About Marybeth, National Geographic Author, Writer

Curious Explorer. Award-winning author.

Gutsy Traveler: A woman, like travel expert Marybeth Bond, stands among purple flowers, raising her arms and smiling in front of a wooden building in bright sunlight.
Polar bear tracking and snorkeling with beluga whales in the northern Canadian Arctic.

Marybeth knows travel. She has hiked, biked, dived, danced and trekked across all seven continents – from the depths of the Flores Sea near Komodo Island to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

More recently, she tracked polar bears and snorkeled with beluga whales in the Canadian Arctic, then kayaked among icebergs in Antarctica.

Somewhere in between, four years of studying in Paris earned her two degrees – and a taste for good wine and strong cheeses.

Twelve books (three with National Geographic), countless travel articles, and numerous TV and radio appearances have built her devoted fanbase. She won the esteemed Lowell Thomas, Gold Award for the Best Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.

Woman on cliff in front of a monastery in Bhutan
Yesterday’s Video below. A decade or more later. Is Marybeth still GUTSY? Here in Bhutan.
Marybeth in Antarctica with penguins, snowy mountains, and water—just the kind of moment travel expert Marybeth Bond would capture in a travel video.
Kayaking and camping near penguins in Antarctica.

Yesterday….

Snorkeling with the Manta Rays

Night Snorkel with the Manta Rays

Travel Channel says it’s one of the Top 10 things to do in your lifetime

Snorkeling at night to look for Manta Rays is advertised as one of Kona’s most unique adventures, so we signed up. Just before sunset we were outfitted with “shortie” wetsuits and snorkel gear and as the sun dropped over the western horizon we were whisked away from the pier at Keauhou Bay by the Fair Wind Big Island Ocean Guides. A few minutes later the deluxe cabin cruiser arrived at “Manta Village”, an area 25’-deep off the coast, to observe the graceful Rays. After instructions we slipped into the cold, dark water surrounded by more darkness. It is indeed, a unique experience. Mantas are attracted to the area to feed on plankton because floodlights from the back of the boat and small lights from a floating raft light up plankton below. The lights don’t bother the Manta Rays, but allow snorkelers floating on the surface a privileged view of the 4-14’wing span of the graceful Mantas.

Fair Wind Big Island Ocean Guides

www.fair-wind.com 808-322-2788

Photo Credit James L. Wing

, , ,

Marybeth Bond