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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Always finding my way back to moments that I cherish with sharks. 🦈💙 #savesharks #sharkdiver #sharkdiving #tigershark #ocean #diving #Hozier

Though sharks are top predators, there are so many more dangerous things we interact with on a daily basis. Sharks are generally so uninterested in humans that you’re more likely to be k*lled by a falling coconut, lightning strike, a falling vending machine, & even hot dogs to name a few. This doesn’t mean we shouldnt have a healthy fear or respect for them, but we should not have an irrational fear that causes us to have a skewed perception of them. Apex predator, not monster. 💙🦈 @KaimanaOceanSafari #savesharks #sharkdiver #sharkdiving #ocean #snorkel #oceanicwhitetip

Sharks are wild animals running on instincts so disturbing the surface of the water may imitate struggling or dying prey which would be an easy target for these skilled hunters. 🦈⚡️Video by @andriana_marine #savesharks #hawaii #tigershark #ocean #sharkdiving #sharkdiver

Roxy hasn’t been seen in years & with every passing Tiger season without her, the realization of her likely end sinks in. Sharks are wild animals & apex predators that are not affectionate or domesticated but they do have different demeanors. Roxy was a more gentle shark who represented natures perseverance through the negative human impacts she endured. Her broken jaw was likely cause by a fishing incident & I’ve seen her entangled with nets & other gear. Despite that she’s pushed on but I wouldn’t be surprised if a man made threat caused her passing. Though the sharks aren’t like our pets at home, we still become attached & I still try to hold onto hope that she’ll come back. 💙🦈🙏🏼 Roxy videos by @Saveliy Mankovskiy #roxythetigershark #savesharks #sharkdiver #sharkdiving #tigershark #ocean

Did you know if you see a shark in the ocean it’s important to act like a predator? Sharks prefer easy prey that’s often dead, dying, or weak. Splashing or panicking could imitate that easy prey. Instead you should stand your ground, make eye contact, stay calm, & push the shark away and downward if you need to. 🦈 #tigershark #ocean #sharkdiving #savesharks #sharkdiver #diving

So who are you taking & what species do you want to see? Video of me by @andriana_marine 💙🦈 #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #divetrip #tigershark #ocean

Have you heard of this natural response from a shark when it’s flipped upside down? Tonic immobility is used in nature and science to relax the shark. 🦈💙 #tonicimmobility #savesharks #sharkdiver #sharkdiving #diving #tigershark