One Piece may be a fictional world, but many of the pirates are named after or inspired by real captains. Because there are so many characters in the manga and anime, I’m not going to break all of them down, but I will give special attention to the key players. For full disclosure, if you…
Author: Tidewater Teddy
Hey, I’m Tidewater Teddy: your source for nature, travel, photography, and random philosophical musings.
The History of the Gulf of Mexico
Long ago, there was a giant supercontinent called Pangaea, where all the world’s continents lived in harmony. Over the next 200 million years, the continents experienced a massive breakup and went their separate ways. In the midst of this breakup, a small body of water formed and became what is now known as the Gulf…
10 Animals That Mate for Life
In the animal kingdom, survival is the ultimate battle, and there’s often little room for long-term relationships. Yet, the nature of, well, nature has caused some animals to evolve monogamous partnerships that can often last for life. Here are 10 animals that prefer to stick together. 1. Mimic Poison Frog The mimic poison frog is…
Is Velociraptor the Ancestor of Today’s Birds?
If birds are dinosaurs, does that mean modern birds are descended from raptors? Looking at the piercing eyes and sharp talons of hawks and eagles, it’s easy to think they are great great great (millions of times multiplied) grandchildren of Velociraptor. However, the answer is a little more complicated. First off, raptors are NOT the…
Alligator Populations: America vs China
Alligators are only native to 3 countries around the world, but America is home to the biggest population. Here, there are over 5 million gators. There’s also a few in a tiny piece of northeastern Mexico. And, interestingly, there are also wild alligators in China, but we’ll get to those in a minute. Let’s look…
Stock Photography is Dying
Generative AI is sending traditional stock photography into a death spiral. In response, two stock photography giants, Getty Images and Shutterstock, are merging to take advantage of the AI market. For the companies, stock prices are up, but for the photographers, pay will probably go down. Understandably, photographers (including myself) aren’t happy about it.
Scuba Diving in Nasty, Polluted Water
Deep, murky water. That’s something that instills fear in a lot of people. Normal, sane people stay far, far away from the gloomy depths. Not my younger self. You see, for a year or so, I had a side hustle diving underneath boats and inspecting them. I’d get a call that a boat wasn’t handling…
Relaxing Underwater Footage from Florida Keys
Last week, I dived the Florida Keys for the first time (shocking, I know), and it was incredible! I specifically wanted to make a longer video with peaceful underwater footage showing the beautiful coral reefs and the colorful fish and other sea animals. For me, the dives were very soothing, and I really enjoyed blowing…
Tying a Bowline with One Hand
As a Captain and a Divemaster, I’ve had to study the bowline knot with almost religious fervor. Thus, it’s the primary knot I know and remember, and perhaps, the only knot I can tie one handed. Back in 2019, I filmed myself tying a bowline with one hand. You can watch it here: The video…
Riding a Japanese Ferry – The Tachibana Maru
As an island nation, Japan has many ferries connecting its numerous islands, and they are critical lifelines for the island communities they serve. When my wife and I visited Japan in September 2024, we went out of our way to ride one of these ferries, the Tachibana Maru. This ship runs a route along the…
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