A couple of years ago in Barbados, I promised my wife that I would take a break from searching for wildlife and simply relax on the beach. As luck would have it, the wildlife came to me. I had a lot of fun watching these Atlantic ghost crabs as they dug their burrows in the sand. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/5 at 1/1600th of a second.

Green sea turtles can be pretty relaxed around human swimmers. This guy seemed to be almost swimming alongside me, just off the beach at a hotel in Barbados. They are an endangered species, however, so best to let them approach rather than do the approaching. This is a rare shot captured with my non-pro/prosumer gear — the Nikon 1 AW1 underwater system. For a camera that receives a lot of criticism, it’s actually pretty remarkable that it goes underwater (an interchangeable lens camera no less) without a housing. Nikon 1 AW1 with Nikkor AW 11-27mm lens (at 11mm) ISO 160, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.

This is an Atlantic ghost crab doing what Atlantic ghost crabs do — excavating a new home in the sand. These guys were quite common on the beach in Barbados. Their constant activity gave me something to do rather than just lying in the sun all day. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/1250th of a second.

Karen and I were quite entertained by these ghost crabs digging holes in the sand as we relaxed on the beach this past weekend in Barbados. The crabs would disappear for a while, then re-emerge from underground with a claw full of sand. After standing still for a moment or two, they would toss the sand aside before scurrying back down into their holes. They are called ghost crabs because of their pale coloring and also because they are mainly nocturnal.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second

This is one of the green turtles that I met this past weekend in Barbados — swimming right in front of the hotel that we were staying at. I was hoping to see a few more, but only came across about four or so during our four night stay. I thought that this particular turtle had an especially impressive shell.
Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 100, f/8 at 1/125th of a second, Ikelite housing with 8 inch dome port and DS51 strobe