Magnificent Megafauna
Baja California Sur, Mexico; Northwest Cape, Australia and Moorea, French Polynesia
In Cabo Pulmo National Park, we geared up for our first dive of the day. I was a little disappointed at first—the dive site known for bull shark encounters was unavailable. The park limits how many people can dive each site and how often, to help protect the marine life. But our dive instructor mentioned we might still get lucky at the site we were heading to.
I had never encountered a shark up close before—aside from a few smaller reef sharks the day before—so I wondered how I’d react. Would I be scared? There was only one way to find out.
About fifteen minutes into the dive, our guide got our attention—a bull shark! We were all buzzing with excitement. We swam a bit farther and found the perfect spot. Out of the cloudy darkness, 10 to 15 massive bull sharks began drifting in and out of view. They came close to check us out, then disappeared again into the murky blue. It was incredible—how they seemed to appear from nowhere, so silent and powerful.
To my surprise, I wasn’t afraid. In fact, I wanted them to come even closer. It quickly became one of my favorite dives ever. We had originally planned to do our second dive at a reef, but it was a unanimous decision—we had to go back and spend more time with the sharks.
On this day, we had a spotter plane scanning the ocean from above, helping us search for wildlife. About two hours north of our location, the pilot spotted a pod of false killer whales. We made the journey to the coordinates he gave us, scanning the water once we arrived—and sure enough, there they were: a pod of about 8 to 10.
None of us had ever seen false killer whales before, and we were all so excited to see them! Our first jump into the water turned out to be, to this day, one of the most magical encounters I’ve ever experienced.
We slipped into the ocean and floated, waiting. Then they came—swimming straight toward us. They moved effortlessly between us, curious, calm, and completely aware of our presence. We were all absolutely speechless, suspended in awe.
This trip was with some of the same incredible people from the false killer whale encounter—so you can imagine the energy was already high. Within minutes of reaching the open ocean in the Cabo area, we saw a humpback fluke (tail) launch into the air and come crashing down in the distance. Right then, we knew it was going to be a good day.
We ended up seeing around 30 different humpback whales—breaching, tail slapping, and even a few mothers teaching their calves how to breach. It was one of those days that felt truly magical, like the ocean was putting on a show just for us.
This shot is one of my favorites from that day. The whale is mid-breach, with water cascading off its pectoral fin, and in the background, you can see the beautiful beach and mountains—it was one of those moments where everything aligned just right.
This video captures just one day—four unforgettable hours on the water filled with jaw-dropping encounters. Breaches, tail slaps, whales swimming right next to the boat… it was nothing short of incredible.
If you’re interested in experiencing something like this for yourself, reach out via my contact page. I’ll be organizing a trip to this exact location during the same time of year (late January to February) with the same amazing team I’ve trusted for all my Mexico ocean adventures. We can even personalize the trip to include snorkeling and visits to nearby waterfalls and ocean encounters in other nearby regions (contact me for more information). It’s going to be unforgettable—and I’d love to share it with you!
This photo was taken at a sea lion colony near La Paz, Mexico—one of the best places in the world to swim with sea lions. You can see a group of them playing together, with one young sea lion looking like it’s just about to join in on the fun.
We spent around two hours in the water with them, watching their interactions and getting to play alongside them too. They’re incredibly curious and by far the most playful ocean animals I’ve ever encountered—full of energy, mischief, and personality.
After spending a few hours searching for whales, we stopped at a nearby reef to explore. It was peaceful—beautiful and quiet beneath the surface.
Just a few minutes in, we spotted a white-tipped reef shark gliding effortlessly through the water. It moved with such grace, weaving through the coral with quiet confidence. Watching it cruise the reef was a special moment, and I felt incredibly lucky to witness such a beautiful creature in its element.
Just ten minutes into our ocean safari—right after the sun had risen—we were greeted by a pod of playful dolphins. They swam alongside the boat, darting under the bow and riding the wake. Some, like the dolphin in this photo, put on a show for us, leaping out of the water and into the golden morning light. It was the perfect way to start the day.
This photo was taken during one of the final days of my month-long solo travel adventure. While diving in Thailand, I kept hearing whispers of whale shark sightings and started hoping I might see one myself. I held onto that hope, even tried manifesting it—but it just wasn’t my time.
After a stop in Bali, I continued on to Australia, traveling down the west coast. On our second day in North West Cape, we headed out with high hopes. About an hour and a half into our trip, we found one—a whale shark! The universe always knows the right timing.
And as it turns out, seeing them while snorkeling—rather than scuba diving—meant longer, closer encounters. We ended up swimming with four whale sharks that day. True gentle giants—majestic, calm, and awe-inspiring.
(As with every wildlife encounter, there are respectful and harmful ways to go about it. Always research and choose companies that prioritize the animals’ well-being and comfort—or feel free to reach out to me if you'd like help finding one!)
This photo captures my very first encounter with sea lions. Out in the middle of the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mexico, there’s a little pinnacle called La Reyna—home to a vibrant sea lion colony.
We’d been in the water for about 20 minutes, watching them play from a distance of around 15 feet. Then, this playful sea lion swam right up to me. She rolled belly-up, wearing what looked like a little smile as she approached. Just moments after I took this photo, she blew a stream of bubbles right in front of my camera before flipping around and darting away. It was a cute introduction to these incredibly charismatic animals.
This photo from the Sea of Cortez captures a split second in time—a dolphin slicing through the surface of the water. I took it from the bow of the boat as dolphins played just beneath, darting and spinning under the bow.
What I love most is the texture and detail: the ripples in the water, the droplets suspended mid-air, and the smooth layer of water still clinging to the dolphin’s skin—surface tension not yet broken.
In this rare encounter in Moorea, rough-toothed dolphins were playing with a group of humpback whales, surfing the pressure wave created at the front of the whales’ bodies. Much like dolphins riding the bow of a boat, the whales’ movement pushes water forward, giving the dolphins a free ride as they glide and weave around their enormous companion. Moments like this—when humpbacks and rough-toothed dolphins interact—are rarely observed. Both species were vocalizing during the interaction, filling the water with sound as they played. This was one of the most high-energy encounters I have seen!
These photos capture a tender moment between a humpback whale mother and her calf. Every winter, humpback mothers travel thousands of miles from their cold feeding grounds to warm tropical waters to give birth—often migrating 3,000–5,000 miles while fasting the entire time.
After giving birth, the mother continues this fast while caring for her newborn. The calf drinks incredibly rich milk and can consume up to 100 gallons a day, fueling rapid growth during these early months of life. Mothers stay close, guiding their calves as they learn to swim and navigate the ocean, often allowing their curious babies to approach snorkelers and investigate the strange visitors in their world.
After several months in these warm nursery waters, the pair will begin the long journey back—thousands of miles to the feeding grounds where the mother will finally eat again, after dedicating months entirely to caring for her calf.
These photos were taken over the course of seven days in the water with humpback whales. Sometimes we would encounter the same group again later in the week, recognizing individuals by their markings and behavior.
Many of these interactions were part of heat runs—when several males compete for the attention of a single female. The ocean becomes a stage of powerful displays as the males chase, posture, and perform impressive “tricks” in an attempt to stand out.
One male in particular repeatedly swam close to us, almost as if he were showing off—seemingly unbothered by the strange creatures floating nearby, perhaps trying to prove to the female just how bold he was.
Moments like these offered a glimpse into the intense and fascinating social dynamics of humpback whales during breeding season.
This series captures a very curious juvenile humpback whale we spent about 45 minutes with in the water. As our group slowly moved back to give him space, he would quietly creep a little closer again, clearly interested in these strange visitors in his world.
At times he rolled along the surface, turning to look at us. He also spy-hopped—a behavior where a whale rises vertically out of the water with its head above the surface, often to look around and get a better view of what’s happening nearby. It felt as if he was studying us just as much as we were studying him.
There were a few moments when I drifted slightly farther from the group, and he turned his head and looked directly over at me. To be eye to eye with such a magnificent creature—and to feel truly seen—was an incredible feeling. It brought me to tears.
When it was finally time for us to leave and swim back to the boat, we looked down from the ladder and saw that he had followed us over, lingering beneath the surface—almost as if he were saying, “No, please stay and play a little longer.”
I had spent the day free-diving at Blue Heron Bridge in southeast Florida and had an incredible time exploring the reef. Later that evening, I drove up near the Kennedy Space Center for a bioluminescent kayak tour, which was absolutely spectacular—every movement in the water lighting up with glowing blue sparks.
Still buzzing from everything I had seen that day, I decided to add one more adventure to my little overnight trip. When I got back to my hotel, I immediately booked a free-dive shark dive in Jupiter for the next morning.
When I arrived, I discovered I was the only client getting in the water that day—meaning I had the sharks all to myself. Before long, a handful of beautiful bull sharks appeared, circling calmly through the water, along with one very curious lemon shark that seemed particularly interested in checking me out. Being able to share the water with these powerful, often misunderstood animals in such a quiet, intimate setting was an unforgettable experience.