mermaid.kayleigh

One week of picking up trash out of the ocean @KaimanaOceanSafari! While on tour looking for wildlife it’s very common for us to see trash so I like to show you guys what ends up in the ocean to raise awareness about marine debris. You can help by reducing your use of single use plastic & supporting companies that use recycled plastic or natural materials! 🌊🗑️♻️ #marinedebris #pickinguptrash #ocean #hawaii #kona #kailuakona #singleuseplastic

My favorite humpback whale encounter to date @KaimanaOceanSafari!! 🐋🥰 Such an incredible moment when a whale chooses to interact with you! I can’t wait to travel to Tonga to swim with them soon. DM me for details if you want to snag one of the last spots! In water shots by @Elizabeth Morri Sides ✨ #humpbackwhales #whales #whalewatch #kona #hawaii #kailuakona #mugged

#ad The @insta360_official X4 is a great tool at capturing the shot while allowing me to stay in the moment & focus on safety rather than framing, especially, in the moments that require my full attention! 🦈💙 Grab my code INRME6L and enjoy 15% off for Insta360 X4! 📸 #insta360 #insta360diving #tigershark #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #savesharks

A glimpse into what it looks like to be lost at sea! 😳 It’s such a big ocean so it’s important to follow safety rules and guidelines when out at sea! Always dive or swim with a buddy or group, check your gear is functioning properly, avoid strong currents, stick to the dive plan & more! Video by @Elizabeth Morri Sides #thalassophobia #dive #ocean #deepsea #openocean

My brain is still processing what we witnessed the other day but needless to say our group is incredibly grateful & still in awe to have gotten to see orcas in the wild! Such a mysterious, captivating, & impressive animal. I think many of us fell in love with this species as children watching Free Willy & nothing can prepare you for how it feels to see them in real life. Living wild, happy, & free the way it should be! I cant imagine these intelligent & complex animals being put in a small pool. Can’t wait to share more once my shark trips are over! Thank you so much mama ocean for the gifts. 💙🌊🐼🌈 #orca #dontbuyaticket #captivityiscruel #orcas #thanksbutnotanks #ocean

A glimpse into the wide & powerful jaw of a spunky tiger shark. Their powerful bite allows them to tackle larger prey like sea turtles or cetaceans. Their unique & serrated teeth allow them to cut through hard materials like turtle shells. I am a trained professional shark diver- do not attempt 🦈 #tigershark #sharkdiver #sharkdiving #savesharks #ocean

These seasonal schooling scalloped hammer head sharks can be seen totally randomly off the Kona coast from January -June! They are tricky to find with their little dorsals cutting through the surface but we are starting to see them more & more! @KaimanaOceanSafari 🔨🦈 #hammerhead #savesharks #ocean #hawaii #kona #kailuakona #hammerheadshark

Though it’s always sad to know a whale has lost its life, a whale carcass supplies an ecosystem with an incredible amount of nutrients! I love witnessing the scavengers like sharks come in to feed at the surface. As it falls it’ll continue to feed the deep sea ecosystem of the sea floor. @KaimanaOceanSafari #deadwhale #tigershark #savesharks #kona #hawaii #ocean #whale

What an incredible interaction between humpbacks & pilot whales @KaimanaOceanSafari! I love seeing multiple species interacting & wonder how often they stop to play with each other when we aren’t there to witness it. The ocean is such a mysterious & beautiful place! Come join us at Kaimana Ocean Safari for a whale watch before they are gone! Or if you want to swim with humpback whales join me in Tonga this July! DM for details. 🐋✨ Video by @camgrantphoto #humpbackwhales #whalewatch #pilotwhales #kona #kailuakona #oceansafari #ocean #whales

The open ocean is so vast it can feel isolating. 😳 #thalassophobia #deepsea #openocean #scubadiving #ocean

#ad Capturing the best whale moments of my life with the @insta360_official X4!! This whale we called “crazy baby” because she loved people and always aimed to get close to us. Please don’t try to get this close to a whale, always let them come to you. Notice how I’m only ever remaining still or kicking away from her not toward her. 🙏🏼🐋💙 Grab my code INRME6L and enjoy 15% off for Insta360 X4! #insta360 #insta360diving #whale #humpbackwhale #snorkeling #whales

Would you ever dive into a bait ball?! 😳🐟🐟🐟 @KaimanaOceanSafari #baitball #kona #hawaii #snorkeling #dive #kailuakona #oceansafari

A sprm whale is clicking me to discover what I am! Their clicks provide them a mental picture of what’s around them. Check out that eye contact! What an incredible moment! 🐳🥰 #whale #dominica #ocean #dive #snorkeling #divetrip

Most people don’t get to see how beautiful sharks are. Some people might only see them after they are processed for their fins or meat or just in a bowl of soup. But they are truly so gorgeous & worth more alive than dead in so many ways. I hope to show you all the beauty behind the beast. Mahalo for following along. 🦈✨ #savesharks #blueshark #sharkfins #sharkdiver #ocean #sharkdiving

An amazing moment from getting mugged by a whale last week @KaimanaOceanSafari! We can’t swim with them in Hawaii but sometimes they take interest in the boat & on this day @Elizabeth Morri Sides was able to put her camera in the water and get this shot! I do have a few spots left for my trip to Tonga to get to swim with these amazing animals! DM me for details to snag one! 🐋✨ #humpbackwhales #hawaii #whalewatch #ocean #kona #whalewatching #humpback

A few seconds of what our shark dives look like! We are constantly looking all around trying to make sure we are aware of where all of the sharks are at any given time. There can sometimes be more than 10 Tiger sharks so this isn’t an easy task and at times they can still sneak up on us! It’s important we not only watch our own backs but each others as well! We are a little shark obsessed so we’ll often be out there for an entire day and this is just about 5 seconds slowed down of that many hours dive so you can also imagine how exhausting it can be to be checking your surroundings non stop! If you swim with sharks I can’t express enough how seeing them & being aware of them is so incredibly important so keep that head on a swivel! Please dive with trained professionals! 🦈💙 #sharkdiver #ocean #sharkdiving #tigershark #savesharks

#ad I love how my @insta360_official X4 is an able to capture so much of the shark as it bumps into the camera!! I prefer it over the GoPro for shark diving when the animals like to come close like this oceanic white tip. What do you think? 🦈💙 Grab my code INRME6L and enjoy 15% off for Insta360 X4! 📸 #insta360 #insta360diving #tigershark #sharkdiving #sharkdiver #savesharks

I’m always grateful for a new sighting in Kona @KaimanaOceanSafari! Now after working here for 5 years it becomes harder & harder to see a new species! This was a good day :) #finwhale #kona #hawaii #whales #ocean #kailuakona #oceansafari

Humpback whale trips are here! ✨ There is nothing like swimming with these magnificent & majestic animals! The feeling brings me back every year! If you’d like to join me, send me a DM for more information! 🐋 Photos by @camgrantphoto #whales #swimwithwhales #humpbackwhale #southpacific #pacificocean #whaleswim