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

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

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

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

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

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

#ad How cute are these puffer fish?! The @insta360_official X4 was perfect for these cute guys swimming at the camera at every angle! I could let the camera shoot but never miss a cute puffer face because I could reframe later! Grab yours now! Use my code INRME6L at check out for a free gift! 🐡 #Insta360 #pufferfish #mexico #ocean #Insta360Diving #Insta360X4 #snorkeling

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

#ad The @insta360_official Ace Pro 2 has quickly become my favorite action cam that I grab first to capture the moment! With crystal-clear 8K video, smart color correction in Underwater Mode, and rock-solid stabilization, your dives will look as epic as they feel—no filters or editing needed. Thinking about upgrading your action cam? Now’s the time with the biggest price drop yet of $70 off!! Use my code INRME6L at check out for a free gift! #Insta360 #UnderwaterCamera #mexico #ocean #Insta360Diving #Insta360X4 #Insta360AcePro2

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

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

Make sure to make time to be in awe. ✨ Sometimes people will comment on my posts to leave nature alone. “Don’t go into their home.” But what these people have forgotten is that we are a part of nature & not separate. The earth is all of our home. Being in nature can actually help make us better stewards for this planet & better humans overall. Nature has some of the most amazing benefits for physical & mental health including reducing stress, boosting immunity, encouraging mindfulness & empathy, inspiring conservation & more. Be sure to be respectful around nature & wildlife & if you can leave it better than you found it by picking up trash. 💙🙏🏼🌏 Video taken by @Elizabeth Morri Sides @KaimanaOceanSafari #whaleshark #nature #ocean #hawaii #sharkdive #sharkdiving #swimwithsharks #freediving

Just when I’d thought I had some amazing orca encounters, the ocean threw this day at us! The ocean is truly full of surprises. This day started off by coming across an entangled humpback whale & waiting with it for hours until help arrived to ultimately free it from its net entanglement. Despite it being extremely hot & missing out on any swimming or wildlife searching, there wasn’t a thought in anyone’s mind to leave the entangled whale until help arrived. Once help arrived maybe 4 hours later, we decided to end the day with a snorkel with sea lions so that we were able to get in the water that day. I was actually sick so I stayed on the boat which ended up being the best turn of events. While everyone was snorkeling I noticed a boat & some fins in the distance. I picked up the binos & to my surprise it appeared to be orcas! I didn’t want to assume & be let down so I needed to get quick confirmation from @fernietow. We were all screaming with excitement once we realized it was in fact orca! It was the most immediate ocean karma I’d ever experienced. This area of Mexico needs some management & regulation for the orca here. I saw some horrific harassment while there but on this day we were so blessed to have some orca to ourselves with other well behaved boats interacting with their own orca nearby. Seeing them feast on the turtles was just mind blowing and my brain was without noise the entire time. I was so present I didn’t even have a single thought in my head! It was just empty & in awe. Like a meditative state. I think observing them like this can be so beautiful & respectful if done right. I’m still processing this interaction a month later but I can’t wait to dig through the videos again to show you all what it was like! Until then, enjoy some of these beautiful photos by @camgrantphoto on our @kaimana.expeditions with @latitude.encounters ✨ #orca #turtles #ocean #killerwhales #orcas #oceansafari #whalewatch #mexico

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! DM me for my mailing list to stay up to date on expedition trips!! 🩶 #MobulaRay #Baja #mexico #diving #snorkeling #ocean

#ad Were you surprised at the wildlife I saw on today’s ocean safari? 🦈 We never know what we’ll find out there tracking wildlife! But with SHARK WEEK right around the corner I’m tracking real hammerhead sharks with @Fahlo bracelets in partnership with @Saving the Blue! I’m hoping to spot my shark in this year’s episodes! 💙 Will you be watching & tracking?! #SharkWeek #FahloPartner #Fahlo #MyFahlo #discoverysharkweek