Up Close With the Majestic Snow Leopard

I've had to cancel two dive trips already this year due to hectic conditions at work, so my cameras haven't been getting much use lately.  But Cheri and I recently had the extraordinary opportunity to join our friends Doug and Judy for a "behind the scenes" visit at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.  


Judy is a volunteer/docent at the zoo and was awarded this opportunity by virtue of having reached the amazing level of 6,000 volunteer hours!  She was kind enough to invite Cheri and me to join her and Doug for almost an hour behind the scenes getting close to and  talking with the "keeper" of the snow leopards.  We of course were not allowed to actually touch the leopards, but were inches away from them and got to take photos through gaps in the fencing.

I took hundreds of photos, but only felt a half dozen were worth showing anyone, and I've posted those on my website (three on the first page and three more on page 2) HERE.

Stalking behavior (when you're GLAD you're behind a fence)

It was a wonderful experience, and gave us a real appreciation for how far zoos (at least Woodland Park) have come in the treatment, exhibition and conservation of endangered animals like the snow leopard.  I hope you enjoy the photos.  Oh BTW, if you're interested in learning more about snow leopards, or trying to help in the effort to save them, check out the Snow Leopard Trust, the global organization trying to save them from extinction.  It happens to be based right here in Seattle!

Diving with Giant Mantas - Socorro, Mexico

I just returned from a dive trip to the Revillagigedos Islands (known also as Socorro Islands, after the largest island).  250 miles south of Cabo San Lucas (at the tip of the Baja Peninsula) and a 24 hour boat ride each way out into the Pacific Ocean, these islands are frequented by Giant Pacific Manta Rays, one of nature's most graceful creatures.  These magnificent pelagics have wingspreads of 15 feet or more, and spend their time cruising the open seas in search of plankton, just as whales do.  We saw dolphins and several species of sharks on this trip, too, but giant mantas were definitely the main attraction.  There's a short video I made of mantas HERE (use Back arrow to return to here). Or click HERE to see the entire photo gallery, with captions about the stuff we saw.

Mantas seem to like swimming through divers' bubbles!

Mantas are truly gentle giants, with no "weapons" (no teeth, stingers on their tails, etc.).    They also have no natural enemies, other than big sharks and - in recent years - Asian fishermen, who cut discs from their wings to sell as scallops.  This was my fifth trip to Socorro in the past 15 years, and it remains one of my favorite destinations!  Not only is it one nonstop flight away from Seattle to Cabo, but I never tire of swimming with mantas!

Y3K (Yates' 3rd Kidney) One Year Update

I'll try to keep this short.  Y3K is doing great!  It's hard to believe that it has been exactly one year today since Sherry Robinson and I lay on operating tables at UW Medical Center and they removed one of her kidneys, carried it down the hall and installed it in me!  Sherry is doing fine; in fact, she and I had our "First Annual" celebratory lunch today, and she's as happy and cheerful as ever!

Back when I was recuperating - with 3 furry friends!

I am extremely fortunate at how well my transplant has gone!  I only have to visit my doctor once every couple of months, I take just 3 little daily handfulls of pills, and my life is pretty much back to normal.  I've managed to keep off the 55 pounds I lost following the transplant (the silver lining for being nauseated for three months)!   I'm trying to take care of myself (I don't smoke, drink, etc.) and avoid getting sick.  Indeed, perhaps the biggest risk to Y3K is that if I caught a really serious infection, it could cause my immune system (which is currently kept sort of "groggy" by drugs) to perk up and get excited - and start attacking everything in my body it percieves as "foreign"...including the new kidney.

Me diving in the Cayman Islands in May (photo by Rick Max)

One of the great things is that I'm able to keep diving!  That was something I worried the transplant might prevent.  It is going to limit how far afield I go (I doubt I'll ever return to some remote, exotic destinations - like Indonesia and Papua New Guinea), but the point is that I do get to continue things I love!

Bottom line: I feel extremely lucky - I have a wonderful wife (Cheri), I'm able to keep working at a job I love (with the greatest co-workers imaginable), I get to continue pursuing my passion for underwater photography (and use it to raise money for a great cause - ICSF), and I have wonderful friends and family who continue to support and care about me!

Diving the Cold, Clear Waters of Nootka Sound, BC Canada

Last week I had the opportunity to spend five days diving a remote area called Nootka Sound on the west side of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. You can find a gallery of my photos from the trip HERE.

To most people, the striking thing about cold water photos (such as this "fried egg" jellyfish) is the fact that water in the background is green, not blue like in tropical underwater photos. Camera sensors record green cold waters algaes in more dramatic brilliance than they appear to divers (greens are more "faded" to the diver's eye), but it's certainly obvious you're not in the Cayman Islands!  

Nootka water comes directly from the Pacific Ocean, and is wonderfully clear, with underwater visibility exceeding 50 feet on most dives.  While that isn't terribly impressive compared to tropical locations, where visibility can exceed 100 feet, it is impressive indeed for cold water, and is far greater than typical visibility locally here in Puget Sound.  We all wore dry-suits because the water temperature was around 52 on the surface, dropping to around 45 degrees at 100 feet.  We dove with Scott and Jude Schooner, a wonderful couple that runs Tahtsa Dive Charters, located in the little village of Tahsis (population 300, and quite literally the "end of the road").

I just recently began trying my DSLR in cold water, and I spent much of this trip fumbling with controls in my dry gloves, but by the end of the trip I was feeling a bit more confident, and I think I'll be able to do better in the future.  I also spent almost the entire trip diving with a new "WAM" (wide angle macro) setup--a 15mm fisheye lens and 1.4X teleconverter inside a tiny 4" dome port--and I found it frustratingly difficult to light properly.  Still, I was happy with a few of the shots I got, so the time certainly wasn't wasted.

In addition to beautiful underwater life, Nootka Sound is teeming with other animals, as is much of British Columbia.  While boating to and from dive sites, we came in close contact with black bears, sea lions, seals, humpback whales, and sea otters (including this little fellow!).  We also saw bald eagles and many sea birds.  

30-50 pound salmon spawning - we drifted right through them!

One afternoon, we did an unusual "dive."  We took our dry-suits snorkeling in an icy-cold river near Tahsis and photographed spawning salmon; it was amazing floating past hundreds of 30-50 pound lunkers! For more photos, see the link in the first paragraph.

Speaking of wildlife, one of the highlights of the trip occurred on my final dive of the trip, at a dive site called The Boulders.  As I swam slowly along the outside edge of a house-sized rock, a movement caught my eye, and I turned to find a curious adult sea lion swooping and swirling less than 10 feet away!  I quickly did a summersault myself ("engaging" dolphins and sea lions often encourages them to stay and "play"), and he/she continued performing for me for about 15 seconds, before zooming off into the distance!  Occasional interaction like this with large sea creatures on their "turf" is one of the things that makes diving so rewarding!

If you're interested in more info on Tahsis, you can find an article about this trip in Advanced Diver Magazine online HERE.

Motorcycling around Washington State

My friend Mel and I used Labor Day weekend to take a three-day motorcycle trip from Seattle to see a few parts of our beautiful state. Using the fabulous "Destination Highways - Washington" (a must-have book for anyone planning scenic rides or drives in WA), we managed half a dozen of the state's best riding roads, including two of the top four!

Mount St. Helen (volcano crater)

We started by riding around the East side of Mt. St. Helens (seen here in the distance) from Randle down to Carson, some of the twistiest, most scenic miles anywhere!  I actually got motion sick on the ride up the mountain toward Spirit Lake!

Anyway, from Carson, we rode along the Columbia River awhile, spent the night in Goldendale, and then angled NE through Bickelton (a charming little farm town with a nice historical museum and GREAT $1.50 ice cream cones!) and over into Idaho at Lewiston. From there we went N to Moscow, and then over to Pullman (two college towns) and NW towards home (we planned to take the route through Leavenworth and over the mountains, but unfortunately changed our plan and took I-90 to get home faster)!


I think we too often think we need to go far afield to find great scenic roads, but WA has a ton of them! We only scratched the surface on this little trip!

First Dives in Puget Sound with DSLR!

Well, I finally took my DSLR (for the first time!) into the cold (50-55 degrees), dark waters of Puget Sound a few days ago.  It was a truly humbling experience. Whereas I feel pretty confident with a camera in warm water, I felt like I was all thumbs inside of my dry gloves - almost no control of camera knobs, etc.  The two dives we did were my first real dives in my drysuit in over a year, so I was struggling with getting "reaquainted" with drysuit buoyancy control as well as handling the camera, and I felt awkward to say the least!  On top of that, visibility was terrible - less than 2 feet on the first dive and about 8 feet on the second.  Not surprisingly, the results were less than thrilling, but I did get a few worth keeping, like the Coonstriped Shrimp above.  If you want to see the others, they're HERE (the half dozen photos after the wolf eel shots are the ones from these dives).

Maldives Traveller article

I've only been to the Maldives (Indian Ocean) once, back in 2001, but I was recently contacted by the editor of Maldives Traveller, who did an online "interview" with me, asking about my experience in the Maldives and for some tips for beginning underwater photographers.  They just published it today, and you can find it HERE (note: this article is no longer available).  Note that my photos, including this one of Pakistani Butterflyfishes, were only 1 megapixel (!) originals, taken with the still feature of my Sony video camera, in ambient light (no strobe).

Videos on Vimeo

I shoot mostly still photos, not video.  But my Canon 5D Mark II camera can also shoot HD video, and I occasionally use that function (e.g., for motorcycle clips, a few crude underwater videos, etc.).  All my videos - including the photo montages I've created with Animoto - are on Vimeo.com, which is similar to YouTube, but without all the clutter and ads. You can find my Vimeo stuff HERE.

What a small world!

Yesterday, to help "promote" my photography to raise money for ICSF (see link in the right margin), I issued a little "press release" (using PR.com) about my appearance last week on Evening Magazine.  Less than an hour later, I got an email from a reporter in London, and a few hours later, one from an editor in the Maldives (Indian Ocean).  How amazing that two people on the other side of the world responded mere minutes after something was issued from Seattle!  That's the power of the internet!

Although I have concerns about internet security, the truth is that I've made some great friends by participating in forums for activities like photography, SCUBA diving, and motorcycles. Some of those people live across the country - or even in other countries - and when I've finally gotten to meet them in person, I feel like I already know them!

Speaking of friends, I was recently contacted by email by two old friends - Ron from college and Rick from childhood days.  These are friends with whom I've had no communication for over thirty years, and both of them just happened to come across my email while tinkering around on the internet!

Before email, my siblings and I sometimes went for years between contacts - all busy with our own lives, and seldom even talking on the phone.  But we now communicate by email almost every week, sometimes several times a day!  I feel like I'm always "in touch" and have grown closer to them as a result.

So...as much crap as there is on the internet, I see the positive side, too - it's a tool for establishing, re-establishing, maintaining and even improving relationships!

Photo Exhibit at Clyde Hill Tully's

I encourage any of you in the Seattle area to stop into Tully's at  8805 Points Dr. NE in Clyde Hill (just off Hwy 520 on the East side of Lake Washington).  They have a group of special prints of my photos by Prestige Graphics (the same firm that produces the prints for Smithsonian exhibits!). They're by far the best quality prints I've ever seen!  One of the cool things is a 5-foot high print of my grinning shark; it is an exact replica of the one that was in the Smithsonian Nature's Best Photography exhibit for 6 months last year. 

It has been really fun seeing/hearing how much people are enjoying this exhibit, and it was featured in the Evening Magazine segment referenced in my previous post below.

My TV Debut!

Here's a link to a TV segment about my underwater photography on Seattle's Evening Magazine last night: CLICK HERE (Click "Native" at top when frame opens. Segment starts after a 1-minute intro.) If that doesn't work, try the lo-res version on King TV's website HERE.

I was really self-conscious (being my first time on TV), but I think they did a nice job, and I was happy that they mentioned ICSF by name - hopefully that will garner some donations! Of course, they only used a few short "sound bites" out of the hour-long interview they did with me (I talked about Nature's Best Photography, the PKD Foundation, shark fin soup and shark conservation, and tons of other stuff), but I realize that in a few minute story, most of it had to be left out.

Just for the record, I did NOT suggest "staring down" sharks! I simply said that, with small sharks, often if you just looked straight at them, they will veer away because they seem able to recognize your eyes (I guess they felt a need to spice it up a little!). ;-)

Animoto videos (montages of photos)

I've been experimenting with a website called Animoto.com, which lets you easily construct videos and put generic music with them (30 second videos with up to 15 photos are free, whereas longer ones like the ones below have a cost). Here are four I made from my still photos.  They range from cute (our dogs and clownfish) to less cute (mantas and sharks). If you watch one, click the four-corner icon at the bottom right (for Full Screen)!
Four Great Dogs

Colorful Clownfish

Majestic Mantas

Spectacular Sharks

How I came to Support ICSF

A burn victim, before and after ICSF surgery.

It's interesting how a chance encounter can result in a lasting relationship.  Most of you know that I donate the profits from my photography to the International Children's Surgical Foundation.  What you don't know is how that came to be.

A few years ago, my oldest brother, Roger, was unconscious and literally on his death bed in his apartment in Boise, ID.  My sister Margo and I were able to go and sit with him that last week of his life.  During that time, a number of Roger's friends came by to pay their respects, bring us meals, and keep us company.  Two of them were Geoff Williams and his mother, Bev.

Both Bev and Geoff considered Roger a dear friend.  Bev was one of my mother's friends, and got to know Roger during those years, and stayed in touch with him after my mother's death.  That connection led to Roger and Geoff becoming friends as well.

Well, Bev and Geoff came and spent hours with Margo and me in Roger's apartment, and in the course of those conversations we discussed our lives...and theirs.  I discovered that Geoff graduated from high school the same year I did, and he and I played basketball against each other (I grew up in Boise) for our respective high schools.

At some point in our conversations, Margo and I learned that Geoff had given up his practice as a plastic surgeon, and spent most of his savings, to establish ICSF.  He did so after an experience in Viet Nam with hundreds of mothers and their children with facial deformities. It so touched him that he decided it was his life's calling to help children like that.  Through ICSF, he now leads teams of physicians and nurses to lesser-developed countries all over the world performing facial surgeries and teaching local physicians how to do the same.

Bev, meanwhile, who thought she had long since "retired," became the secretary and treasurer of ICSF, and "runs" the day to day operation of ICSF from a small room in her home (Geoff lives there when he's home in between missions).  Neither of them takes any salary, and they scrimp and save (Geoff drives a 20-year-old Toyota) so that every possible penny can go towards ICSF's work.

After Roger died, Margo and I suggested that people who wanted to donate money in his memory give to ICSF.  We did so not only because Bev and Geoff were such good friends to him, but because we were so touched by their selfless dedication to such a wonderful cause.

Later, as I was thinking of where I should donate money from my photography (I made the decision years ago that I would give any profits to charity), it occurred to me that I had traveled to and taken pictures in many countries like those ICSF served, and had seen the beautiful children in those places, and knew how impossible it would be for them to pay for surgery of the type provided by Geoff and his teams.  By performing those surgeries for free, ICSF literally gives those children a chance at a normal life.  I couldn't think of a more worthy endeavor to support.  So that's what I've done ever since.  As an example, I placed the ad below in an underwater photography magazine as "payment" for an article I wrote:

The ad I was able to get in Underwater Photography magazine in lieu of compensation for an article I wrote for them

I encourage you to visit the ICSF website.  I think you, too, will be touched by what they do.

Y3K (Yates' 3rd Kidney) - 6 month update

April 21, 2010 was Y3K's 6-month anniversary!  This should bring anyone interested up to speed on my kidney transplant.  (BTW, unless something unusual happens, the next update will likely be in October - around the 1-year mark.)

The short story is "Y3K is doing great!"  My wonderful doctor at UWMC (Dr. Kim Muczynski, who I now only have to go see about every 2 months) says everything is going perfectly - that I could be the poster child for what successful transplants look like!  In fact, some of my blood numbers are the best they've been in more than ten years!  So needless to say, I am feeling very lucky indeed!   Sherry R. (Y3K's previous "owner") is also doing great, and Cheri and I get to spend time with her and her husband Mel regularly.

6 months was a significant milestone, in part because I got to drop some more pills...thus far, I've been able to drop about 1/3 of the original pills I was taking (I'm down to "only" about 40 a day), and I am having far fewer side effects than before.  And, of course, the longer my body goes without rejecting the new kidney, the more likely it will continue to be a hospitable host!  

One of the good side effects of my medications is that--in conjunction with the fact that my old deadbeat (polycystic) kidneys keep growing and putting pressure on my stomach--I tend not to be as hungry.  So in the first 6 months after the transplant, I lost about 50 lbs!  If I lose another 10-15 lbs, I will hit my "ideal" weight, at which point I'll actually need to start forcing myself to eat more to maintain that level!  (For anyone who knows me well, the idea of me having to force myself to eat is slightly hilarious!) 

Anyway, I've been super busy at work (I've been working full time since about a month after surgery!), without much time for anything else.  However, I went on my first Y3K dive trip--on Grand Cayman (1 week of really easy diving)--with Rick and Traci in May.  All went well, and in November I head back to Socorro (for the 5th time) with a bunch of friends.  It is great to be getting back in the water after a year!

I'll be avoiding more exotic destinations (e.g., Indonesia and Papua New Guinea) for at least a few years because one thing that could trigger my body to reject Y3K is a serious infection, and countries like that have lots of diseases just waiting for visitors.  In fact, even though those are some of my favorite places, I may never get to go back for that reason, unless my doctor is totally comfortable that it's safe.  If not, I can live with that; it's a small price to pay...and there are plenty of other places to dive/visit.

Several people have asked me if I feel differently about diving, or riding my motorcycle, than before the transplant.  The answer is "yes."  It's not that I feel I should give up those activities, but I feel a need to be a bit more cautious in the WAY I do them.  I haven't exactly been a wild man in the past, but it's a little like when you're driving someone else's child around in your car - you might drive just a little more carefully because you're aware of being "responsible" for them, and taking good care of them.  I feel a little like that - like maybe I need to hang one of those little yellow diamond-shaped signs on the back of my motorcycle that says, "Kidney on Board!"  ;-) 

Well, that's enough rambling for now.  As I've said before, I truly appreciate all of the kind wishes, inquiries and thoughts everyone has sent me.

First Blog Post

Up to this point, I have assiduously avoided joining "social networking" sites (Facebook, etc.) because of privacy/security concerns. I suppose this blog could be viewed as opening the door to that realm, but I'm hoping it remains mostly a forum for communication with friends, family and like-minded strangers (sometimes strangers can end up becoming quite good friends!).

BTW, I created this blog using Google's free blog site: www.Blogger.com .