Stormy Weather

The weather has been in the news lately.  Between earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, fires, tornadoes and so forth, everyone has been affected by the unpredictable nature of the planet’s weather. I can’t remember whether it is supposed to be a La Niña or El Niño year, but out here in Indonesia the weather has been very … Read more

No Contest

We have taken a long break from blogging because we’re putting together an updated version of the Raja Ampat dive guide we produced for Conservation International.  The new book will encompass all the of the Bird’s Head Seascape, so it’s larger and more time consuming to write and illustrate.  But we were interested to read … Read more

The Pleasure is All Ours: Thoughts on Touching Wild Animals

We experienced a very interesting incident a few weeks back during our survey of Cenderawasih National Park.  We were there to explore sites for a new dive guide to the Bird’s Head Seascape, which will include Cenderawasih, Raja Ampat and Triton Bay. Fifteen thousand-square kilometer Cenderawasih is Indonesia’s largest marine park and, for the moment, … Read more

Some Good News: Raja Ampat Big-Fish Now Thriving

I heard from a few people who thought that my blog about illegal fishing Komodo National Park was depressing.  I agree.  If we can’t protect marine life in one of the world’s most iconic parks, is there any hope? Burt and I have been thinking about this problem for a long time, especially for the two … Read more