2 hours north in a boat from the west side of Grand Bahama is where you will find these magnificent creatures. This was a dream of mine and it really did not disappoint.

The Raja Ampat Islands are an Indonesian archipelago off the northwest tip of Bird’s Head Peninsula in West Papua. Comprising hundreds of jungle-covered islands, Raja Ampat is known for its beaches and coral reefs rich with marine life. Ancient rock paintings and caves are on Misool Island, while the crimson bird of paradise lives on Waigeo Island. Batanta and Salawati are the archipelago’s other main islands.

Bali is an Indonesian island known for its forested volcanic mountains, iconic rice paddies, beaches and coral reefs. The island is home to religious sites such as cliffside Uluwatu Temple. To the south, the beachside city of Kuta has lively bars, while Seminyak, Sanur and Nusa Dua are popular resort towns. The island is also known for its yoga and meditation retreats.

Wakatobi is the name of islands and regency located in an area of Sulawesi Tenggara Province (Southeast Sulawesi), Indonesia. The capital of the regency is located in Wangi-Wangi, 

Wakatobi is also the name of a national park established in 1996, with a total area of 1.39 million hectares that consists of marine biodiversity hotspot known as Wallacea and coral reefs, which condition and scale occupy one of the highest priorities of marine conservation in Indonesia. Wakatobi islands is a part of the Coral Triangle, which contains one of the richest marine biodiversity on earth.

Hilly Nassau is the capital and largest city of the Bahamas. It lies on the island of New Providence, with neighboring Paradise Island accessible via Nassau Harbor bridges. A popular cruise-ship stop, it’s known for its beaches and coral reefs, destinations for diving and snorkeling. It retains many of its characteristic pastel-colored British colonial buildings, including pink-hued Government House.

The Galápagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, is a province of Ecuador, lying about 1,000km off its coast, and considered one of the world's foremost destinations for wildlife-viewing. Its isolated terrain shelters a diversity of plant and animal species, many found nowhere else. Charles Darwin visited in 1835, and his observation of Galápagos' species later inspired his theory of evolution.

"Dived Here May 2016"

The Similan Islands is a group of islands in the Andaman Sea off the coast of, and part of, Phang Nga Province, southern Thailand. 

Established: 1982

Grand Cayman is the largest of the Cayman Islands, the British Caribbean territory. George Town, its capital, is home to the Cayman Islands National Museum, dedicated to Caymanian heritage, and the ruins of colonial-era Fort George. At the island’s centre is the Mastic Reserve and Trail, a footpath through old-growth forest, sheltering a wide variety of native plants and animals.

Oriental Mindoro is a province in the Philippines located in the island of Mindoro under Mimaropa region in Luzon, about 140 kilometres southwest of Manila. 

El Nido is a Philippine municipality on Palawan island. It’s known for its white-sand beaches, coral reefs and as the gateway to the Bacuit archipelago, a group of islands with steep karst cliffs. Miniloc Island is famed for the clear waters of its Small and Big lagoons. Nearby Shimizu Island has fish-filled waters. The area has many dive sites, including Dilumacad Island’s long tunnel leading to an underwater cavern.

Ko Tao is an island in Thailand and forms part of the Chumphon Archipelago on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. It covers an area of about 21 km². Administratively it forms a district of Surat Thani Province. 

Bora Bora is a small South Pacific island northwest of Tahiti in French Polynesia. Surrounded by sand-fringed motus (islets) and a turquoise lagoon protected by a coral reef, it’s known for its scuba diving. It's also a popular luxury resort destination where some guest bungalows are perched over the water on stilts. At the island's center rises 727m Mt. Otemanu, a dormant volcano.

During this trip I flooded my housing taking a photo of the water bungalow and rendered my strobes useless for the duration of the trip.

Boracay is a small island in the Philippines located approximately 315 km south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Island in Western Visayas region of the Philippines.

Exuma is a district of the Bahamas, consisting of over 365 islands, also called cays. The largest of the cays is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi in length and joined to another island, Little Exuma by a small bridge.

Palawan, officially the Province of Palawan, is an island province of the Philippines that is located in the Mimaropa region. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. 

Mo'orea is a South Pacific island, part of French Polynesia's Society Islands archipelago. It's known for its jagged volcanic mountains and sandy beaches. In the north, Mount Rotui overlooks picturesque Ōpūnohu Bay and the settlements around Cook's Bay. Inland, hiking trails wind through rainforest on the slopes of Mount Tohivea. The Belvedere Lookout has panoramic views of the island’s peaks and Tahiti beyond.

Coron is a first class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines, comprising the eastern half of Busuanga Island, all of Coron Island and about 50 other minor islets stretching as far as Tara