The Songs of the Ocean

I have just returned from the sapphire Hawaiian waters where I had gorgeous encounters with beautiful sea creatures. Mantas, Spinner dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Spotted dolphins, Turtles and an Orca! Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to meet an Orca in person, much less in the Hawaiian waters. This was a rare and special gift, perhaps a once in a lifetime experience. 

    Making contact with this beauty in the wild has had a profound effect on me. Of all of my underwater encounters in different parts of the world, this has been the most significant. I felt a power and grace emanate from this gorgeous animal that I have never felt until now.  Once I was in the water with this adult male killer whale, I heard and received the sonar that it emitted as it swam past me. It sounded like metal clinking on metal. I swam in with Deron Verbeck, a fellow underwater photographer and captain of a small boat. We were close to a research vessel that was tagging a pod of Orcas for the very first time in Hawaiian waters. These pictures were taken three miles from the Kona coast in water approximately one mile deep.  Since the encounter,  I have felt a very different energy in my body. I feel an opening inside of my heart and deeper connection to the songs of the ocean. I can see and feel that there are webs in nature that are interwoven, we are all connected, to the great mystery. 

     Orcas are considered the 'lords' and 'guardians' of the ocean. They invite us to explore the energy of alchemy and they are considered by many indigenous cultures to be portals to the stars and the cosmos. Dolphins are believed to be their warriors and sea lions their messengers. Since they travel in groups and mate for life, they are also symbolic of family ties, romance, harmony, longevity and power. 

 I also met the mantas and experienced their grace and beauty. 

The dolphins also moved me and I was thrilled to have this time underwater to discover their habitats and photograph them in the wild.  

All of these pictures were taken while free diving. 

Spinner dolphins. 

 Thank you Roberta, Carlos, Mike, Kavika, Daron, Brett, and Jeremy!

Aloha!