Responsible marine wildlife watching

Encounters with marine animals like whales and dugongs can be profound, even life-changing experiences for divers, benefit local economies, and provide opportunities to educate people about wildlife and the environment. But unless done right, these encounters can negatively affect the animals. Read how to do them right. 

Saving sea turtles, birds, dolphins from fishing nets

How scientists are working to reduce fisheries bycatch. And tips for how to help when you buy seafood. Read more here. 

How whales avoid the bends

Beaked whales can spend two hours beneath the surface. Dolphins descend down to 1,000 feet and ­routinely make as many as 20 dives in a row to 300 feet. Research shows how these mammals avoid getting hit with decompression sickness. Read more in my piece in Scuba Diving magazine. 

What do sharks do during a hurricane?

When 2017's powerful hurricanes roared across the ocean, did sharks and other marine life know what was coming? And, if so, what did they do about it? Find out in this piece for Men's Journal online. 

Port Aransas Like a Local

Port A resident, ship captain and fishing guide Bobby Grumbles showed me around. Here are his recommendations for a perfect weekend at this laid-back Texas beach town.

Day with the Dolphins

Some 26 species of dolphins and whales live along the Texas coast, with bottlenose dolphins the most common. See them on boat tours out of Port Aransas. Read more in the June issue of Texas Highways.

The Right Way to Dolphin Watch

Scarlet Colley is known as the dolphin whisperer in Port Isabel, Texas. She and George Colley run dolphin watch boats, but what they don't do is run the boats up on the animals. Read more about their dolphin-friendly approach in this piece for Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine.

Five Years after Deepwater Horizon

A brief look at some of the continuing effects on wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico five years after the BP oil spill, for National Wildlife Magazine. Read it here.