Manatee Madness, how it all started

My family moved to Sebastian Florida from Pennsylvania in 2015. I quickly fell in love with all things Florida. Manatees are at the top of that list. I have had the privilege of swimming with them and observing them on many occasions thru out the past 7 years all over Florida, in Springs, Inlets, the ocean, some rivers, canals, and coves. I began photographing them near my home in the warmer months.

When the Covid lock down caused me to not be able to work in my hair salon, or rent out the 3 vacation rentals my husband and I worked so hard to open, I started photographing them in the different springs. It was my form of social distancing as I was under water for most of the winter of 2020 and 2021. I was learning new things with every hour spent watching, feeling so privileged to be in this amazing paradise. Being underwater is a beautiful escape for me where all my cares disappear, I am only filled with gratitude and pure joy.

I then decided to turn my passion into Art and share these rare moments with the world. It is my hope that you choose a piece of this fantastic collection and that it makes you smile for years to come. I also hope to use my platform to bring awareness to the ways we as humans are hurting their habitat, with weed killers and fertilizers. I’d love to let boaters know what I have seen under water when manatees hear a boat motor….. they respond, but not quickly, so as boaters we need to be more diligent in looking out for the gentle giants while out on the water, no one intends to harm them, or kill their food with weed killer, but it does happen and we could all do better if we talk about how our actions affect them directly.