San Diego

WHEN I MOVED TO SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, from New England in January 2007, I knew next to nothing about the area. As I made my way across the country, I considered my future — one that was hazy, although it seemed likely to involve fish tacos and a diminished need to say that I “loved the seasons.” I had an easier time envisioning the local diving: towering kelp forests and sharks everywhere.

sevengill shark

A Life Aquatic: Stan Waterman

EVEN THOUGH I WAS A photojournalist for Skin Diver magazine for 17 years, one of the covers I most remember was not one I shot but a portrait of Stan Waterman that Geri Murphy took for the September 1982 issue. 

Stan Waterman

Yoga Fitness for Scuba Diving

YOGA KEEPS YOU YOUNG, at least from a physiological perspective. Regular yoga practice can counter the effects of aging by regularly moving joints through a full range of motion, improving strength and balance, and reducing stress. 

cobra position two

Brooding Anemones

UPON SURFACING, I heard a fellow diver ask, “How cute are those brooding anemones?” This observation piqued my interest because I’d never heard of this behavior despite a lifetime of watching nature documentaries and reading dive magazines.

brooding anemones, protecting hundreds of anemone babies, bubble gum color mother, unique seal life behavior

The Hamlet Dilemma

SINCE THE LATE 1800S, debate among marine taxonomists has swirled around the species status of the stately little Caribbean sea basses in genus Hypoplectrus, commonly known as hamlets. At the heart of the controversy is the essence of taxonomy: What defines a species?

Indigo hamlet