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January & February 2010

The New Year is off to a pretty good start. Record cold weather that even brought snow flurries to Florida in January impacted the tropical and sub-tropical wildlife in a real big way. For starters, it killed thousands of fish, including invasive species from Africa and Central/South America (a good thing).

Some natives, however, like the common snook, didn’t do well. In the Everglades, I was able to photograph this American Alligator eating a snook killed by the cold. I’ve never seen so many dead fish! I read that state officials suspended the snook season because the population suffered such a high mortality.

Other animals that were also hurt included manatees (look at all these swarming around the warm-water discharge of a local power plant) and sea turtles, especially greens. Roughly 600 died in the Panhandle, and the local sea turtle hospital, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, released nearly 200 into the surf after the warm-water reptiles had recuperated.

Speaking of sea turtles, here’s a feel good story: I photographed this large adult female hawksbill on Juno Ledge, a picturesque reef roughly 90ft. deep and about 1 mile from the beach. While taking pictures, I noticed the discoloration on her flipper and then the fishing line wrapped tightly around it. I tried to remove the line, but unfortunately, my attempts were in vain. I couldn’t do it on my own, and the turtle swam away with my knife dangling from the monofilament! I was afraid the turtle would get trapped and drown.

The next day we dove the same location looking for her – no chance; nothing. We didn’t see it, and I was afraid the poor animal was doomed. What made it even worse is that a large female like this one is critical for the long-term survival of the species. Losing a breeding-age animal like her is akin to breaking every single sea turtle egg on the beach.

Fast-forward exactly one week. We’re back on the same stretch of Juno Ledge looking for her. I didn’t see her during my whole dive, but when I boarded the dive boat, there she was! I was ecstatic. Two good friends and fellow photographers, Mike Walker and Laz Arruda, found her and brought her up to the surface. Once we docked, staff from the Loggerhead Marinelife Center picked her up.

I’m happy to report she’s doing well at the hospital, and that she’ll eventually be released in the ocean where she belongs once she’s back on her feet.

Fishing line, or monofilament, is a deadly weapon. It catches on the coral and sponges and hangs nearly invisible, trapping, killing and maiming sea turtles and other marine animals.

November 2009

This has been a pretty good month. I was notified that one of my images (below) from Bonito, Brazil won a Highly Honored designation in the prestigious 2009 Nature’s Best International Photography Awards in the Wildlife category. Photographing in Bonito, located in southwestern Brazil, was my favorite assignment to date because it gave me the opportunity to photograph animals very rarely seen in their natural habitat.

Keep an eye out for my feature on this fascinating destination in an upcoming issue of DIVE, a British scuba diving magazine. I believe the article will be published sometime in the first half of 2010.

I was also able to use my Bonito article as part of a writing workshop I presented to students of Country Isles Elementary School in Weston, FL. Explaining to the children how I write my magazine articles and books was a lot of fun. The fourth graders had excellent questions and were really into it, and I could have spent the entire day talking to them.

Wild Waters Photo Journal is finally at the printer in China, and I’m anxiously waiting the first round of proofs. The book and the second edition of Let’s Explore Coral Reefs will be printed in FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) paper. This means that paper will come from sustainable sources.

Wild Waters looks stunning and has received endorsements from leading figures in the natural history, environmental, visual arts and photography fields. They include:

Dennis R. Dimick, Executive Editor, National Geographic Magazine

Richard Ellis, Author of Tuna: A Love Story and On Thin Ice: The Changing World of the Polar Bear

Cristina Mittermeier, Fellow and Executive Director, International League of Conservation Photographers

John Nuhn, Photo Director, National Wildlife Magazine

Steve Freligh, Publisher, Nature’s Best Photography Magazine

Bonnie Stutski, Senior Photo Editor, Smithsonian Magazine

Dr. Lida Pet-Soede, World Wildlife Fund

I’m also extremely grateful to Carl Safina, noted author and expert on marine conservation, for writing a beautiful and moving foreword for the book.

October 2009

I’ve been back from my trip for about five weeks and only now finished editing my photos. I took over 4,000 images in Indonesia and have cut that number down to around 600 – and by the way, from this sum a photo editor without any emotional attachment to the work could probably toss out another several hundred.

But as a photographer, it’s hard to detach yourself. Many are similar, variations of the same theme and/or subject. So I’ve decided to keep them (storage is incredibly cheap nowadays).

After you sleep on it for a while and let them soak in, you start to see subtle nuances, etc. and images that at first I didn’t like, now are some of my favorites (there’s one of these in the new book…). I still have to resize and keyword them, so it will be sometime before everything’s done.

Getting the photos organized and on my website and out the door to photo agents who represent my work is typically the first thing I do after a big trip (it usually takes about two solid weeks to do this).

However, this fall I had to do things a little bit different because as soon as I got home I had a number of speaking engagements and author visits lined up, from Kansas to upstate New York and also right here in Florida. My talks have never started so early in the school year, and I’m extremely happy interest in my programs and books remains very strong. I’ve already visited eight schools so far, and I already have bookings as far out as April 2010.

When I received this note from Ms. Jodi Case in Kansas this week thanking me for my visit to three schools and the public library in Hutchinson, KS it really made my day. Here it is:

“Hi Michael!

Thanks so much for a spectacular Oct. 2!  I have heard such rave reviews about you and how you had kids right in the palm of your hand! My youngest son at Inman Elementary was lucky enough to hear and see you, and he was sharing about you Friday and all through the weekend. Not only that, the rest of our schools and hosts were so pleased and felt blessed to be a part of such an opportunity!”

Another reason photo editing is in the back burner is because of the final touches being made on Wild Waters, my seventh book. Officially called Wild Waters Photo Journal, the book is a visual and written narrative highlighting key spots on our planet with extra special aquatic animals. This title is a bit different than my other six books. For starters, it’s bigger (112 pages), and it’s filled with facts about the animals, habitats and threats facing them. Another thing that I’ve added are ad hoc journal entries describing a little bit the circumstances of how I made the photos and so forth.

I’ve received excellent endorsements from experts in the field of natural history photography and conservation and can’t wait to see the finished product – I’ve been working on it for almost one year. Almost all photos were taken in the last two years, so the material is very fresh. Here’s a sneak peek of the cover, featuring my favorite animal, the mighty leatherback turtle.

September 2009

Wow, It has been some time since I updated this page, so here we go…

I just returned to the States yesterday after more than a month in Indonesia. I was there finishing the photography of the new book, Wild Waters, and had a chance to revisit Komodo National Park and explore a new area for me in the north of Bali called Tulamben.

Both were fantastic. This trip was better than last year’s because we had less wind and were able to travel greater distances by boat in Komodo. For the first time I had the opportunity to dive the cold-water spots in Komodo, including my favorite, Cannibal Rock (pictured here). This site ranks as one of my all time favorites. The colors are unbelievable.

After Komodo I visited Tulamben, in Bali’s northeast. All my photographer friends had already been there and raved about the world famous Liberty Wreck and black sand slopes filled with very cryptic creatures. I felt I was missing out so I went to take a look. What a treat! I’m saving these new images for my programs and new book so I won’t post any here for now.

Next week I start my author visits and am really looking forward to a successful fall season.

June 2009

June is off to a pretty good start. I was just notified that my two recent books, Ocean Magic and Shark Encounters, were selected by the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association for its annual list of best selections for young adults. Here's the letter I received informing me of this honor:

Dear Batfish Books,

Congratulations! The Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA) YA Top Forty (or so) Committee is pleased to inform you that one (or more) of your books has been selected for our annual list of the best selections for young adults. The books were featured at a workshop in May with over 200 librarians in attendance.

I would like to thank you for your kind response to our request for review copies of these and others titles and congratulate you once again for making our annual list. We will be contacting you in the fall for 2009 titles.

Joyce Valenza, Chair

Media Selection and Review Committee

Pennsylvania School Librarians Association

The books are Shark Encounters and Ocean Magic, and PSLA's reviews follow:

O’Neill, Michael Patrick. Shark Encounters. Palm Beach Gardens, FL: Batfish Books, 2008. 978-0-972-8653-4-0. 45p. $19.95.

Gr. 3-Adult

Awesome photographs of sharks, their prey, and their marine environments are reason enough for anyone to peruse this book. The information given is more than sufficient to give all but sharkoholics an understanding of the different shark species examined, their characteristics, and the threats to their survival. A sequel to Let’s Explore Sharks, this book examines species not covered in the earlier volume.

RECOMMENDED; reviewed by Ro Becker

O’Neill, Michael Patrick. Ocean Magic. Palm Beach Gardens, FL: Batfish Books, 2008. 978-0-9728653-5-7. 45p. $19.95. Gr. 3-10.

Outstanding photos illustrate the diversity of spectacular, unbelievable and uniquely strange creatures that inhabit our oceans. Minimal information is given on all but certain select species, yet the author clearly shows the complexity of our underwater environments and the threats to the survival of so many species.

RECOMMENDED; reviewed by Peter Olsho

Separately, I was also informed a few days ago that one of my photos is one fo the winning images of the 2009 Nature's Best Oceans Views Photography Competition, which attracted over 10,000 entries. Pretty cool stuff. Here's the photo that won, a Checkerboard Wrasse I photographed in Komodo National Park in July 2008.

April & May 2009

I’ve been home for about two weeks since completing my last author visit of the 2008-2009 school year in Landrum, SC at OP Earle Elementary School. And what a great way to wrap up the year! The students, teachers and administration there, as well as in all my other school visits, were incredibly warm, receptive and enthusiastic.

This year has been my best one so far – I visited a record 62 schools and have been on the road pretty much every week since late September 2008 when I began the author visits in Kansas. I then went to Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Missouri. In between out-of-state trips, I visited roughly 18 Florida schools.

I receive from nearly every school I visit letters from the children telling me how much they enjoyed the author visits and how inspired they are to continue learning about animals and conservation. This is a great boost to me to know that I can encourage them with my writing and photography, and am incorporating a lot of what I learned on the road in the new book, Wild Waters.

Now that I’ve caught up on my sleep, I’m dedicating a lot of time to complete this new title. So my summer schedule will involve a lot of writing and of course, underwater photography.

By the way, the diving here in Florida has been world-class with many special animals showing up. I’ve had the privilege and unbelievable luck of being at the right place at the right time to photograph some of these incredible creatures and can’t wait to see the new book when it’s complete. It might be my best one so far.

February & March 2009

The year is flying by and I keep forgetting to update this page. Things are really good, and I've been on the road pretty much every week. Whenever I find time, I work on the new book, due out sometime this year or maybe even early 2010. My plate's so full that I have to pace myself and get it done the right way, even if it takes a little bit longer.

I took the month of January off from diving to take some photos in the Everglades for the new book, and here are two favorites (please note some of these may not make it because the book's about aquatic animals). First we have a beautiful little bird of prey called a Red-Shouldered Hawk. I'm certainly not a bird photographer but when I ran into this hawk sitting on a low branch over a marsh in the Fakahatchee Strand I got the long lens out and went to work. She stayed there a good twenty minutes and I was able to get within 15 ft. of her.

The snake is a Water Moccasin or Cottonmouth. It just sat by the road in Big Cypress National Preserve warming up in the sun after a chilly day, and I shot it remotely with a cable to minimize the chances of getting bitten. After I finished, I carefully picked her up with my tripod and lowered her in the thick vegetation. If I left her on the road someone would have certainly hit her. Creepy? Definitely. But remember snakes eat pests like rats and mice, so they are actually pretty good to have around. By the way, the cottonmouth never struck at me, even when I picked her up.

January 2009

2009 is off to a really good start. I was up in Pennsylvania for a week presenting at schools and tonight I’m off to Jacksonville, FL for more presentations and lectures. Next week I’m back in Pennsylvania, and the following week attending the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) Annual Summit in Albuquerque, NM, which is great for networking. Later on in the spring, I’ll be visiting nearly 20 Florida schools, plus others in Ohio, South Carolina and upstate New York. All in all, no complaints at all. I’m very grateful for this positive moment and don’t take anything for granted.

I also started getting serious about the new book. I’m spending some long hours in front of the computer writing and trying out different formats. What makes this exercise a little bit unproductive at this stage is that I’m still not sure how I want to present this new material. Even though I don’t like it, this phase is critical because I get to flush out different ideas and ultimately come up with something I like.

To round out the new book I’ve also been spending a lot of time photographing in the Everglades. The book is going to have a section on freshwater, and I want to include a little bit about this part of Florida that remains relatively unspoiled. Every trip to my favorite spots – Fakahatchee, Big Cypress and Everglades National Park – has been loads of work and fun. The days are long, dusty and very dirty. I get back home (or at a local hotel) beat-up and very sore. But slowly, I’m getting some nice material. No pain, no gain, right?

December

Well, for starters, Merry Christmas to all of you! It has been a great year and I hope the momentum continues on into 2009.

I like to illustrate this monthly update with a picture of manatees, taken this week in Crystal River, FL, because it’s the start of their season in Northwest Florida. I’m planning in making the 200 mile trip several times this winter to beef up my manatee portfolio for my future book, which I’m starting to work on. My plan is to have it done by early summer, fingers crossed.

Changing gears, I had a very memorable whale shark encounter the day before Thanksgiving just outside of the Palm Beach Inlet. The 30 ft. fish was a real trooper and kept circling several dive boats and checking out the snorkelers. Conditions were perfect – clear water & sunny skies – and fortunately the pictures came out pretty good. I have already used them in one presentation and will probably include some in the new book.

Finally, I’m very proud to participate in a project to protect the Goliath Grouper in Brazil and have allowed a conservation foundation there – Meros do Brasil (http://www.merosdobrasil.org) - to use my photos of goliaths. While protected in Brazil, this great fish is still hunted for its flesh and unfortunately by spearfishermen (what’s up with these people?)

September - October

October is off to a blistering pace as I just returned from Pennsylvania and Kansas after presenting about ocean life and marine conservation to 10 schools. Words cannot describe the reaction of the kids from all schools and my gratitude for the incredibly warm reception and opportunity.

I feel incredibly fortunate that despite the global economic earthquakes, all aspects of my business - book sales, presentations and photo licensing - have already exceeded (by far) 2007 year-end results (and I'm writing this on October 13th).

I just received the third edition of Fishy Friends (my first book) and the second edition of Let's Explore Sea Turtles. This shipment, consisting of over 5,000 books, arrived the other day from China. It's a mountain of books, but they move pretty quickly. What's pretty cool is that Batfish Books, my small publishing company, pretty much sells the same volume as larger, established publishers in the same genre and price point. And I started this whole adventure (book publishing) only in mid 2002.

Photo licensing and assignments are already double from last year, thanks to assignments and key images. My trips to Guadalupe, Mexico for Great Whites and Tonga for Humpbacks are generating lots of sales so they were worthwhile investments. I believe my recent Brazil and Indonesia trips will kick in soon enough.

Here are two new tidbits: An excellent recommendation from Bushkill Elementary in PA, and a newspaper article from my recent visit to Kansas:

Get ready to be wowed! Mr. O'Neill's photographs will just mesmerize your students. He brings the beauty of nature to your doorstep and shows how that beauty can be translated with the written word.  His interactive show will illicit scientific curiosity and emphasize the importance of school. In 20 years, he was the best author visit we ever had.

Joseph J. Yanek, Principal
Bushkill Elementary School
 

Hays Daily News

'Sea'ing his world

By DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN

dobrien@dailynews.net

Hays, Kansas, is a long, long way from any ocean.

But this week, students across the city were exposed to life under the sea through the eyes of a nationally acclaimed underwater photographer. Michael Patrick O'Neill, also a widely published author of children's books, visited local elementary schools throughout town all week and gave a PowerPoint presentation about sea animals at each.

All the while, he stressed to the students the importance of doing well in school. "Diving requires lots of math and science," he said while showing students a computer he wears on his wrist while diving.

During his visit, schools had on display some or all six of the books authored by O'Neill, a native of Brazil. O'Neill, interested in conservation since childhood, left his native country at 18 to attend Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. He has photography licensed worldwide and gives presentations to schools and other organizations.

A team of elementary school librarians in Hays collaborates to bring an author to Hays every other year and this year chose O'Neill, who also was making his first trip to Kansas. During the presentations, O'Neill called forward a student from the audience, who would don a life vest and other equipment used in underwater photographer. O'Neill explained the use for each piece of equipment and talked about safety tips to follow while diving.

"It's heavy," fifth-grader Cole Schumacher said while volunteering during one of the presentations Thursday afternoon at O'Loughlin Elementary School. O'Neill answered questions from the students, ranging from if he had ever been stung by a jellyfish to how many times a year he dives to how many pictures he has taken.

The answers to those two questions were "No ... about 150 times a year ... and somewhere around 500,000." Not surprisingly, O'Neill said the favorite part of his job is photography.

"I love taking pictures," he said. Students and staff in Hays believed the same about getting to see his work.

"It was such an unusual topic for us here in Kansas," said Lynette Armstrong, O'Loughlin librarian. "We don't get to do scuba diving here, so it was really fascinating to us."

May – August

I’ve spent most of this time period on the road. After a busy May making presentations in Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Florida, I left for Brazil to take pictures in a remote place close to Bolivia and Paraguay.

There’s a region there that contains ultra-clear springs with lots of seldom photographed aquatic animals. I had heard of this place about eight years ago and was always on the fence about going. I was unsure it would be worth the effort. Well, guess what? It certainly was.

I photographed a 16ft. anaconda underwater in what had to be the most adrenaline-filled (and creepy, I must admit) animal encounter I’ve ever had. In addition to the snake, I photographed caiman and many other jungle goodies.

After Brazil, I headed out to Indonesia, arguably the epicenter of marine biodiversity in the world. I had a chance to dive Komodo National Park aboard the phenomenal liveaboard Seven Seas, and then stay in the excellent Kungkungan Bay Resort in Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi to photograph the wonderfully weird and fascinating marine critters of the channel.

Here are some sample photos.The first four are from Brazil, and the bottom four from Indonesia.

April 2008

This past month was busy, successful and very rewarding.

For starters, I was notified I won the Science/Natural History category of the Pictures of the Year International (POYi) 2008 photo competition (www.poy.org), the most traditional and reputable photo journalism competition in the world. Organized by the University of Missouri's Journalism School, it attracts the top shooters from well-known publications such as the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, National Geographic and others. I'm getting a lot of mileage from my winning photo, "Goliath Grouper and Underwater Photographer," which also won in last year's Nature's Best photo competition.

I also just learned my two brand-new books Ocean Magic and Shark Encounters received glowing reviews from School Library Journal (www.slj.com), the most prestigious book review publication in the US. It's the "bible" of school librarians nationwide. It's next to impossible for a small publisher such as Batfish Books to get in SLJ, and a great accomplishment to get an outstanding review. As a result, we've received large orders from our main wholesalers. Here are the reviews:

School Library Journal (March 2008 issue)

Grades 1 to 4

Ocean Magic: Award-winning photographer O'Neill introduces readers to coral reefs, kelp forests, and the ocean bottom. Especially stunning are the photos of the Hairy Frogfish, an incredibly camouflaged member of the Anglerfish family that prowls off the coast of Florida. Nevertheless, the colorful creatures of the coral reef are the stars of this book. The author's strong support of conservation comes through loud and clear in his narrative, and photographs amplify this message by showing the amazing life-forms that could be lost.

Shark Encounters highlights several species, including the breathtaking Scalloped Hammerhead of the eastern Pacific. Views of the creatures' prey provide variety, and particularly eye catching is the picture of the giant Napoleon Wrasse snapped with the lens partly above and partly below its shallow habitat. Without underplaying the fearsome and highly developed hunting skills of sharks, O'Neill stresses the importance of predators' roles in maintaining the balance of ocean life. The spectacular full-color images in these works make them beautiful additions.

On the school presentation front, it has been non-stop. I just returned from eastern Pennsylvania where I visited ten schools and presented to over 5,000 kids. I have to say that the reception from the Pennsylvania schools was unprecedented and without equal. I have never been so well received by parents, teachers, school officials and the students. Here's one picture from many from that fun trip.

February 2008.

Award-winning nature photographer is second presenter of center's lecture series

Hometown News

February 8, 2008

By Sarah Stover

Staff writer

JUNO BEACH - He brings creatures of the deep to the surface, in a manner of speaking.

Acclaimed photographer Michael O'Neill spoke about his career, magnificent sights he's seen and past and future projects at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach as part of its lecture series on Feb. 7.

Mr. O'Neill's present career path began when he started scuba diving in 1992. He moved to Florida in 1991 and began fishing as a hobby, but quickly lost interest in it and moved onto diving, he said.

The Palm Beach Gardens resident started taking photos of the creatures he saw on dives and before long, was freelancing for magazines. Mr. O'Neill was working in the corporate world at the time and had earned his master's in business administration at the University of Miami when he moved here. He had never taken photography classes though, and taught himself through trial and error on his dive excursions, he said.

"One thing I'm realizing is (as a photographer) you develop your style and get more sophisticated as time goes on," said Mr. O'Neill.

Another thing he learned is that this could stop being a hobby and could become a career. Mr. O'Neill realized this when he put together his first book, "Fishy Friends."

"It was something I did for fun," he said.

However, he started a publishing company, Batfish Books, in 2002 to put out his book so he could be in control of the process. When "Fishy Friends" came out in 2003, it was a hit, or "trial balloon," as Mr. O'Neill called it.

The book was geared toward children, as were his five subsequent books. It was an interesting choice, he said. "I have very little experience with kids, except for my three nephews," said Mr. O'Neill.

However, the idea behind publishing his photos as children's books derived from looking at publishing books from both a business and educational perspective, he said.

"Every photographer dreams of having a coffee table book, but for the publisher, it's a lousy product because they are expensive to make and don't make any money since they are about $60 a piece," said Mr. O'Neill.

So, he ran with what he observed: that children love sharks and dinosaurs. Not only do his photos get the children's attention, his books come with a lesson.

"For me, I strongly believe in encouraging kids to be involved in conservation and learn about science," he said.

As for his education, Mr. O'Neill has learned "how fragile the environment is," and that it has the chance to rebound through his diving trips.

For example, he noticed the reefs in Palm Beach County were in despair after the 2004 hurricanes, but when he dived at a spot in Juno Beach this past July they were beautiful, he said.

As much as marine life takes his breath away, other sights sadden the photographer. He's seen people spear Goliath grouper and Moray eels for fun and has also witnessed people catching lobsters by using bleach, he said.

"Those things are unforgivable. There's a lack of education out there," he said.

"Our laws are pretty good, but enforcement is an issue. Like anything else in life, 5 percent of the people cause 80 percent of the problems," he added.

On the other hand, there are people, such as Mr. O'Neill, who learned the importance of conservation growing up. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, where Mr. O'Neill was raised, he has continued to pass the lesson onto others through his work. A photo he shot of a Goliath grouper near a shipwreck in Jupiter, which earned him first place in the People in Nature category of the Windland Smith Rice International Awards this year, is just one example.

Other awards, which have drawn attention to his message of conservation, include first place in the 2002 BBC Wildlife photographer of the year competition, honorable mentions in the "Nature's Best" wildlife photo contest in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and first place in the professional division of the "National Wildlife" photo awards competition in 2006. His recent books, "Shark Encounters" and "Ocean Magic," continue to bring a message across to children. They are set to come out in March this year, and several orders have already been placed, he said.

In addition to his photography and writing, Mr. O'Neill visits schools for presentations each year. While he emphasizes the significance of conservation, the presentations usually take a more light-hearted turn.

"At the schools, I always get asked if I've been bitten by anything," said Mr. O'Neill.

In response, he shares with the students the embarrassing story of the time a loggerhead turtle bit him in his posterior while he was waiting for a boat in Juno to take him diving, he chuckled.

He's also had a Goliath grouper, such as the one in his prize photo, bite him, he said.

Although Mr. O'Neill's had a couple scary situations with sharks, for the most part, the marine creatures let him tag along.

"Swimming with whales, that's the coolest thing I've ever done," he said.

He's only been in a cage when shooting photos of great whites, like he did for a book he will publish this year or in 2009.

"They're so big, you wouldn't have a chance if they came after you," he said.

Mr. O'Neill has photographed several marine species, but has "a laundry list" of ones he would like to catch on camera. The problem is, it's hit or miss, he said.

"I had incredible luck in 2001 to see a leatherback turtle and photograph it. Other photographers flew (into Florida from all over the world) thinking since I saw one, they would too, but it doesn't work that way," said Mr. O'Neill.

He added he can go on 20 dive trips and not take a single photo, either because he's already shot everything he sees on previous dives, or he doesn't find what's he looking for: something unique. To achieve the latter, he has traveled around the world, but still has places he wants to go diving, such as Indonesia and in the clear streams in his homeland of Brazil.

"I'd (also) like to go back to Africa. They have so much wildlife, both in and out of water," he said.

Seeing creatures that have yet to be identified is part of the fun of the job, said Mr. O'Neill.

However, it is also another reminder of the importance of conservation.

"The shame is there is so much environmental degradation these creatures may be extinct before science even discovers what they are," said Mr. O'Neill.

For more information, visit www.mpostock.com.

Student Get Up Close with Author

Tallahassee Democrat

February 6, 2008

Michael Patrick O'Neill, an underwater photographer and childrens' book author and publisher, visited the Maclay School Library on January 31, 2008.

Michael's presentation included information on underwater life and conservation efforts in Florida. The presentation coincided with a fifth grade research unit on oceanography. Michael has written six books on underwater life for children which are featured in over 500 school libraries. He travels across the country, visiting schools and presenting information for elementary-aged students.

For the past 15 years, he has traveled extensively as a photographer and writer, concentrating primarily on sea life and environmental issues.

His work, widely published, aims to educate and to communicate to others the beauty, diversity and fragility of the oceans - and the urgent need to protect them.

December 2007