The Passion and Drive behind Endangered Adventures
It all started with Mum and Elsa the lion in Kenya (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsa_the_lioness). Mum was household friends with Joy and george Adamson and was priveledged to have lived through the re-habilitiation of Elsa as well as experiencing the Kenyan savannah with the Adamsons.
Growing up, Mum always spoke of Elsa and Joy and George Adamson and her many experiences in Kenya. As a young boy the stories captivated me and this has always inspired me to want to experience the joys and beauty of the wild. Having had the fortune to experience so many, I continue to learn more and have a passion to give something back to these amazing animals.
Some Personal Experiences
Life-long experience of encountering the endangered species and enjoying a wide variety of the endangered species. Some of my experiences include:
1. Swimming with the Humpback Whales of Tonga. A mass congregation destination for mating and caving whales where you can experience the leviathans enjoying the crystal clear warm water.
2. Walked with Rhino of Southern Africa. An experience for every adventure, experiencing these beautiful and sometime cranky “pre-historic” creatures
3. Walking with the big 5 of Africa – Lion, Buffalo, Leopard, Rhino and Elephant
4. Swimming with the Manatee’s, these gentle creatures of Crystal River in Florida USA
5. Being with the Turtles of the world in many environments, with the most memorable being witness to the egg laying and hatching of Leather-backs in Mozambique
6. The big 5 sharks of the Indian Ocean (Great White, Bull, Tiger, Hammerhead and Ragged tooth). Scuba diving with these beautiful pelagic’s is an experience for the bucket list.
7. The astounding Pelagic’s of Palau’s blue Corner – On the right tide observing 100’s (if not thousand’s) of the most amazing pelagic species was phenomenal.
8. Jelly fish lake of Palau – the unique fresh waters where the only species of non-stinging jelly fish and endemic continues to astound the scientific community. Swimming with a myriad of these unique creatures is truly remarkable
9. Vultures and Eagles in the Drakensberg (Lesotho). Observing these majestic birds of prey in their natural habitat soaring and hunting is always a breathtaking experience
10. Mantas of the Solomon Islands, Lady Elliott and Mozambique – The largest of the Mobulidae family are simply stunning and with the sophisticated system organisations like Project Manta have (www.projectmanta.org) it is exciting to photograph and identify new mantas or track where the Manta’s that you have seen have been spotted elsewhere in the Pacific
11. The Whaleshark’s of Mozambique. The largest of the shark family and gentle giants. While curious they are always cautious and easily swim away when unhappy.
12. Nautilus – experiencing a live Nautilus shell swimming was one of the more interesting experiences – how these geometrically perfect molluscs survive to the depth they are found is always a wonder
13. The Bull sharks and Tigers of Fiji – Swimming with the Bull and Tiger sharks of Fiji is always a privilege and another great example of the lengths local populations can really benefit from eco tourism
14. Indian Ocean Bottle nose dolphins – seeing a dolphin is always a pleasure, swimming with them is a rare and magical encounter but have a baby swim up to you under water and wanting to play certainly trumps all experience. A baby nudged me once and started mimicking me all the while Mum was keeping a careful eye on proceeding and trying to move junior away – a very special encounter at Sodwana Bay, South Africa
15. The Seals of Cape Town, Diving in the kelp is exciting and when a shape darts in front of you, it certainly raises the pulse – these playful creatures love the kelp beds and teasing the divers.
And so many more…
John has been an active Scuba Diving instructor for over 30 years and spends time either under the water or roaming the bush with his camera. John lives on the Sunshine Coast in Australia.
