Zachary Shaul Adventures

Zachary Shaul Adventures Life is an adventure, and im full of life! Always on the quest to explore the world and its wildlife, but often other things too.

Rocket launches, aviation, beautiful landscapes, you name it and odds are i’m interested in it.

Mondays suck, so here's a Humpback breach to start your week! Wishing I was back in Cabo this morning I went for the Gre...
04/13/2026

Mondays suck, so here's a Humpback breach to start your week!
Wishing I was back in Cabo this morning I went for the Grey whales, but could have stayed forever because of those Humpbacks. Breaching all day/night long, I was not prepared for the amount of sea life I saw. Dozens of whales, tens of dozens of dolphins, sea lions, leaping Marlins, a jumping Thresher shark!

It's cold, frigid cold. At times you'll probably wonder what made you want to do this, battle the arctic waters that hov...
04/08/2026

It's cold, frigid cold. At times you'll probably wonder what made you want to do this, battle the arctic waters that hover just above freezing temperatures. It's messy. When you get encircled by Orca as they herd a massive school of herring and start slapping them with their tails, well there's fish scales and snot everywhere. It's like snow drifting through the sea. It's also a bit intimidating. Coming face to face with a Killer whale in the wild can be enough to send your brain into overdrive.
What it also is, is worth every second you spend feeling cold, every minute you spent traveling to get there, every hour it took of work to save up for it, every day you spent dreaming of it. There is nothing in the world like coming to what feels like the edge of our Earth to have the chance to swim with the oceans top predators. It sounds crazy, but it's really something that should be on everyone's bucket list.
Take my word for it, you won't ever regret this trip.
Head over to: https://www.orcasafari.at
and book your stay at the newest Orca Camp in Norway!
Use code: Zach10 for a discount as well

Twelve hour drive (each way) - A lot of gas moneyFighting crowds as the Cherry Blossoms were in bloom - a major hassleGe...
04/07/2026

Twelve hour drive (each way) - A lot of gas money
Fighting crowds as the Cherry Blossoms were in bloom - a major hassle
Getting shots like this - priceless

Have camera - will travel
I mainly cover Ocala and the surrounding areas, but I love the challenge of a new adventure.

The only thing I can relate swimming next to a S***m whale as is possibly swimming next to a U-boat? Maybe a school bus ...
04/03/2026

The only thing I can relate swimming next to a S***m whale as is possibly swimming next to a U-boat? Maybe a school bus plowing slowly through the surface of the ocean. These enormous creatures move with such grace, and clearly have an understanding of what's around them. Fun fact, they also have the largest brain of any animal on this planet, some weighing over twenty pounds!
That's gigantic.

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S***m Whale calves typically nurse from their mother from two to five years, though some even longer with the longest be...
04/01/2026

S***m Whale calves typically nurse from their mother from two to five years, though some even longer with the longest being for thirteen years!
Calves do start eating solid foods like squid before they turn one year old, but nursing continues to bond the pair and help their nutrition as these whales are slow growing. It's hard to tell from this angle, but the calf here is really quite large, probably every bit of three or more years old.

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Behind the eye.Holding the record for largest brain in the animal kingdom, the S***m Whale brain can weigh up to twenty ...
03/30/2026

Behind the eye.
Holding the record for largest brain in the animal kingdom, the S***m Whale brain can weigh up to twenty pounds. That's five times heavier than the average human brain!
Primarily believed to be used for echolocation and communication as these whales traverse the deep dark ocean, but I couldn't help but wonder what this whale thought about me. I was close, very close in fact but not due to wanting to be, this juvenile male s***m whale continued to turn into me, possibly trying to get a better look at me, or even wondering what the electrical impulses of my camera gear were. I'm not fully sure, but after a moment or two of looking into each others eyes the whale closed his. He sat there at the surface of the ocean mere feet away from me and relaxed enough (or found me boring enough) that he closed his eyes for a few minutes as we drifted along together.

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This encounter, though only just over a minute long was one of the coolest things I've yet to see in the wild. A nursing...
03/27/2026

This encounter, though only just over a minute long was one of the coolest things I've yet to see in the wild. A nursing S***m whale!
A super rare sight to witness, also an incredible process of nature, it's not as easy a process for these giant mammals as one would think. The Calves can't use suction due to the way their mouths are formed, so they initiate nursing by bumping the mom's ge***al slit, which leads her to start ejecting milk. The Calf then slidess its lower jaw into the mammary slit and uses its tongue to take down the milk, which by the way is a toothpaste like consistency due to it being roughly 50% fat.

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A glimpse of my time in Dominica. On my first day, first jump in the water, a curious male S***m Whale chose to interact...
03/25/2026

A glimpse of my time in Dominica.
On my first day, first jump in the water, a curious male S***m Whale chose to interact with our small group of snorkelers, this one in particular. Swimming slowly up to her he began to click and squeal, at times dropping his body in the water column and keeping his head upright to twist and turn at her with his mouth open. One could almost say he was showing off his beautiful teeth. He continued to drift with us for about fifteen minutes, something we were assured of was quite a rare occurrence. It's not an experience I'll soon forget!

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A curious pair of people watchers checks out a boat full of whale watchers! During our time watching whales hunt it neve...
03/23/2026

A curious pair of people watchers checks out a boat full of whale watchers!
During our time watching whales hunt it never ceased to amaze me when the Orca would stop their hunt and spy hop to see what us humans were doing. It was at times like they were checking to see if we were still paying attention to them, wanting us to see how masterful they are at the hunt.


One of the most magical feelings in all the world. When a forty-five foot long, thirty ton whale swims right up to you a...
03/20/2026

One of the most magical feelings in all the world. When a forty-five foot long, thirty ton whale swims right up to you and asked to be loved on. There are a few places in the world where this happens, San Ignacio lagoon being one of them. Though you can not swim in the lagoon, a limited number of boats are allowed access each day and if the whales so choose, you are allowed to interact with them. During my short time there I only got to touch one whale, but it was a moment I'll forever remember.

What's better than grad shots? Grad shots with dogs. This one kept his human focused for several years so she could earn...
03/19/2026

What's better than grad shots? Grad shots with dogs.
This one kept his human focused for several years so she could earn that degree. Only interrupted when it was time to eat, play, go potty, and needed attention, hardly at all really!

If you're in Ocala or the surrounding areas and need some photos taken shoot me a message or head over to www.zshaulphoto.com to check out my portfolio.

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Ocala, FL

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