Another Fish

This one slightly larger then that in my last fish post.

Image Courtesy Andy Murch/Big Fish Expeditions

Well, actually quite a bit larger, dwarfing Patty as she swims alongside.

I too got up close and personal with a few of these magnificent creatures.

We were twenty-five or so miles off the coast of Isla Mujeres, Mexico, in a little boat. Our captain would maneuver the boat so that when we jumped off we were in the path of the Whale Shark.

In this case quite close to the shark when I splashed in.

This one passing directly below me as it swam by.

Did I mention it was quite close?

I had to a bit of maneuvering on my own to avoid a collision.

Not as graceful as the shark, I was forced to grab its tail as it swam by, to avoid a nice smack.

Exhilarating.

2010

Yeah It's been done. But great minds think alike ...

January: Sunbathing

February: Blizzard? What Blizzard?

March: Oh, Mexico ...

April: Why's Everyone Looking Up?

May: ... It's a Hell of a Town!

June: It's an Adventure!

July: Shadows and Light

August: 27 (?) Years and Counting

September: Water and Time

October: Falling, Falling ...

November: Hey, That's My Spot!

December: Light and Shadows

Sunday Six: April 5th

                       Night Sky over Finnisterra

This is an eight second exposure using s 50 mm f/1.4 lens at 1.4. The light reflecting off of the cliff sides is from the city of Cabo San Lucas. While it makes for a nice image, this light pollution ruins any chance of serious stargazing. Which is really disappointing because this is much farther south then my usual observing sites. And there are a number of southern sky objects that I can't observe at home that I could see here. Bummer.


                                    Dawn

Most places I travel to if I want sunrise pictures, I've got to get up very early and drive to the location. And it is usually very cold. Here I roll out of bed, open the sliding glass door, and step out on to the balcony. After firing up the coffee maker of course.

                                    The Morning Star

Venus in the crescent phase, coming out of conjunction with the sun.

                               Sunrise over the Sea of Cortez

A wide angle shot showing the view of the sea from the balcony of our suite. If you look really closely at the horizon you can see a little bump, a cruise ship on its way in.


                                    Kite

Another shot of the kite from the Kite theme image. This was essentially a lucky shot, aim at the sun and shoot.


                                   Villa Del Arco

This is the resort where my sister has her timeshare. Our suite is the fourth floor down from the top, or the one just above the tall floor. You can see the grill on our balcony, with a collapsed umbrella next to it (it was very windy all week. Good for kite flying.)

365 Theme 341: Two

Humpbacked whales, mom and calf, along with an entourage of watchers. This image was taken on the balcony of our hotel in Cabo and the whales were quite a distance form us. Other then the whale shown in the Sunday Six set for March 29th, these are the only whales I've  ever seen. Last year we say none, but this year we saw plenty of spouts in the distance but these were the only ones close enough to really see. (Larger version here.)

365 Theme 283: Silhouette

A feeding brown pelican at dawn on the Sea of Cortez.

365 Theme 107: Footwear

Modeled by yours truly.

365 Theme 164: Kite

Kite flying on the beach. This is a rare instance of the kite in the air. It had disappointing tendency to dive bomb into the sand.

365 Theme 25: Beverage Of Choice

Where'd I put those limes ...

365 Theme 40: Candy

Another day, another sunrise ... err wait, "candy"? My niece saw this image and called it a "candy corn sun". Works for me. 

365 Theme 185: Minimalism

At least when it comes to powered air travel. The airstrip was in a dirt field next to our hotel. And they would be flying below us as they came in for a landing. Me, I'm afraid of heights - flying in one of these things would be terrifying.

365 Theme 293: Solitary

An early riser walking along the beach in Cabo in the golden light of dawn.

365 Theme 209: On The Water

Last year the bay was full of yachts, this year this was the only one. And it was there for only one night. You can see a person at the from the of boat. They were apparently readying to leave, as the boat would be out of site before the sun had completely risen. I didn't notice it leave, as I was shooting the sun, and remember remarking about it disappearing to my nephew.

365 Theme 338: Triangle

When we first saw the jumping rays we also saw these. And we figured this was the reason the rays were jumping. They were being pursued by sharks. We were wrong. The first clue is that the "dorsal" fins are always in pairs. They are actually the tips of the ray's lateral fins. This is a school of rays, some of which occasionally jump (as seen here).

365 Theme 55: Closely Cropped

This image was taken 46 seconds after the one in the prior post. You can see the sun has risen above the clouds. Note how the base of the sun seems to flow onto the horizon. And at the very top of the sun you can see a bit that seems to be floating above ball (click here for a larger version). And just maybe this is the very elusive blue flash (but I'm not really sure). 

365 Theme 311: Sunrise, Sunset ...

The sun rising over the Sea of Cortez. And as can be seen in this larger version, a bit of the green flash as well.

365 Theme 61: Companion

Jupiter and three of it's sixty-three companions, the Galilean satellites Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto in order of increasing distance from Jupiter. The fourth Galilean satellite, Io, is behind the planet. 

2009 has been designated as the International Year of Astronomy in celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo's use of a telescope to study the heavens.  

365 Theme 233: Photographer

My nephew and photography companion.

365 Theme 41: Canine Companions

On the beach in Cabo.

365 Theme 141: Hangs On A Wall

I don't know what they have against "E" 's in Mexico, but signs like this were everywhere.

Sunday Six: March 29th

                              Sunrise over the Sea of Cortez

Our first morning in Mexico and I'm up with the sun taking pictures and watching the various creatures, including sea lions, whales, rays, pelicans, and humans start their day.

                               Adobe Meets Eastern Europe

That's how my brother described the architecture at the Westin resort in Cabo San Lucas. This where the cab in the 365 Rainbow theme image took us. My sister and her husband and my brother and his wife had to sit through a time share sales pitch, while the rest of our party, including yours truly, were free to wander the grounds. By sitting through the pitch we received free cab fare to and from the Westin, breakfast, two bottles of tequila, and vouchers for dinner and breakfast at our choice restaurants in Cabo. Neither couple bought a timeshare.

                               There be Whales Here!

You'll need to look at a larger version and I didn't have my long lens with me, but if you look past the far point of the open square, you can see the whale's tail as it heads out to sea.

                                   Squares

Close up of the walls at the Westin.

                       Finnisterra, where the Desert meets the Sea

Finnisterra, or in English, Land's End, is the bottom of the Baja peninsula. And it is curious to see cactus, palm trees, and the sea in the same view. I find the desert often beautiful and adding the blue of the water just makes it that much better.

                           Literally, Desert meeting the Sea

Makes for a very nice image, even if there aren't any palm trees or cacti.