Recent Trips

“All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson

Antarctica Expedition: Multiple luxury expedition cruises between Ushuaia, Argentina, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula as an Expedition Guide onboard Silversea's Silver Cloud Expedition Ship. Penguins, seals, ice bergs of every imaginable size and shape, glaciers, and pristine wilderness at the bottom of the world. One of planet Earth's last great adventures.

Transoceanic Expedition Cruise, Japan - Alaska: On this 20+ day cruise starting in Tokyo, stopping in four different ports in northern Japan, Kamchatka, Russia, the Aleutian Islands and on to Alaska was a big adventure indeed. I was expedition leader onboard Silversea's 600 passenger ultra luxury Silver Muse. I was tasked with implementing the expedition program including zodiacs and kayaks for the first time onboard that ship.


Kenya's Great Migration: This was a whirlwind 8 parks in 14 days, driving in a private safari vehicle, guided safari to the highlights of Kenya. Close encounters with the descendants of Tsavo's man-eating lions, birdwatching in Amboseli, photographing from a waterfall hide in the Aberdare Mountains, invited in to the home of a Samburu warrior, and immersed in the great migration in the Masai Mara were all on the docket. 

Jackson Hole and Yellowstone, Wyoming: The is possibly the closest experience of an African safari without leaving the United States. Images of the wild west come to life with endless plains, snow capped mountain ranges, herds of bison, brown and black bears, and America's number one National Park. Geothermal pools, hot springs, and geysers add to the experience. Fishing, white water rafting, and kayaking on the Snake River and a little cowboy flare as well.

East Africa Private Safari-Kenya and Tanzani: Getting the "Out of Africa" experience in wild Kenya as we travel to Samburu and Masai Mara National Parks. Then travel from exclusive bush camps in the Serengeti to the world famous Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania before flying out to the semi-private island of Mnemba. You can check out some of the highlights here: Witnessing lions hunting, charged by an elephant, dancing with Samburu warriors, scuba diving the Indian Ocean, and more on the blog.View a wrap up of the trip here: East Africa Adventure

Big Island, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai by Adventure Cruise Ship: As expedition leader on board the UnCruise ship Safari Explorer I am leading one week all inclusive adventure trips between the Hawaiian Islands. Lots of snorkeling, including a night snorkel with manta rays, whale watching in the waters of the Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, hikes to waterfall, cultural immersion, kayaks, skiff tours, and stand up paddle boards get you involved while educational presentations onboard at night help you dive deeper into these amazing islands. Here is what one amazing week can look like in the Hawaiian Islands.

Alaska's Inside Passage Adventure Cruise: This is how to explore and experience the Inside Passage. Leading exclusive trips on a 21 passenger yacht specializing in wilderness immersion. Hiking in the Old Growth temperate rainforest, kayaking up salmon streams to watch brown bears hunting fish, witnessing tidewater glaciers calving huge icebergs into the sea, and watching humpback whales breaching into the sunset while lounging in the hot tub with a cold beer in hand.

Argentina Patagonia: From Ushuaia at the southern tip to Argentina to Iguazu Falls on the border of Brazil to the icefields and glaciers of Patagonia we explored the expansive country of Argentina and discovered its hidden wonders. Check out my high res picture gallery

Kauia and Maui: A multi-island, seven day private safari for a family of four. Waimea Canyon, hiking to waterfalls, humpback whale watching, clear bottom kayaks, zip lining, secret beaches, basking sea turtles, endemic honeycreepers, and sunset on top of Haleakala Volcano. 

Baja, Mexico: Sea of Cortez. On assignment for photo and video marketing material for UnCruise Adventures small ship cruises. 

Hawaiian Islands: Molokai to the Big Island by Boat. Leading small groups onboard the Safari Explorer for adventure, wildlife, and cultural immersion through Molokai, Lana'i, Maui and the Big Island. Highlights include snorkeling at night with manta rays, seeing baby humpback whales, eating freshly pounded poi, and bow riding dolphins. Add on the ultimate volcano lava encounter after.

South Africa Photo Adventure Safari. Self driving from Cape Town to Johannesburg filled with adventure along the way. Shark Cage Diving, Lions with fresh kills, elephants just outside our windows, exploring the 'wild coast', hiking and scuba diving while covering nearly 5000km.

Reunion Island. Discovering hidden hikes within the collapsed craters of ancient volcanoes to underwater photography along the beautiful tropical coral reefs of this gem of the Indian Ocean.

Inside Passage Alaska. Dai Mar's intimate knowledge of rarely explored bays, fjords, and coves can make a trip through Alaska's inside passage a one of a kind experience. We watched ice calving off tidewater glaciers in the Tracy Arm Fords Terror Wilderness, grounded bergs form ice gardens at low tide at LeConte, secret hot springs, humpback whales bubble net feeding, brown bears catching salmon out of the river to feed their hungry cubs, and the 6ft dorsal fin of a male orca cut through the surface of the water, all while traveling through calm protected waters among the largest temperate rain forest in the world

East Africa. After another successful season of baseball4africa, I helped lead a big wildlife safari through 8 parks in Kenya before a successful summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa at 19,431ft. We finished the trip with some relaxing ocean time and scuba diving on the ancient spice island of Zanzibar.

Indonesia Dive Adventure. I just returned from a three week underwater diving and photo safari exploring some of Indonesia's incredible dive sites. Rare finds included photographing pygmy sea horses, colorful nudibranchs, huge shipwrecks, and the elusive wonderpus octopus. We traveled from Bali to the tip of Northern Sulawesi to the famous muck dives of the Lembeh Strait.

Oceana Adventure/Surf/Dive Trip: Australia, Bali, New Zealand, Fiji. Click "oceana" link on the blog (www.daimarsadventures.blogspot.com) for photos and stories. This trip was packed with adventure. In Australia we surfed on the Gold Coast, scuba dove the Great Barrier Reef, and relaxed with kangaroos and koalas at the Australian Zoo. Indonesia was filled with surfing Bali's famous waves and diving on shipwrecks. New Zealand lived up to its adventure destination reputation by providing some exhilarating skydiving, canyoning, and trekking through the South Island.  And finally big surf and the world famous shark dive in Fiji.

Philippines: Island Hopping and Scuba Diving. This custom dive itinerary took us across five islands to explore the colorful underwater world of the Philippines. Highlights included diving off Malapascua Island with thresher sharks, snorkeling with whale sharks in Oslob, and muck diving for some rare marine critters in Dauin.

Hawaiian Islands. Short 35 minute flights are all that separate some amazing adventures here. Some reasons to visit more than one island include hiking out to flowing lava and secret waterfalls, scuba diving in a sunken volcanic crater and with manta rays at night, surfing Oahu's famous North Shore, and summitting the tallest mountains in the world.

Indonesia: Surf and Dive Adventure. The Island of the Gods is one of my favorite places in the world. The Balinese cuisine is delicious and inexpensive. The ocean is warm and the waves plentiful.  We surfed famous waves with names like Padang Padang- the Balinese Pipeline, Uluwatu, and Impossibles. The islands of Indonesia also boast some of the best scuba diving in the world. We searched out rare creatures like the blue ringed octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish,  and pygmy sea horses while muck diving in the Lembeh Strait. Then we immersed ourselves into underwater coral gardens off the island of Flores. To cap things off we walked with dragons in the Komodo Islands.

Adventure on the Zambezi River
Southern Africa: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland. Highlights from this amazing self driving trip included night safari drives, walking safaris in some of Africa's most incredible game parks, white water rafting, walking with lions, an elephant-back safari, great white shark cage diving, penguin colonies, southern right whales, Johnny Clegg in concert, Victoria Falls, exploring the Okavango Delta, surfing J-Bay, tropical reef diving at Sodwana Bay, and Cape Town vineyards. 

East Africa: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania. If you want the wild African experience then this is the area for you. The roads are filled with pot holes and the facilities are basic, but the animal experiences are like no where else in the world. We safaried through the true African bush from Ngorongoro Crater to the plains of the Serengeti. Walking with chimps and hiking into the mountains to spend magical time with Gorillas in Uganda is a can't miss. Unique experiences like white water rafting the Nile, dancing with the Maasai, and exploring the tropical coastline of Kenya make this a trip of a lifetime. There are two ways to do East Africa, driving and camping or flying and exclusive bush resorts.