Dolphin dies while performing at Sea World - Florida

A dolphin has died of as a result of a mid-air collision while performing a "trick" at Sea World on Saturday April 26, 2008. Sharky and Tyler both collided and Sharky died as a result. Tyler appears to be OK and was checked out by Sea World's vet. A full video of the news can be found here.

A Harp Seal's Birth and Growth

Amazing video of a live birth

Summer camp

My younger sister still lives with my parents and mom recently asked her if she wanted to do anything special this coming summer. She is very much like me. We both enjoy wildlife and she is the artist in the family so when she goes on vacation she takes her sketch book with her. Both mom and I thought she might pick a summer camp this year since mom and dad have a bit more money to spend now that my college tuition is paid for. She told mom that she was not interested in the team sports camps like she was in years past but wanted to still wanted to stay active. She saw several interesting types of summer camps on a local TV show a few weeks back. The one that piqued her interest was a surfing summer camp.

When my mom told me about my little sister wanting to learn how to surf and go to camp I must have had a look of envy on my face. My mom knew right away that it would have been something that I would have loved when I was younger. I don't even think that they had surfing summer camps for kids just 8 years ago otherwise I would have found out and bugged the heck out of my parents to send me. If my sister ends up going to surfing camp she has to promise me to take photos so I can put them on this blog.

Rare shark flimed

Interesting rare type of shark caught on film. When you watch the video, the shark looks very much like the mythical Chinese dragons of legends. Since the location of the shark is close to the Asian continent I wonder if that is where people got the idea of the dragon. I am coming to realize that many of the so called myths of the sea are based in fact and are just twisted slightly to enhance a story.

At the beach

I had a rare opportunity to head to the coast earlier today. I will be here for Saturday then head back home on Sunday. The weather is fantastic. It is the warmest it has been so far this year. We should have at least 2 more days of sunny weather before the rain storms start rolling in from the Pacific ocean. There is this really nice area of tide pools that I like to visit just south of Newport, Oregon. I'll have to visit them tomorrow since I just missed low tide. While I was out I happen to see a few surfers braving the waves in their wetsuits. I also saw something I had not seen before, they had their surfboards in surfboard bags. I had always seen surfboards arrive on the top of a car or in the back bed of a pick-up truck. This was the first time I had ever seen them in bags. I had not priced surfboards lately but considering that everything else has gone up in price so has the surfboard. They were just protecting their surfboard investment! I had better get some rest now since I am planning a busy day tomorrow.

The power of a shark

These are powerful fish.

Photography

I have mentioned that I am looking for a new digital camera to replace one that broke. I have been taking photos since I was about 10 years old and soon became the family photographer. Around the age of 15 I started to take more "artistic" types of photos, experimenting with light and angles. Over the years I have entered a few photography contests and have gotten as high as honorable mention but never placed. For me I thought that it was quite an accomplishment. At first the photos were of the family cat but soon progressed to landscapes with seascapes becoming my favorite.

I have several books on the subject but since technology is always out pacing the books I look for more current info. I have found a Digital Photography Forum where I can find out more information about using digital cameras. The same website also has a Photography Forum for general information. I have definitely bookmarked the website and plan on visiting it often.

I have better get my act together and decide on which digital camera to get so I can head out to the coast to watch the whale migration.

Ancient forest emerges from surf

There is an usual occurrence going on right now on the Oregon coast. An ancient forest that once grew far inland is being exposed by the surf. The once great forest is now located beneath the ocean on the coast and will rarely show the now petrified stumps above the surf. Known as the "ghost forest" it is a local attraction when it can been seen. You can find out more info and a video from this local news station reporting it.

Rare seahorses found in England

The Thames River is now hosting seahorses! This small miracle means that the river is now cleaner than it has been in decades. You can read more about it on the BBC news page found here.

Swimming with dolphins

I am always fascinated by the intelligence of dolphins. They have been depicted as mellow sea mammals with loving attitudes, how wrong can the media be about that! Flipper is the one that comes to mind when most older adults think of dolphins. A Lassie with fins!

The dolphin is a complex mammal with a vicious attitude about sex. They play it rough and will often leave scars on their mate. They are a strong muscled mammal and it amazes me that people on vacation would even want to go swimming with these creatures. It is not just a matter of putting on your one piece swimwear and taking a dip in the pool. There have been countless accounts of "tame" (and I use the word loosely) dolphins attacking humans in swim pools.

All of this does not take into account of how badly the captive dolphin is treated by it's caregivers. Some have extremely small pools and inadequate nutrition. If that wasn't enough to put a dolphin into a bad mood then just put a human on vacation in the same pool and see what happens.