My Top Wildlife Encounters 2.0
Since the last time I shared my top 10 wildlife encounters, I have had many more adventures worldwide. My more recent travels took me to even more extraordinary and beautiful places on this planet. Here are some of the most breathtaking encounters I have had in the 4 years since I wrote my original wildlife encounters blog in 2021. These are not in any chronological order.
1. Tasseled Wobbegong
During my time in Raja Ampat, there was one almost mythical creature that was my top target for the trip. This was the Tasseled Wobbegong. Wobbegongs are my favorite shark species because they are so cryptic. Your typical shark is swimming around the reef, looking for its next meal. Sharks have a streamlined body shape that makes them hydrodynamic and built to be a top predator, but wobbegongs belong to the carpet sharks (Orectolobiformes). These sharks have flattened themselves out and adopted an entirely different approach to hunting. They have an extraordinary color pattern that blends perfectly with the reefs. They will lie in wait on the sea floor for an unsuspecting fish to come close enough to its mouth before it creates a vacuum engulfing the fish. Unlike other sharks, their teeth are designed for hooking rather than slicing, so they swallow their prey whole. I love the gorgeous pattern around the edges of their face, giving them the hilarious illusion of having a beard.
I was halfway through my Raja dive trip when I saw my first one. I had been getting nervous about not seeing one because I had already done five dives and only had seven more. The dive site we were on was Melissa’s Gardens, one of the most famous on the planet. Our group descended and we were cruising around 24 meters down on the sand bed admiring the gorgeous corals. We headed to a coral outcropping, when the guide looked back at me and made his hand look like a beard on his face. I eagerly moved forward as I looked ahead. I did not see the shark at first due to the amazing camouflage, but I was able to make out the outline of the head even though the rest of the body seemed invisible. My very first tasseled wobbegong! In the adventure nature world, we call this our lifer or the first time you have seen a species in the wild. During the subsequent dives of the trip, I observed eight additional sightings. Each encounter filled me with joy, allowing me to spend some time appreciating this magnificent animal.
2. Blue Whale
I moved to the Maldives in 2022, and in November, I went to visit a local island by the name of Maafushi. Maafushi is a unique place where tour companies specialize in trips so visitors can experience other parts of the country and islands. These are full day tours, but you get to see some cool places. I had seen photos from other wildlife lovers and heard that a humpback and sperm whale had shown up in the area, so I stacked two off days together to make the trip to Maafushi. I signed up for the classic trip, which goes to Vaavu Atoll to a nurse shark area, the island of Fulidhoo, dolphin watching, a sandbank and to check the manta cleaning stations. We were out on the boat and swimming with spinner dolphins when our captain said a friend on a fishing boat had just called him and said a whale was nearby because he saw the blow from the spout. We all got back in the boat quickly and headed toward the last area it had been seen. It took about 30 minutes to get there. We were all anxiously looking out at the horizon. The day was so calm, the ocean water looked like glass. We were surprised by a large spout blow in front of us and everyone got excited. As we got closer, my team and one of the crew launched our drones to get video and photos of what we assumed was a humpback whale. But as soon as my drone got close enough, I was able to see the sheer size of the animal and I was blown away. It was a blue whale in the Maldives! It was also inside the freaking atoll which is almost unheard of due to the shallow depth. We admired this amazing animal from the boat, I brought the drone back, and we kept following. We tried to get closer, but the whale would immediately dive every time our boat engine would rev. While swimming, this whale would take about 3-5 deep breaths, but it would only take one when the boat was running. This behavior means it was disturbed by us, so I advocated that we let this animal be, not harass it, and just enjoy the incredible opportunity we had been given to witness this majestic animal. It was my first ever blue whale encounter, in an area where they are not usually found. Seeing the largest creature to ever exist on our planet was a truly humbling experience.
Since then, whale activity has increased in the Maldives. This could be negative, though, because it potentially means cargo vessels and noise pollution are interrupting their regular routes. Hopefully, this one was exploring, but it will always remain one of my top wildlife experiences because it was so out of the blue.
3. Tiger Shark
One of the top diving destinations for expert divers is in the south of the Maldives, off an island called Fuvamulah. The island has no lagoons like the typical islands of the Maldives; instead, the island pushes straight up out of the ocean and has deep reef walls surrounding it. Because of this geology, the island is home to some of the most epic pelagic species, and no matter what the season, you can see some extraordinary marine life. I went in March, the end of the hammerhead season and the beginning of the Oceanic manta season. The main attraction is the large population of tiger sharks that tend to hang around this area. Legend says that the fishermen were upset with the sharks taking all their large tuna off their lines, so they offered the discarded fish waste to the tiger sharks and a bond was created. The sharks eat the fish's remains and leave the fish caught on the fishermen's lines alone. Some dive operators saw an opportunity here and started offering dives to see tiger sharks. I had to see what this was about and was excited to get up close to these apex predators.
The main dive site is called Tiger Zoo, and we geared up as soon as we got to the boat, because it is only five minutes from the harbor. You must dive negative entry because you do not want to hang at the surface since the tiger sharks come up and inspect you. It is best to get down immediately to be on their level. I jumped in the water and right next to us there were two tiger sharks around 3 meters long. We swam down to the area where you rest on the bottom while someone in the boat goes over you and drops the large tuna heads. Then, an instructor grabs them and places them under a large rock, so the sharks can come in and investigate. Once those tuna heads were on the ground, I swear 20 sharks were circling us and focusing on the tuna heads. It was wild witnessing this spectacle. One experience I will never forget is seeing the largest of the sharks, Rose, who is 4.5 meters long, come within 1 meter of my head! I even had to duck to get out of her way. The enormous size of her head was mind-blowing. Watching the behavior of these animals was unique. The coolest thing happened when we headed off the reef and swam out into the deep blue. Some of the tiger sharks followed us out. It was crazy looking in all directions and seeing the dark silhouettes in the distance. Suddenly, the shadows would come closer, with a shark appearing to come straight for you, but at the last minute, they peeled off and went back into the blue or circled. The Tiger Zoo site, while exhilarating, felt very commercial and contrived. Luckily, I was able to see many tiger sharks in the wild during my time in the Maldives. If the conditions are right, always keep your head on a swivel because they like approaching from behind!
4. Emperor Penguin
One of my most epic jobs was in 2021 when I was fortunate enough to get a contract to work on my 7thcontinent, Antarctica. I worked for the United States Antarctic program as a cargo agent. Antarctica has endemic wildlife that you cannot see anywhere else in the world. The first penguin I saw was the Adelie, but I also saw the other species, to include the largest penguin in the world, the Emperor penguin. I felt so fortunate to have had multiple encounters with this magical species, but the first is something I will always cherish. When the season gets warmer, the wildlife moves farther south into the region where we were based. As the ice splits, it allows them to move around more. I was standing out at Hut Point, where the famous explorer Robert Falcon's hut was built, and where he died. Hut Point is where I would head after work every day for a couple of hours to check for wildlife. I noticed a penguin waddling in the distance, pulled up my camera and grabbed a photo. I looked at the screen and immediately saw that it was indeed an Emperor penguin. This individual was my lifer, the very first one I had seen in the wild. Four others accompanied this one and a group of us had huge smiles as we watched them belly slide and waddle in the distance. Later in the season, they would come closer and when we drove our large vehicles back and forth from the airfield, they would be scuttling across the road. When this happened, it would give us time to take photos and admire them. The last week I was in Antarctica was crazy because a giant flock of them were roosting at night next to Scott Base. After work I would head over with the van to just sit and watch these amazing animals. Truly, they are the animals most adapted to the most hostile place on the planet.
5. Type C Orca
While I was going to be “on the ice” as they say for tours in Antarctica, there was another animal I was after. This one would be much harder to find as it is endemic to the region and low in numbers. The type C orca is a subspecies of the main species, but this one is the smallest of the subspecies. It is because the Ross Sea has the largest ice shelf in the world that these orcas live here. One of their main traits is spy hopping, where they lift their heads out of the water to look out on the ice to see what is around. More specifically, they are looking for seals.
During February, I wanted to see them so badly because I heard there had been sightings, so I would wake up super early before my 12-hour shift to go out for an hour before work. Then, during my 90-minute lunch break, I would trudge on out for another hour. In the evenings after work, I would hang out at the viewpoints for another 3-4 hours. I did this every day for 14 straight days and one evening while I was sitting there, scanning the horizon, I saw a blue light from a spout. We have Minkie whales in the area, so I assumed it was that, but then I noticed the huge dorsal fin and zoomed in on my camera. It was my lifer type C Orca. Then I saw more blow spouts and to my utter amazement, approximately 30 of these incredible animals appeared, hunting what I assume was fish, because I saw a lot of commotion from a large male and a couple of females. I was even able to see some juveniles as well. This was another utterly amazing experience, and while wildlife experiences are never guaranteed, the amount of effort I put into seeing these animals paid off in the end.
6. Frogfish
I have always wanted to find this specific marine critter but had not gotten lucky in the twenty years I have been diving. I have been to many places where they live and have been on dives, where others had seen them, but I did not get my chance to experience one of the most bizarre marine creatures in the ocean until I visited the Philippines in 2023. The frogfish has been my white whale for underwater wildlife. I was in Moalboal with my family, and we were going to do a beautiful wall dive off Pescadero Island. We fell off the boat into the water and made our way down the wall, and right away, our guide pointed to a yellow blob perched on a long finger of coral, and lo and behold, my first ever frogfish! This one was around the size of a softball and had vibrant yellows. It even gave me a dramatic stretch of its jaws. Frogfish are extraordinary fish and belong to a group called anglerfish, as they have these appendages on their heads that look like a pole with a fleshy bit on the end to mimic a wiggly meal that smaller fish would want to eat. They also are more of an ambush predator, so they have evolved to have hand-like fins that they use to grip onto objects to hold them in place while they hunt. What I love most about them, aside from being so wonderfully odd, is that they also can come in an extraordinary array of colors. There are multiple distinct species of frogfish, but this one was the Painted frogfish, which has the most color variety. After excitedly snapping photos, I looked at a ledge not far away and spotted another one with a more brown and yellow color palette. Then, on another piece of coral, I spied a tiny yellow one. I could not believe I got to check off my ultimate species for the trip within the first 10 minutes of the dive.
We spotted another big one that day, and then on our next dive, I spotted an extremely large one, which was probably the Giant frogfish species versus the Painted frogfish. I was able to get a lovely photo of my mom with it. They are such comically cool creatures and every time I see them now is still a delight!
7. Peacock Mantis Shrimp
One of my favorite animals to see under water is the peacock mantis shrimp. I have been fortunate to see many of them over the last couple of years as they tended to hang out at a couple of dive sites near the resort where I was working in the Maldives. I have also seen them in Raja Ampat and the Philippines. Their super-power is that they have the fastest strike out of any animal and can create a cavitation bubble that implodes on itself at 5,000 degrees Celsius. They also have the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom and can see in infrared, UV, and color. They can be tricky to spot, but you can generally find them once you figure out what to look for. They like to burrow so you can find them if you pay particular attention to a manicured space on a flat area or on ledges. Their skill level indicates to me they might be an intelligent invertebrate similar to octopus, because when you interact with them, it just seems like a little more is happening.
8. Red Bird of Paradise
In October of 2023, I was still living in the Maldives but was planning to move to Saudi Arabia in early 2024. I wanted to make one last Indonesia trip while I was still close to that part of the world. My friend Kat and I decided to head to Raja Ampat, which has the moniker, The Last Paradise, due to its natural beauty. Raja is a faraway destination and takes a lot of effort to get there, but it is worth it, and is home to the Bird of Paradise species. We made it to the main island of Waigeo, booked a room at Papuarts homestay, and signed up with a local guide to take us out the next morning to find this wonderful species.
We were up at 4:00 am and were picked up by our guide at 4:30 am. The driver and our guide drove us about 25 minutes from the homestay into the hills. Exiting the car, we placed our head torches on and made our way up the mountain in the darkness of early morning. As the sky started to lighten up, we reached the viewing area. The guides assembled logs into a cluster, effectively creating a blind that obstructed photographers from view, ensuring that the animals remain undisturbed. I could hear birds calling and saw a dash of red and yellow perched atop the tree. Right there in front of me was my first ever species of bird of paradise! This species is the Red Bird of Paradise, which is endemic to the islands of Waigeo and Batanta.
We then saw two males join up on their favorite dancing tree. The trees they choose tend to be older with fewer branches and leaves, to give an unobstructed view to the ladies of their killer dance moves. With our telephoto lenses, we took endless shots of these stunning birds shaking their tails and dancing around. They truly are spectacular to see in the wild. Their behavior is completely different from that of any other bird I have seen. As the sunlight illuminated the sky, their colors popped even more. Their backs are dark red, and the undersides are yellow. Their chins, however, are a stunning, shiny, dark green color.
I have seen the Birds of Paradise displayed on TV for as long as I can remember. Almost every documentary features these birds due to their incredible colors and unusual behavior but seeing that in person will always remain one of the most surreal wildlife experiences I have ever had.
9. Rhino hornbill
I have a special place in my heart for hornbills. I have been fortunate enough to see the largest species in the world called the Great Indian hornbill in Thailand and Nepal. I had been to the island of Borneo but had not traveled to the Malaysian section and had only been on the Indonesian side for three days. Hence, another trip I wanted to take from the Maldives was to visit Borneo again, which has eight hornbill species. The Rhinoceros hornbill is the one I was after since they are the second largest in the world, but they also have a unique bill and stunning beauty. I wanted to witness and photograph them in the wild. My first encounter was after a long morning hike in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, and just before we returned to our cabin, one flew over our heads and perched right in front of us on top of a dead tree. I was able to get a great photo! She was a female. You can tell the bird's sex because their eyes are different colors. Females have blue eyes, and males have reddish brown eyes. We had more encounters with these amazing birds, but another one that was special was when I was on the Kinabantagan river on an evening cruise, and a pair of them flew over our heads. We could hear the beat of their wings. It sounded like a helicopter was overhead. The boat captain hurried over, and I captured a beautiful photo of the male and female together in the tree, as well as one of the male posing. I look forward to returning to the amazing place that is Borneo.
10. Blue Tree Monitor
When you visit Raja Ampat, you understand why people say it is The Last Paradise. Unfortunately, there is always a dark shadow even in the most beautiful places on our planet. Because it is so remote, illegal activities flourish and officials can easily be convinced not to notice. The underground wildlife trade is one of the most horrific practices in the world and is the second most damaging thing that happens to wildlife populations. Sadly, I expected this would thrive in Papua due to the endemic and unique species found there. Still, I did not think I would be a witness to it and made a rookie mistake as a traveler and conservationist. I planned to travel to the island of Batanta because this island has many rare species, even for Raja, but the main draw was the endemic Blue Tree Monitor lizard. I communicated with our homestay host and expressed my desire to see this amazing species. He mentioned he had found us a blue tree monitor, so I was excited to see them. When we got there, we traveled to his village and found out he had purchased one from a poacher. It never dawned on us that our communication would be misconstrued, because of course we wanted to search for them in the wild ourselves. I felt bad about this. We asked for it to be returned to where it was captured, which our host did upon our request. Our host is a good guy, and I am still in contact with him. I am highlighting this observation so that other travelers can be aware. There is still a wildlife trade even though these animals are being bred in captivity.
Blue Tree Monitors sell for thousands of dollars in the states. The captive reptile trade has helped to reduce the demand for many animals, but it still exists. I would like to encourage more people to put their money into seeing these beautiful creatures in the wild than having them as a pet. Tourism is becoming more popular in Batanta, but successful ecotourism projects turn the poachers into guides, which benefits the islands and wildlife. These kinds of conservation projects are especially important to supporting ethical and sustainable wildlife experiences.
