about ready to head back up to the boat and there were two rays gliding across the sand.  They are amazing creatures and are so fun to watch.

There were only half of the photos that made it in the magazine, but you can see them all, including my stingray, by visiting the the ISLANDS web site and clicking on "Photo Gallery":  http://www.islands.com/article.jsp?ID=1000071546