mermaid.kayleigh

Thalassaphobia: fear of deep bodies of water. 🌊 Tag someone who would never jump in. 😨 #Thalassophobia #FearOfTheDeep #OpenWater #Ocean #deepsea #openocean #alone

Another week of picking up trash out of the ocean @KaimanaOceanSafari! There’s always at least one hater in the comments saying how what we are doing is not enough but I’m a huge believer in every little bit helps! Some of the trash this week definitely could have entangled wildlife so I’m so glad to have grabbed it. We can help to keep the ocean clean by using less single use plastic or eating less or no seafood since one of the main contributors to marine debris is the seafood industry. It never hurts to pick up a few pieces of trash when you’re out in nature! Let me know the ways you help the ocean in the comments! 💙🌊 #ocean #snorkeling #marinedebris #singleuseplastic #oceansafari #cleanuptheocean #hawaii #kona

While on a scuba dive in Belize the weather turned quickly. Our guides decided to descend & continue the dive. There truly is something peaceful about diving in the rain but the lightning was a new element I haven’t experienced underwater! ⚡️ #scuba #scubadiving #lightning #belize #ocean #dive #storm #diving

There is nothing quite like swimming alongside these gentle giant filter feeders. Their patterns are mesmerizing. 😍 Have you ever seen a whale shark? 🦈 @KaimanaOceanSafari #whaleshark #ocean #sharks #sharkdiving #savesharks #sharkdiver #oceansafari

It was absolutely mind blowing to witness this pod of around 20 orca work together as a team to attempt to take down a gray whale. They ultimately were not successful as the whales put up an amazing fight and protected their sensitive areas. Had one of these whales been a calf I think the outcome would have been very different. Of course it’s always a hard watch for the whales perspective but predators also need to eat and work extremely hard for their meals. Nature can be brutal, but always beautiful. Drone footage by @camgrantphoto #orca #ocean #graywhale #mexico #oceansafari #whalewatch #orcas

Every year, thousands of mobula rays migrate around Baja, Mexico. They gather in massive fevers, sometimes with tens of thousands swimming together near the surface. They migrate due to water temperature, plankton blooms, & mating. Their synchronized movements & giant swirling groups create one of the largest ray gatherings on Earth! It’s an absolutely captivating thing to witness! I am finally back in Hawaii after 3 amazing weeks witnessing this phenomenon & much more! If you want to join me next year shoot me a DM for my expedition mailing list! #MobulaRay #Baja #mexico #diving #snorkeling #ocean

Woo hoo! 🙌🏼 Today our scientific paper “Novel observations of an oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) scavenging event” was just released! This is the first paper I was able to coauthor & I am so grateful to have witnessed this & for the opportunity to contribute to science. On April 9, 2024, off the coast of Kailua-Kona, we observed oceanic whitetip sharks (OCS) & tiger sharks (TIG) peacefully scavenging together on a whale carcass! I spent around 8 hours this day documenting as much of this rare sighting as I could. We observed 9 oceanic white tips & 5 tiger sharks sharing this abundant feast. This rare encounter gives us a glimpse into the social & feeding behaviors of apex predators that don’t usually cross paths. It also shows how scavenging events can bring together different species, revealing how energy moves through the ocean’s food web. I took my hours of footage to Shark Tagger Hi & proposed a paper as this event is almost unheard of. I hope this paper is an inspiration to other underwater photographers, videographers, & guides that our time spent in & on the water observing as citizen scientists is vital for science & documentation! With so much time spent on the water you never know what each day will bring! Mahalo to Shark Tagger Hi for this opportunity & allowing @kaimanaoceansafari to contribute to your ID data base & support science. Mahalo @Olivia Miller, Molly Scott & Devon Stapleton for this skillfully written paper. Mahalo @camgrantphoto & @andrew for additional data & documentation of this captivating event. And huge mahalo to all of the other offshore community who was there observing that day with full respect to the wildlife! 🦈🤙🏼💙 #savesharks #deadwhale #sharks #tigershark #oceanicwhitetip #sharkbehavior #hawaii #tigersharks

This was the 3rd time I saw orcas on this trip & clearly it never got old! They had been cruising around the area but when we looked back they were right there!! How would you react? ☺️💙 #orca #mexico #whalewatching #orcas #ocean #dolphins #whalewatch

Isn’t this the sweetest thing?! 🥺🦈🤗 Whitetip reef sharks are able to rest on the seafloor & still breathe by buccal pumping to actively move water over their gills. Seeing so many sharks & fish all around was such a beautiful sign of how healthy a protected part of the ocean can be!! It was so cute that they were so unbothered by one another & felt comfortable sharing the valuable real estate of the many ledges on this little isla. 🦈🦈🦈 #savesharks #whitetipreefshark #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #mexico #scubadiving

HAPPY WORLD OCEANS DAY! 🌊🐋 So grateful to be able to share this ocean story with a happy ending today! On our first week of @kaimana.expeditions with @latitude.encounters here in La Ventana, Mexico, we came across a sad discovery finding an entangled humpback whale. Despite being in a remote area, @fernietow was able to contact the RABEN team the organization in Mexico who disentangles cetaceans. Despite the fact that @fernietow, @camgrantphotography, & myself are all professionally trained in disentangling whales, we know that it would be extremely irresponsible to try to disentangle this whale without the proper gear to fully remove all of this entanglement safely. So if you ever come across an entangled whale the best thing to do to help it is: • Keep your distance — stay 100 yards (91m) away • Do NOT try to free it yourself • Note the location (GPS if possible) • Describe the gear (colors, buoys, ropes) • Take photos/videos if safe • Call for help immediately 📞 U.S.: 1-877-SOS-WHALE or VHF Channel 16 MEXICO: RABEN +52 322 293 7851 • Stay nearby (at a safe distance) until help arrives We stayed for nearly 4 hours until the rescue team was able to arrive. Luckily, this story has a happy ending when we got a text shortly after that this whale had been freed!! It’s so rewarding to see the gear off of the animal! I am so grateful to this crew of amazing humans that didn’t think of leaving the whale for a second even if it meant missing out on more fun ocean encounters. But not to worry… we were rewarded greatly with the most amazing ocean encounter very shortly after leaving this whale with the rescue team! This day was an insane display of “ocean karma”! But the encounter we got is a story for another day. 🐋🥰 #humpbackwhale #whaleentanglement #mexico #whaledisentanglement #savethewhales #worldoceansday

#balloonsblow 😔 Please don’t release balloons into the air! This is where they end up & it costs wildlife their lives! @KaimanaOceanSafari 💙 #ocean #marinedebris #singleuseplastic #fish #hawaii #kona #balloonrelease

Its always a good day when you see a whale shark! Which view do you prefer? They are the largest fish in the world, with some individuals reaching lengths of up to 60 feet (18 meters). Despite their size, whale sharks are filter feeders, mainly consuming plankton, small fish, & other tiny organisms by swimming with their mouths open & filtering out food through their gills. They have distinct white spots & stripes on their bodies, which are like a fingerprint – no two whale sharks have the same pattern! Have you ever seen one & where? @KaimanaOceanSafari #whaleshark #savesharks #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #ocean #hawaii

Check out this amazing & rare sighting on the Kona coast @KaimanaOceanSafari! These schooling hammers will school in large numbers between January- June on our coastline but are a tricky find as they need to break the surface in order to spot them. This season has come to a close with a few lucky sightings but we already can’t wait until next year! Why do they school? There are several potential reasons but no one can say with 100% certainty. Some of the possibilities are mating, navigation, effient swimming, traveling to pupping grounds, strength in numbers, and more! For whatever the reason, it’s a sight to see!! 🔨🔨🔨🦈 #savesharks #hammerhead #ocean #snorkeling #kona #hawaii #hammerheadshark #sharkdiver #sharkdiving

The day we saw not one but TWO oceanic manta rays!! Did you know oceanic manta rays can grow as wide as a school bus is long?! These gentle giants can reach up to 23 feet (7 meters) across and weigh over 5,000 pounds! Despite their massive size, they’re filter feeders, gliding through the ocean to scoop up tiny plankton. They’re the largest species of ray in the world & seeing one in the wild is truly unforgettable! Video by @camgrantphoto ✨ @KaimanaOceanSafari 💙 #MantaRay #oceanicmanta #kona #kailuakona #hawaii #oceansafari #ocean #bigisland #snorkel

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It was amazing to travel to this place in the middle of the ocean that’s protected & far from man kind & see the potential of the ocean. This dive site is call Roca Partida & is a part of the Socorro Islands off of Mexico. It’s a site that is protected from fishing but also very regulated in how many boats for diving can be in this area at one time. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site & Marine reserve which is monitored by the government at all times. It takes 24 hours to get there by boat. There is also a chance to see large animals as well as incredibly abundant fish life! Being this far away from civilization allowed me to truly see what a healthy ocean looks like. Though it made me happy it also made me a bit sad to know most of the ocean will never look like this. If you have the chance, visit wild places that are also protected areas to show you support this type of ecotourism. @Nautilus Liveaboards 🐟 #ocean #scubadiving #ecotourism #fish #diving #sharks #mexico #scuba

Every moment with them is a blessing. 🖤 At the end of the day, it’s the experiences, people, & moments that fill you with passion & gratitude that makes your life rich. Moments like this I’ll cherish forever. #richlife #orca #mexico #ocean #WhaleWatching #orcas #whalewatch

Something about the energy of humpback whales just leaves you in complete awe. ✨ Despite their massive size they are some of the world’s most gentle creatures. There is no greater honor than a mother humpback feeling comfortable enough around you to bring her baby for a closer inspection. I can’t believe in about a month I’ll be in their presence once again! 🥹🐋💕 #Love #whales #humpbackwhales #nostalgia #savethewhales #ocean #diving

It’s always an incredible feeling to have an animal get curious about you or your boat. Despite the name “killer whale” orcas are actually dolphins & it’s common for dolphins to want to interact with a boat by riding the bow or surfing the wake. But to have this individual come over to us while we were in neutral was truly mind blowing. Do you think our reaction was appropriate? 😂 #screamqueens #orca #dolphin #mexico #orcas #ocean #whalewatching #whalewatch

It’s believed that sharks have good eyesight, especially in low light conditions due to a reflective layer in their eyes called the tapetum lucidum. This reflective layer is found mostly in pelagic, open ocean species that can be in deep, dimly lit water, like this blue shark here. Sharks can however struggle more to see in murky or muddy waters as the murk can block light & reduce contrast. It’s always best to avoid swimming in murky waters to avoid mistaken identity appearing as prey to a shark. Sharks are very good at seeing what we are majority of the time, but avoiding appearing like prey is part of our job when entering their home, the ocean. On this dive a wall of green water came in so for safety we decided to exit the water just after I filmed a quick video! When you’re at the beach avoid swimming near river mouths, after heavy rainfall, and near harbor mouths so you’re not swimming in waters that are cloudy & may have a fishy scent. 🦈 #savesharks #blueshark #diving #sharkdive #sharkdiving #ocean #murkywater