Final Days to VOTE for your Captain!

Yes, the final week is here and this coming TGI 'Aloha' F Baby will mark the end of the voting to the Waikiki Aquarium's contest for the 2014 Calendar.

So where do we stand now? Well, as you know, I entered 23 photos in the contest and with some fantastic support and great marketing from friends, all the photos are doing quite well. What I have below are the rankings, photos, and links to the voting pages for the top photos that are either IN the top 20 or close TO the top 20.

Remember, only the TOP 20 move on to the judging stage.  Every vote counts and getting votes to the ones just outside the top 20 really helps so they can move up and into the finalists category and be considered by the judges.

So, let's keep voting, keep spreading the word, keep posting reminders, keep sending e-mails, and keep voting every 24 hours. Yes, you can vote again every 24 hours.

Okay, why the big deal, you may ask?  Why the aggressive marketing campaign for votes?  These aren't my best shots to date, but there were time constraints on the entries, so these are the best from this past year.  To be honest, this isn't about winning something or the prizes, I'm not even sure what the prizes are.  Here is my drive behind this particular contest.

Wait….pictures and links first. Please vote first, so you'll have less time for your 24-hour clock to re-vote and read below for more and if you aren't motivated to vote, hopefully my motivation for entering will motivate you to vote.

#2

Maui Humpback

#6

Sunset Humpback Breach

#9

Manta Flier

#10

Maui Humpback Breach

#13

Frogfish

#14

Shaka Diver

#15

Night Manta

#16

BACK OFF, BRAH!

#17

Sunset Spockin' Honu

#23

First Day Of Raccoon Squirrel School

#24

Just Pokin' Around

Remember, it's the last two which need that little extra shove to get them into the top 20 before Aloha Friday. Let's get them that extra push into the top 20!

So, okay, what's my motivation? Well, here's the story. Ever since I was a child, I have always loved the ocean and dreamed of being a Marine Biologist or Oceanographer. Jacques Cousteau was a hero of mine and I watched his show, The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, every Sunday evening in the 70's. Also, every Sunday, my mother used to take us to Fort DeRussy in Waikiki to hang out and go swimming. It was our early 70's past time, to keep me out of trouble, or at least try to.  I'd always either end up at or beg to go to the Aquarium where I would spend countless hours looking at the fish and dreaming of being underwater.  I loved diving and learned to Scuba dive at an early age. Maybe it was my escape from reality, like Dustin Hoffman taking the plunge in The Graduate.  Okay, I know…shades of 'The Incredible Mr. Limpet' just went through your head. No, it's not like that though. This contest for me, then, is getting one, if not more, or my photos in the Waikiki Aquarium's Calendar. Yes, the place I hung out at as a kid and the place where I created and dreamed many of the realities that I am so privileged to be able to still experience today.  It would be a tribute to the little boy in me that dreamed of the under sea world and grew up trying to capture images that reflect all the beauty in the ocean.  It would be such an honor to be a part of the Waikiki Aquarium Calendar, a place that had such a significant impact on my love of sea life growing up. 

And while my Mother and Dad are gone now, I know that they would be proud that their little tumultuous rapscallion of a little boy found some peace in that Aquarium he so loved.

So there you have it, now please go vote! …and vote again every 24 hours :)

Mahalo for Voting with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Time to Vote for Captain Bobby!

Okay friends, your Captain has entered a contest back in the Island homeland to possible get a photo published in the Waikiki Aquarium 2014 Calendar!

So, here's where you come in. Below are my 23 entries with a link directly to each photo's Facebook voting page. Find a favorite or vote for them all :) Yes, you can vote for them all and you can vote every 24 hours until 16 August, so come back here daily and get the easy link to help me get in the calendar for 2014!

Now check out these beautiful photos from my home and vote for one or vote for them all! And come back tomorrow to vote again. BTW, the contest rules stated that the photos had to be taken just from this year, 2013, so it was very limiting. Bummer, brah! I didn't have a lot of time to get back to the islands as much as I had wanted but I think I did get some pretty cool photos.

Maui Humpback

Sunset Humpback Breach

Maui Humpback Breach

Sunset Spockin' Honu

Frogfish

Night Manta

Octopus's Garden

Shaka Diver

BACK OFF, BRAH!

Honu Tailgating

You Say Humu…

Ulua

Sunset Breach

Manta Flier

Just Hangin' Out

Nudibranch

Just Pokin' Around

Raccoon Frenzy

Just Cruzin'

First Day of Raccoon Squirrel School

Thatsa Moray!

Solo

Hidden Crab

Mahalo for Diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel


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Sunset Honu

Ahhhhh, sunset on Maui…can anything be more peaceful and beautiful? Wind gently blowing through the coconut trees, small waves breaking on the shore, a gentle breeze blowing by, soft sand beginning to cool between the toes, and the sky turning a brilliant orange as the sun begins to set over the distant shoreline of Lanai.

Yes, in the calm, blue, beautiful, and warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, up pops a Honu (Hawaiian Sea Turtle) to take a breath and snap, I get 'em, brah!

Perfect timing! The little guy was cruzin' along the shoreline and I guess wanted to check out the sunset too and grab a quick breath of fresh air. Now, if I can just get these tourists to scatter and quit screeching it would be nice ~ Talk about ruining a moment! Jeez!


Mahalo for Sunsetting with Captain Bobby Mitchel



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Honu Free Diving

So there we were, hanging on the beach in Maui just chillaxin and unwinding. My dive buddy was down for the count as she's growing a human in her belly so it was just chill time for the 2 ½ of us. We had Mai Tai's (for me, that is) on the beach, music playing, and many whales in the distance. I took the opportunity to do a little free diving and testing of my new Go Pro Hero 3 camera too.

While out in the crystal clear blue waters, I came across a very large Honu (Hawaiian Sea Turtle) just cruzin' along so I decided to cruz along with her. She did not care one bit and for like a ¼ mile or more I hung just behind her and took videos, pictures, went back up for air, went back down, and hung with her some more. It was awesome! She just cruz'd along at a nice pace and didn't dart off or pick up the pace. I could have stopped off for a Zip Pac or Shave Ice for the two of us and come back down for shares, if I wanted. (Some of you, or most of you, may not have got that reference, so check the link).

I was behind her, moved from one side to the other and she didn't mind one bit. It was like we were formation flying for awhile, except I had to go up for air a lot more often than she did!

Here she is:

No tank required and no navigation, etc. It was such a delight just to once again, hang with my Honu friends and enjoy. They are such peaceful and beautiful creatures of the ocean, gracefully flying along with their soulful eyes.

I'll update this later with more photos and videos of her once I get caught up. I just wanted to share her with you now.  When I was finally done, I just stopped in the water and literally said and waved goodbye. I was kind of bummed… A hui ho, my friend

Mahalo for Free Diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel

Paradise Found

Mahalo for diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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World Turtle Day!

So, today, May 23rd, is World Turtle Day. Yup, it's an actual day of observance since 2000 by the American Tortoise Rescue group, to bring attention to, and bring knowledge of and respect for turtles and tortoises. They want to promote human action to help turtles survive and thrive.

So, with that, Happy Turtle Day and remember to please be kind and respect our friends in the ocean, like the Honu, or Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, above.

Mahalo for Diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel

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Hanging With The Honu While The Humpbacks Serenade

Oh, the love of diving...slowly sinking beneath the surface to another world below.

I began as a young boy in 1972 at the young age of 11 and was immediately addicted to SCUBA diving, although I missed out on many years of it, traversing the world on other adventures and finding myself.

From a kid, lying on the bottom of our swimming pool in Hawaii Kai as did Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate, escaping the world above, to 'being with' the beautiful creatures of our undersea world as I watched Jacques Cousteau do so every Sunday evening on the color TV (with the round knob channel changer that only went to 13) while I was growing up, diving has for so long been a love of mine.

So, back on point now...Here's a sampling of what I mean. Here in the beautiful Hawaiian waters off Maui, I came upon this beautiful Hawaiian Sea Turtle (Honu), just grazing in the grasses on the bottom while the Humpback Whales sang off in the distance. It was whale season in Maui and the humpbacks, large and small, were everywhere. The Honu let me slowly come up right to her and just hang out. It was absolutely amazing!

Enjoy...

I suspect there are two types of people that watch this video. The one that goes, "Oh, cool, look at the turtle," and moves on. And then there's the other that 'gets it' and watches the video while concentrating and listening to the beautiful sounds of the Humpbacks in the distance and/or looks into the soulful eyes of the Honu as she feeds. Which are you? If you were number one, did you go back?


Either way, thank you for taking the time to hang out here.


“From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.”  ~~ Jacques Cousteau


~~ Life is good

Mahalo for diving with Captain Bobby Mitchel