Sea Kara Explore - Kara Lynn Photography

Sea Kara Explore - Kara Lynn Photography Sharing my love for life, adventure, our beautiful planet, wildlife, and everything in between.

A very Happy Earth Day to you! Earth Day is every day for me. Today, I'm sharing a few of the wild souls, their IUCN/End...
22/04/2026

A very Happy Earth Day to you! Earth Day is every day for me. Today, I'm sharing a few of the wild souls, their IUCN/Endangered Species status, and other amazing places I’ve been lucky enough to photograph that are protected national parks.

1. Sumatran Orangutan (Sumatra, Indonesia): Critically Endangered due to deforestation often for oil palm plantations.
2. Vibrant hard coral reef in Komodo National Park, Indonesia
3. Wagler's Pit Viper (Sumatra, Indonesia)
4. Whale Shark (Indonesia): Endangered
5. Rock Islands (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Palau
6. Red Bird-of-Paradise (Papua, Indonesia): Near Threatened.
7. A school of jacks swimming through in Cocos Island National Park
8. Siamang (Sumatra, Indonesia): Endangered
9. Fox Glacier, Aotearoa/New Zealand: Retreating
10. Florida [West Indian] Manatee (Florida, USA): Threatened
11. Eagles sparring (Minnesota, USA): Species recovered with protected status.
12. Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Cocos Island, Costa Rica): Critically Endangered due to shark finning.
13. White-faced Capuchin monkey (Costa Rica): Threatened due to deforestation and pet trade.
14. Orca Whale (Washington, USA): Southern resident population Endangered due to loss of salmon etc.
15. Komodo Dragon (Komodo, Indonesia): Endangered

*What you can do everyday:
1. Eat more plant-based meals
2. Buy less, choose better
3. Reduce food waste
4. Ditch single-use plastics
5. Choose reef-safe and eco-friendly products
6. Use your voice and talk about climate and conservation
7. Support local and regenerative farms
8. Go car-light
9. Volunteer or donate
10. Vote like the planet depends on it, because it does. Support leaders and policies focused on climate, equity, and biodiversity.

Let’s make Earth Day count. If we wait for someone else to save the planet, it’ll be too late.

Sony A7rii, A7riii, Nex-5N, and RX100VI
iucn red list bucketlist

What brings you joy or gives you hope? This white-eyed moray eel (Gymnothorax thyrsoideus) makes me smile. I have since ...
17/04/2026

What brings you joy or gives you hope? This white-eyed moray eel (Gymnothorax thyrsoideus) makes me smile. I have since realized that not everyone gets that from this image 🤣 There are very few animals in this world that give me the ick or truly frighten me. I feel like a lot of animals (humans included) get a bad rap, especially if they're portrayed frequently in a negative light. The majority of the time, as long as you observe peacefully and aren't all up in their business, you'll have some lovely wildlife encounters. Our world has myriad of beautiful living things and I wish to keep sharing them with you to bring you a bit of light. Be well, be kind, my friends. Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

Sony A7rii with 90mm Lens, Nauticam housing with Dual Sea and Sea YS-D2J strobes

There are a lot of expressions to describe "wanderlust" including one I don't like as much, "itchy feet." However, as so...
14/04/2026

There are a lot of expressions to describe "wanderlust" including one I don't like as much, "itchy feet." However, as someone who should be elsewhere at the moment, it describes it pretty well.

People often ask me if I went with a group or by myself on this particular Camino and I always say that I started alone, but ended up walking with many people along the way. I love animals, but my favorite is making connections with humans of all walks of life. I have even learned more things about myself through these connections... something I had no idea I was searching for.

The Camino works in mysterious ways and I never thought that I'd be one of the many who would return to the Camino multiple times. Some paths I've walked more than once and others have all been new, but the commonality is that there are new lessons to learn on all of them - some of which you will not uncover until much later after returning home.

Everyone has their story and I wish that we could all be open to hearing and sharing them all. Be bold. Be you. Be kind. Share your story - it is always worthwhile. We need more love and understanding in our world.

📍A classically iconic spot on the Camino Francés, no filter, June 2019
Sony RX100VI

Here's an image to cleanse your feed, cleanse your soul, and to send a bit of color to those stuck in endless winter 😬 I...
08/04/2026

Here's an image to cleanse your feed, cleanse your soul, and to send a bit of color to those stuck in endless winter 😬

I could truly spend the rest of my days diving the seas throughout Indonesia without it ever becoming monotonous or boring. The reefs, the blue and the muck diving are all so full of life. I can't be there now, but hope that the day comes soon to return to these happy places full of love and light.

Sony A7rii with 16-35mm f4 lens, Nauticam housing with Dual Sea and Sea YS-D2J strobes

Happy St Patrick's Day! The world has been heavy as of late and I feel silly posting about these happy days past. Howeve...
17/03/2026

Happy St Patrick's Day!
The world has been heavy as of late and I feel silly posting about these happy days past. However, it's in these reflections that we can find joy, peace and hope. I thought this view of Croagh Patrick would be fitting for the day. My Irish Camino brothers joined me on this day to walk Tóchar Phádraig, one of the several Irish pilgrim paths that I walked as a part of my Celtic Camino after several orthopedic hip & leg surgeries. It was truly its own adventure. Unlike the Camino, there is no beaten down trail and so it can be a bit of a hunt for the path when going from pasture to pasture. I would go on to flood my trainers in a marsh shortly after this because I did not wear boots and had refused to hop on someone's back to cross 😆 If you look closely, you can see the trail that you can take to hike to the top of the mountain if you wish. As with any mountain hike in Ireland, be mindful of the weather. Even on a seemingly good day, rogue clouds can come in and you can easily lose your way among other things. Luck of the Irish indeed on this day... we had perfect, unseasonably warm weather for walking. I surely could not have pulled this walk off without them nor would it have been as entertaining 😆🤙🏽(the abbey that the hike starts at has a 4 person minimum requirement for this walk too).

Sony RX100VI

Happy International Women's Day! A special shout out to all of the women who came before me to pave the way. I certainly...
08/03/2026

Happy International Women's Day!

A special shout out to all of the women who came before me to pave the way. I certainly would not have been able to do most of the things I've done if it weren't for them. From being able to go into STEM, to becoming a scuba instructor, to paddling the Ka'iwi channel, to diving around the world, to becoming a merchant mariner, to walking across countries, and tramping through the bush in the most remote parts of the Earth... I'll be forever grateful and I will continue to bear the torch.

I cannot take credit for this photo as my self-proclaimed "camzilla sherpa" took my camera away from me so that I could have this moment for myself, free from distractions. It was the beginning of the pandemic and the border had already closed weeks ago in Indonesia (another long story altogether). We had been off the grid and were the only boat left in the area when these oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) come up near the end of the dive. There were just four of us in the water at the time and it was one of the most incredible experiences. The manta you see on the left came up right underneath me, completely dwarfing me, and I thought, "wow, this would be an incredible shot." That image is etched in my mind and it'll remain there, forever mine.

Sony A7rii with 16-35mm f4 lens and Nauticam housing

Live your dreams, scuba diving, dive buddies, Raja Ampat, Sony Alpha, bbc, discovery, explorers, underwater, nomad, travel, pioneers, gratitude, solo travel, solo travelers

For you, making the most of each day might not be the desire to swim amongst whale sharks. Taking the time to acknowledg...
06/03/2026

For you, making the most of each day might not be the desire to swim amongst whale sharks. Taking the time to acknowledge those beautiful moments in each day when a sunbeam may come through the window and hit your face in a lovely way, the way that the staff at your favorite café know your "usual," or the golden retriever that always passes by with a frisbee in its mouth whist on a walk with its human.

For me, I do feel most alive when I'm out exploring, observing wildlife being themselves free out in the wild, going for long walks, learning new things, and always experimenting with settings with photography.

This was an incredible morning. In the beginning, I was overwhelmed with excitement and kept trying to get out of the way of the whale sharks as they were passing by (a seemingly ridiculous task). And then I realized, they also know that I'm there 🤦‍♀️😆 For the latter half, I stayed in one spot without moving much. This one came up to take a big gulp, and as it turned, we made eye contact as it swam by me. It and a couple others made several passes that came very close and a part of me wonders if it was as curious about me as I was of it... just a couple animals out in the wild feeling free.

Sony A7rii with 16-35mm f4 lens and Nauticam housing

i want to be a wildlife photographer, biodiversity, conservation, wildlife photography, equity, wetpixelgram, equality, freedom, natgeo, bbc earth, scuba, diving, live your dream, kindess matters, gratitude, scuba mag, padi

Take a moment to cleanse your feed and rest your head a bit. One of the [good] problems of diving in Indonesia is that t...
04/03/2026

Take a moment to cleanse your feed and rest your head a bit. One of the [good] problems of diving in Indonesia is that there are so many tiny animal species that are still undescribed. I've wanted to post so many macro shots, but I have not been able to identify many of them using all my sources. However, this wee one is a described and is called, a spiny tiger shrimp (Phyllognathia ceratophthalma). It may be hard to tell since I used a diopter to magnify this while capturing the photo, but they only get up to 2cm. I found so many new [to me] crustaceans that they are rivaling nudibranchs. There are such curious critters under the sea and I can't wait to wet my gills again. It surely has been too long. It is my goal to keep doing this and sharing our beautiful world with you. We all need a bit of sunlight in even the darkest days. Wishing you all love, safety, and joy.

📷Sony A7rii with 90mm Lens, Nauticam housing with Dual Sea & Sea YS-D2J strobes, and Subsee +10 Diopter

Shrimp, macro photography, photojournalism, scuba diving, underwater photography, wetpixelgram, scuba mag, dive mag, buceo, tauchen

I've been thinking a lot about this place. People often think of white, sandy beaches and all-inclusive resorts as "para...
27/02/2026

I've been thinking a lot about this place. People often think of white, sandy beaches and all-inclusive resorts as "paradise," but to me, a biodiverse rainforest is pretty close. I had hoped to do some herping while jungle trekking, but quickly found out that most of the guides will not venture into that territory due to risk, remoteness, and training.

They deferred me to the local "snake man." I knew I was in good hands when I met him and he wore a necklace made of bones and bore a scar on his forearm from a near death experience with a huge python. This was my first time with land flash photography at night. I think most people would've probably practiced some before going halfway around the world, but it's kind of how I roll sometimes. I often learn the hard way in photography, but it's also what makes it a fun learning experience. There is a lot more at stake 😆😬

This is a juvenile male Wagler's pit viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri) coiled up in some vegetation at night. They are ambush predators and coiling their bodies like this allows them to strike out when prey may cross their path. I'm actually pleasantly surprised that some of these turned out. Don't be afraid to take some chances when it comes to your photography, but also life. Would you have gone?
Sony A7riii with 100-400mm lens and Godox TT350S flash

I have been so inspired by communities coming together and standing up for one another. There is so much hope in kindnes...
25/02/2026

I have been so inspired by communities coming together and standing up for one another. There is so much hope in kindness and compassion. It is my hope that love will transcend above all else.

I have been mostly fortunate in my encounters with animals. If I approach them with caution and ease, they seem to open up and go about on their way as normal. Common loons can be cheeky and often flee in a gentle way when anything gets close. A pair of them ended up coming quite close to me, comfortable enough to start cleaning and preening themselves.

I hope to provide this type of atmosphere for humans too. Let us be vulnerable, share, support and grow together.

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