Fearing to jinx it, I haven’t said anything about our trip to Cozumel this summer. It has been two years…and Randy is finally back in our ocean home!
Seeing him snorkel has been so wonderful…there have been times during the last 22 months that I’ve wondered if I would ever see him snorkel or dive again. We even saw an Eagle Ray flying by on our snorkel today!
Yeeeehawwww!
A few pictures while playing with my camera…tomorrow I dive!
PS Always buy travel insurance!
How I love Wednesdays and the opportunity to introduce you to some Amazing Women! Meet Diana Paboojian, and look at her incredible photography.
Diana and I met on a dive trip exploring the Socorro Islands (very far south of the Baja) on the Solmar V. She caught my interest early…her camera equipment was obviously “serious”, and her husband, Shannon, was the videographer. I enjoyed viewing her images during the trip as most of us hung out in the dining area categorizing our photography. Her images were, and are, light years ahead of mine. I learned quite a lot from watching her.
Like my family of four, she and her family are all divers, and enjoy dive trips together. Her two sons are now in college, and she and her husband raise quarter horses and are organic Alfalfa/ Grass feed farmers who live in the northern part of the Central Valley of California. I’m trying to imagine something better….horses, diving, animals, traveling. Throw a dozen dogs and cats in the mix and that’s pretty close to heaven for me!
A natural in the water, Diana didn’t get certified until her younger son sought dive certification. I would have guessed during the trip to the Socorros that she had been diving far longer than 6 years or so. Photography is tough to do underwater…one needs to be a damned good diver before you add a camera into the mix!
When I asked how she became interested in photography, she told me, “I have been always been interested in photography. I loved taking my own pictures for my horse business and I am also an excellent sports photographer. As for under the water, once I mastered my buoyancy, it was a natural progression to take a camera with me. I started with a point and shoot, then upgraded to a micro 4/3’s camera, and now I shoot with a DSLR. I have taken many pictures and have had a few great teachers to get me where I am now.”
I also asked her about her photographic experiences, and which was the most exciting (I know that is a very hard question to answer). She replied, “I have had so many exciting adventures out of the water and in. Gorillas in Rwanda, Lions in Botswana, Leopards in Tanzania, Bull Sharks in Fiji, Mantas and Dolphins in Socorro, Whalesharks in Mexico! When we were on a safari with Derrick Joubert in Botswana, we were watching two painted dogs sleep. A herd of elephants with babies walked by. After the elephants disappeared in the distance, the two painted dogs stood up stretched and started mating. I took a few pictures, but then just sat and watched. Derrick was filming the whole time so we stayed as quiet as we could. Every experience has been exciting but the most important advice is to make sure you put your camera down every once in awhile to truly enjoy the experience!”
Diana doesn’t call herself a conservationist or activist, but an educator. She says, “People just do not know what is really happening in our oceans or in Africa. I want to use my photography and knowledge to educate them to be more caring. To make a difference. I always say you can’t un-know what you know so all I can do is get the information out there. Then we can only hope that the human race can evolve enough to save the world.”
Her photos are amazing, and they make one care about the creatures she photographs. From sea horses no bigger than your pinky finger to gorillas in Africa, the photos keep you interested, and curious about the animal itself. You can find Diana’s work on Zenfolio, and the link is www.dianapaboojianphotography.zenfolio.com. If you are looking for fantastic wildlife photographs, you won’t have to look any further than Diana’s photos. Her Macro underwater photography is particularly engaging. She captures the tiniest sea creatures in incredibly detailed shots.
So, what is next for this traveling, empty nest, shutterbug? “Heading back to Indonesia in July. We will be going to Villa Markisa in Tulumben, Bali to get a little muck diving! We will then head to Komodo on the Liveaboard Damai. We will finish off with Cenderawasih Bay to see the Whalesharks!”
There is never a dull moment in Diana’s life…she embraces all experiences. Her son is studying Marine Biology so who knows where that will send her family? I can’t wait to find out…and maybe go along!
I always enjoy following Diana’s travels around the globe, and hope to meet up with her again on a liveaboard somewhere…or a dive resort. Or a safari. She is an inspiring figure, and a great role model for young women. Since Travels with Tam is participating in the #AcrossWomensLives initiative, I’ll be sending this post over to them to demonstrate the strengths and talents of women! It feels good to be able to share positive stories about women’s lives!
The Empty Nest has changed our lives. Randy’s double lung transplant has changed our lives. Our son married 3 weeks ago (it was a lovely wedding!) and our daughter is getting married October 3. I always imagined keeping this house, our home where both of my children grew up, and having our grandchildren to stay. Now I’m not feeling that desire.
Many friends have moved away, after children leave friends don’t have as much in common and drift apart. Our house isn’t filled with kids or teens, it is big and silent and needs upkeep and care that I have neither the interest or the ability to do. I don’t want to decorate, or redecorate, or get new furniture…I barely even cook a meal. The truth is, this lifestyle does not fit us anymore.
I have lovely ideas of selling everything and taking a trip around the world…but that is not really practical given Randy’s need to be within 2 hours of a major lung transplant center. Asia is out, Africa is out, and I’m not comfortable with him going to South America either. I believe we will head to Australia next year, the medical care there is quite good. Europe is always possible, and some Caribbean destinations are close enough. We have a second home in Cozumel, Mexico…but the medical care is substandard for any serious condition. When we go somewhere together I have to check and make sure medical flights are available. We are planning a trip to Cozumel in 5 weeks…it will be two years since Randy has been there. He has been cleared to dive, but the first sign of illness and he needs to be on a plane.
I have solo trips I am taking…a citizen science trip with Marine Megafauna Foundation‘s Ray of Hope in July, a dive trip to Socorro in November, and I will be with Ray of Hope next July in Indonesia, and with a turtle rescue in Cairns as well. My citizen science and challenging dive trips have to be taken now…how can I know how many years I have left to take these trips? You have to be able to handle the conditions, and who knows how long I will be able to? That’s not negativity, just fact. If there is anything I am certain of, it is that nothing is certain.
So…the thought process has begun, and I know I need to start going through the house, room by room, and getting rid of “stuff”. That is the first step. Many steps will follow, I am sure. Who knows what will happen, or where we might end up? We will just have to ride the waves that come.
Today I want to draw attention to a couple of different amazing women! Zale Parry is the famous female diver from http://scubadiverlife.com/2015/04/03/famous-female-divers-zale-parry/. The article is absolutely terrific, and I encourage you to go read it!
My second amazing woman is on TED asking (and answering) the question of dolphin language….can we communicate with dolphins? Watch Denise Herzing and learn about her incredible work with Spinner Dolphins in the Bahamas!
There are only 6 Northern White Rhinos left on our planet. One is a male. They are all being guarded by rangers, and the horns have been removed so there is no point for poachers to kill them. I do not understand why our species is so cruel to every other species! There is evidence now that the Black Rhino is “officially” extinct in the wild. Humans seem to think we are special, somehow “above” the other life on our planet. If things continue the way they are going, in the next 50 years we will have no reefs, no apex predators in the ocean so very few fish, no rhinos, no sharks, and water rising everywhere. At that point will we wise up? I hope we wise up much sooner than that. Conservation means saving our own species…once we ruin all of the ecosystems that support life on this planet, we won’t last long, either. Today’s photographs are of animals headed toward extinction. Let’s not let it happen. Everyone….listen to Jane Goodall:
“If all of us would go through our lives thinking about the little choices we make each day as to what we buy, what we eat, what we wear – and how those choices might impact the environment, might impact child slave labor in other countries, might impact cruelty towards animals, we start making small changes… Billions of small changes around the world can lead to the kind of change we need if we care about future generations.” – Jane Goodall (http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/jane-goodall/photos/jane-goodall-birthday/)
Please. Start small, but start!
We need to wake up to the danger we are in by putting these animals at risk, by stressing the planet and causing it to warm, to plastic trash everywhere….to cutting down rainforests, etc etc. Or we are lost.
Eels, especially Moray Eels, are among some of the most fascinating creatures in the ocean. They are fish….fish without pectoral or pelvic fins. The anal and dorsal fin are connected and form a ribbon on top of their bodies. They can be quite small, just a few ounces, and they can grow to be 10 ft and 50 pounds! I love photographing them. Their mouths are always opening and closing, and not because they are thinking about biting you, but because they need to breathe. They do not attack humans, unless there is some stupid human who wants to grab at them or, even dumber, try to feed them. If you want to feed something in the ocean, settle for feeding bread to the fish. They are wild animals, after all. I often get 12 inches from them, or less, to take photos, abut I have never had any problem with aggression at all. The Moray is likely to just stare at you….breathing. Notice the flaps at the back of the mouth, those are the gills.
The very coolest thing about Morays (of which there are more than 200 species!)? Their jaw. Jaws, I should say. They have two. You might be scared of the first one, but their prey should be more frightened of the second one, the Pharyngeal jaw which is farther down in their throat. That jaw is the one that delivers the death blow to its prey!
This Fimbriated Moray is surrounded by RedBanded Shrimp and Dancing Durban Shrimps on top! Time for a cleaning in Thailand.
Oh, now I am just dying to get in the water! I have so many more eels to photograph out there in all of our oceans! So far, I have Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and the Revillagadoes Islands planned for dives this year. I wonder if I can squeeze any more dive trips in? You know I will try!
