mermaid.kayleigh

I have truly appreciated & loved the moments I’ve gotten to spend with sting rays. The late & great Steve Irwin would never want us to fear these amazing creatures! They have a vital role in the ocean’s ecosystems as bottom dwellers & are very rarely dangerous. Have you ever gotten to meet a sting ray? 💙🌊🛸 #stingray #ocean #diving #snorkeling #belize #savestingrays

Sharks rare take interest in humans but if they do, there are steps you can take to stay safer. You want to appear as an equal, apex predator by staying calm, avoiding splashing, maintaining eye contact, facing the animal, appearing large, & pushing the animal off if it persists. Sharks are wild animals running on instincts so we don’t want to imitate prey which could trigger a predatory response. 🦈💙 #savesharks #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #tigershark #ocean #hawaii #sharks

One of my favorite parts about observing & interacting with whales is the babies! They are playful, curious, & innocent just like any other baby! This baby was very relaxed and mellow but began to get more curious with every pass so I started to roll & twirl and shortly after that the baby began to play as well! Mom was very relaxed & trusting, getting the rest she needs, while she allowed the baby to come up & down to play. She was probably happy to have someone to preoccupy the baby while she could sleep. I’m sure many mothers can relate! This baby was very gentle & aware of us but it’s not always like that. During this trip we had a crazy baby that had no awareness of personal space! Because they weigh thousands of pounds it can be dangerous, so you have to watch out for their body parts. A baby whale would likely not intend to hurt you but, just like a puppy, they are not yet fully in control of their bodies. Stay tuned for more on crazier baby whales! If you want to be on my email list to swim with whales, DM me your email address for trip announcements for 2025! Video by @camgrantphoto #humpbackwhales #babywhale #swimwithwhales #humpbackwhale #ocean #snorkeling

These mini shark hotels were the highlight of my diving trip with @Nautilus Liveaboards 🦈💙🦈💙🦈 Cant wait to go adventure with them again soon!! How cute are these white tip reef sharks!? #whitetipreefshark #savesharks #sharkcuddles #ocean #scubadiving #swimwithsharks

Would you swim here? 😳 #thalassaphobia #murkywater #ocean #greenwater #deepsea #openocean

There is nothing quite like the oceans most advanced hunters swimming toward you head on. You’d probably be shocked to hear it was actually incredibly peaceful & left me in awe. Despite their incredible abilities they are generally very docile toward humans. Except for the whole boat thing… I cant quite make sense of that one… what do you think that’s about? #orca #killerwhales #dolphins #snorkel #divetrip

I haven’t forgotten about moon & I don’t want you to either. She traveled over 3,000 miles using only her pectoral fins as a result of a tragic ship strike. Ship strikes are a huge issue for whales & thousands of them occur each year. She is a representation of the perseverance of nature despite humanity’s impact. Hopefully, one day, we can learn to coexist more peacefully. 🐋🙏🏼💙 #whales #humpbackwhale #ocean #shipstrike #savethewhales

Lost in time & space 🩶 video by @andriana_marine #tigershark #savesharks #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #ocean

So like when am I gonna run into an alien out here? 👽✌🏼 #aliensintheocean #thalassaphobia #ocean #deepsea #openocean

These beauties should start showing up soon & we couldn’t be more excited! Scalloped hammerheads migrate up our coastline in Kona anywhere from January- June but the sightings are totally random & sporadic. We haven’t seen large schools yet but we are on the edge of our seats!! @KaimanaOceanSafari 🔨🦈 #hammerhead #scallopedhammerhead #kona #hawaii #sharkdiving #savesharks #sharkdiver #ocean #kailuakona

They know who their mommy’s are 👯‍♀️ @andriana_marine #tigershark #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #savesharks #swimwithsharks

I love when the sharks begin to roll themselves when being redirected. In this case, I love the view of her white marshmallow belly! When a shark or pretty much any animal aims its belly toward you, it could be a sign of trust as its one of the most vulnerable parts of their bodies. Ive known this shark named Gador for almost 9 years & watched her grow over the years. Id like to think she recognizes me too but thats not something i can say for certain. 🤍🦈 #savesharks #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #tigershark #ocean #hawaii

No one piece of trash is too small to pick up on the beach or in the ocean. Every little bit helps to make an impact! You can also reduce your use of single use plastic by using reusable water bottles and bags! On big island where I live, plastic bags are banned & people need to bring their own or use paper. I hope more places around the globe implement laws like this for businesses & that large corporations find alternatives to plastic like using plant based materials. ♻️🗑️💙 #marinedebris #plasticpollution #ocean #cleanuptheocean #hawaii

Did you expect them to be so fast!? I was honestly shocked this GT didn’t scratch my camera. These large predatory fish are known for their aggression & even hunt sea birds! So it’s no wonder it took a shot at my camera! 😳 #gianttrevally #aitutaki #cookislands #fish #snorkeling

Most of the time sharks want nothing to do with humans but if one decides to get a closer look at you make sure not to panic or splash, maintain eye contact with the shark, put something between you & the shark, redirect it with your hand if it keeps coming. Please only shark dive with trained professionals. 🦈💙🤙🏼 #tigershark #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #swimwithsharks #ocean

Swimming with Marlin is 100% more intimidating than swimming with sharks! They behave so much more erratic & swim at higher speeds! It was vital when observing a bait ball to not let the bait try to use you as protection. Would you ever do this? 🐟🤺 #marlin #fish #baitball #ocean #snorkeling #diving #magbay #mexico

Just casually passing some tiger sharks back & forth with my friend Nick! I love watching the sharks behavior as they interact with us & each other! They will often follow cues from one another on what is interesting to check out in their environment. The sharks lost interest in us throughout the video as they continued to get redirected & eventually stopped coming in for contact. Missing the tigers already as the season starts to come to a close in Hawaii. 💙🦈 Dont worry though, I still have more to share! #tigershark #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #savesharks

I’ve actually heard several shark divers say that they aren’t scared of sharks anymore. For me, this is worrisome. Though sharks are truly not out to get us or man eating monsters, they are still incredibly powerful, capable, apex predators. We should have a healthy degree of fear when it comes to wild predators on this planet. I dont think that the worlds top predators are something we should get overconfident about. I know I get checked real fast whenever I do so I try my best to remain humble. Sharks do have a softer side to them & this crazy behavior in my video is way more rare! Most of the time we are saying how cute & shy the sharks are & while that’s so true, it would be irresponsible of me to only show you that side. Dont get it twisted, this shark was biting at me so hopefully the techniques we show up close in our videos can help someone else survive a potential shark attack. 💙🦈 #tigershark #ocean #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #savesharks

By no means am I a perfect shark diver who’s never made a mistake. But kissing a tiger shark & purposely putting your face this close to a huge sharks mouth is just too negligent. As stewards for these amazing predators we need to treat them with respect as a wild animal. It’s important to show their beauty yes, but interact with them in a way that also shows their capabilities. Shark diving is an absolutely amazing activity that has proven to save sharks by replacing fishing them with tourism all around the world. But it needs to be done safely because they are potentially dangerous at any moment. If you want to dive with sharks please look around continuously, make eye contact with the shark, don’t splash or panic, wear a mask fins and snorkel, and go with trained professionals who have safety rules in place to keep you as safe as possible when in an unpredictable and uncontrollable environment. I hope we can all learn from this to do better as shark divers & ambassadors to sharks. 🦈🤙🏼 #tigershark #savesharks #predators #sharkdiving #sharksafety

There is something so breathtaking that leaves you in awe when you see a whale shark. Their beautiful spot pattern will totally leave you mesmerized like stars in the sky on these gentle giants. 🩵 Video by @Elizabeth Morri Sides #whaleshark #savesharks #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #swimwithwhalesharks