The currents forced me to climb hand-over-hand, or rather to grope one hand at a time, down this lava talus slope to get a picture of this large eagle ray. It was effortlessly standing motionless, head into the current like a raptor riding the thermals and updrafts around a desert mesa.

Look closely and you'll see more hammerheads and several more rays off behind this one.

Darwin and Wolf were certainly the most rigorous and physical diving I've ever encountered. The currents would blow you one way while you held on, legs flailing in the water behind you as you tried to hold your spot with one one hand on a barnacle-encrusted rock. Then they would blow you straight down into deeper water. Finally, the current would switch up completely and flip your entire body around the rock you were using for protection.The bulky camera equipment didn't help, either.

But it was all worth the effort.