2024 has come to a close and the first week of 2025 has already flown by. My New Years was mellow, having time for indulgence to celebrate the joys of the year and reflection on all the positive growth that came from it. While the year wasn’t all sunshine and sparkles, I had a the opportunity for personal growth through the challenges I faced in life and relationships. Of course, no New Years in Hawai’i is complete without fireworks. At Midnight my partner and I found a spot on a hill and watched as the island slowly became covered in a haze from all the firework smoke.
This year I grew a lot in my photography. My partner truly saw and believed that I was a talented photographer even when I didn’t think I was all that impressive. He gifted me my first Ikelite housing in 2023 and whisked me away to Fiji to get some proper practice with the setup. During our time in Fiji we explored Pacific Harbor and did a dive with bull sharks. I’ve always been hesitant. to be in the water with bull sharks as they can be quite aggressive. Even with my education in marine biology and general understanding of shark behavior, I was nervous. The nerves quickly melted away as I started watching the sharks and after a couple of close encounters, I had a deeper respect for these animals which have so much going against them.
After our time in Pacific Harbor we went off to Taveuni Dive Resort to spend some time on the Rainbow Reef which truly lives up to its name. Every spot had bountiful colorful fish and stunning soft corals. It truly felt like I was swimming through the reefs of “The Little Mermaid.” We had manta rays and dolphins almost every day of our trip. One of the most amazing experiences was a night dive we did on the reef fronting the resort. Lionfish were plentiful searching as they hunted across the reef.
Our adventures mellowed out during the summer as that is Maui’s busiest time. In early September we ventured to Kauai for a couple of days to take the opportunity to dive the waters off of Ni’ihau. Right as the boat pulled up we had a group of Hawaiian spinner dolphins, manta rays, and monk seals. As we dove we encountered a sandbar shark that follows us throughout our 3 dives. She was easily identified by a large scar on her right side. I also got ‘chosen’ by a monk seal during the dive. According to the dive guides, monk seals will often vocalize when they become fond of divers. These vocalizations are to let other monk seals in the area know that you are their buddy now.
It was around that time when I got my 50mm macro lens. The condo we were staying at had a small koi pond out front. While I didn’t submerge the camera for those shots, I enjoyed learning how to use the macro lens and how to work looking through the surface of the water with minimal reflection interference. It was quite challenging but also enjoyable.
The highlight of the year however came in October when once again my love whisked me away to a tropical destination this time to encounter humpback whales off the coast of Mo’orea in French Polynesia. By this point in the year I was becoming overwhelmingly passionate about wildlife photography. I wanted to find a way to focus my life’s work and energy on documenting the unique wildlife we encounter in the waters that sustain us. The name Sirens Eye Photography had popped into my head months prior but I still hadn’t taken action on it. It wasn’t until this trip where I really fully embraced my desire to create fine art wildlife prints. Nature seemed to encourage this. We added on one final day of whale swims, just by chance they had space open up on the boat for us. We ended up having a calf circle us multiple times as she rolled and played. The photographs that came from that encounter really solidified that I could do this. This was a dream that was within reach.
After our time in Mo’orea, we passed through California on our way home to Maui. We had some much needed down time visiting with friends and family before making our way back to Maui’s slow season. I got to see the pier before its tragic collapse in December 2024 and photograph the sea lions that took shelter there.
In all honesty, 2024 wouldn’t have been the travel filled year it was without my partner encouraging me to get to these destinations. Not only did he offer companionship and support during our travels, but he also showed me a different side of life I wouldn’t have been able to experience otherwise. Our partnership has grown and evolved over the year just as we have grown and evolved as individuals. I’m really grateful he is a part of my story and we’re already gearing up for a beautiful 2025 together.
P.S. while a couple of those photos of my partner and I have the Sirens Eye name on them, I didn’t take the images. Special thanks to Sarah and Thuy for capturing the photos of us on the shores of Mo’orea. Special thanks to Brian for snapping the photo of me with the stingray, and the great shots of the Frogfish in Kauai1