Underwater, Nature & Destination Photography | Diving Adventures and African Safaris
Besides each other, our greatest passions in life are discovering the wonders of the marine world, seeking out indigenous people and their art, and photographing and writing about our adventures. For more than 40 years we’ve been lured across the globe to reveal the mysteries of our planet’s most remote underwater realms: the world’s longest underwater cave located in Mexico, sea snakes in Borneo, whale sharks in Papua, and schooling sharks in Fiji and Costa Rica.
In 2008 Conservation International hired us to consult on sustainable marine tourism initiatives in the most bio-diverse tropical ref environment on earth: Indonesia’s Raja Ampat and the surrounding Bird’s Head Seascape. Diving Indonesia’s Raja Ampat (2009) and Diving Indonesia’s Bird’s Head Seascape (2011) are the results of our explorations throughout this vast archipelago. In 2014 we created and currently administer the Bird’s Head Seascape website. Besides diving and snorkeling information, the site provides details about sustainable tourism options, local news, conservation initiatives, groundbreaking scientific research, and stunning photography with the aim of conserving this region’s remarkable biodiversity.
Underwater, Nature & Destination Photography
The images below are a few examples of our coverage. Click on our Photography section to view galleries of our award winning images. Please contact us for more information.
Travel with Us
This page is where you’ll find information about upcoming Secret Sea trips.
Trip Planning & Dive Services
Our combined 40 years of experience in the scuba diving, exotic travel, and underwater photography fields has put us in the unique position of being able to offer a wide range of services. Please click here for more information
Whatever your reasons are for entering the Secret Sea, enjoy this site.
Best Fishes,
Burt and Maurine
NEWS
Bird's Head Seascape Conservation
Burt Jones and Maurine Shimlock | The Underwater Tribe Live Show #046
A bit of history
UWT Diving and Adventure Podcast: Burt Jones & Maurine Shimlock
A new Species of Damselfish Named in Burt’s Honor
How appropriate that Burt’s namesake was discovered in the Solomon Islands, where we began our diving careers thirty years ago! We thank Dr. Mark Erdmann and Dr. Gerry Allen for officially adding Chrysiptera burtjonesi to the taxonomic tree. In Dr. Allen’s words, “Amazingly, the genetics indicate it is most closely related to C. maurineae, but then again what else would you expect!”
A new fish species named after Maurine
Recently, Dr. Gerry Allen and Dr. Mark Erdmann honored Maurine by naming a new fish species after her. The renowned ichthyologists wrote, ”The species is named in honor of Maurine Shimlock, our dear friend of many years, who has zealously promoted conservation of Cenderawasih Bay and the surrounding Bird’s Head region by means of her excellent journalism and photography.”
Publications
Diving Indonesia’s Raja Ampat
Youtube movie/slideshow
celebrating diving in Raja Ampat
Diving Indonesia’s Bird’s Head Seascape
Youtube movie/slideshow