FULL MOON YOGA & NIGHT UNDER THE STARS @ Old School Square – Delray (6:30pm)
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PUBLISHER
Dustin Wright
MANAGING EDITOR
Haley Dockendorff
EDITOR
Darien Davies
DESIGN
Richard Vergez
WRITERS
Haley Dockendorff
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Vincent Conti
EVENTS
Danny Wright
PHOTOGRAPHY
Dustin Wright
ADVERTISING
561-449-2263
info@theatlanticcurrent.com
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOGRAPHY
Alex Kowalski
Anthony Fullwood
Brandon Williams
Caleb Jimenez
Caragh Fraser
Danny Llomas
Dario Obando
Eloise Galicia
Emma Knight
Heather Nash
Henry Bliss
Hunter Hutchings
Jairo Vargas
Jakob Takos
Jesse Glendinning
Kathryn Stuehmer
Kelly Hagen
Lawrence Leyderman
Mason Shipman
Matt Hayes
Matt Bucelli
Melissa Kidwell
Michael Bidun
Michaela Seligman
Mike Jurewicz
Rachel Fleischman
Sanna O’Sullivan
Shelby Cooper
Tanner Mansell
Tanya Ryan
Thomas Korzen
Tony Arruza
Vincent Conti
THE COVER
: Matt Bucelli
THANKS
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Please support us by supporting them.
THE PHOTO ISSUE
Jakob Takos
Kathryn Stuehmer
Shelby Cooper
Emma Knight
Michael Bidun
Heather Nash
Melissa Kidwell
Matt Hayes
Mike Jurewicz
Michael Bidun
Jesse Glendinning
Jairo Vargas
Jairo Vargas
Kelly Hagen
Dario Obando
Tom Korzen
Jesse Glendinning
Eloise Galicia
Alex Kowalski
Dario Obando
Jesse Glendinning
Jairo Vargas
Matt Bucelli
Anthony Fullwood
Rachel Fleischman
Henry Bliss
Tanya Ryan
Hunter Hutchings
Mason Shipman
Tony Arruza
Sanna O’Sullivan
Lawrence Leyderman
Michaela Seligman
Emma Knight
Brandon Williams
Alex Kowlaski
TANNER MANSELL Through a Diver’s Eyes
DOCUMENTING SHARK DIVING FOR THE WORLD TO SEE
BY HALEY DOCKENDORFF
Growing up diving for abalone through the low-light kelp forests of Northern California with his father, Tanner Mansell was primed and molded for a life spent in the water, even if that’s not what he originally had in mind.
After Tanner graduated high school, he chose the more “traditional” route of college, graduating with a physics degree. He later was recruited to work for Intel in Oregon as an engineering technician with plans to continue his education and obtain his PhD.
“I quickly realized the corporate lifestyle is not what I’m meant to be doing,” Tanner said. “I immediately felt like my soul was being sucked away.”
So, in order to fill the void, Tanner spent all his money and vacation time on diving trips around the world. While traveling to areas like Hawaii and the Red Sea, he became obsessed with underwater photography and capturing the moments that made him feel so alive. He invested in an underwater camera set up, and with each dive, his technique began to bloom.
PHOTO: TANNER MANSELL
PHOTO: DANNY LLOMAS
“For most people, you have to work in the ocean and get that exposure in repetition. It takes years.”
It was all beautiful, but nothing was the same after Tanner traveled to Jupiter for the first time.
“I swam with about twelve bullsharks that day and got some insane photos. I realized life after that was never going to be the same,” he said. “I knew that I needed to work with the sharks in Florida.”
Tanner quit his job, moved to Florida, leased a car, rented an apartment, and landed a gig as a deckhand on a shark diving operation; calling it sheer determination, not luck. It was his love for being surrounded by nature that started this journey, but his ability to capture the moment, freeze it in time, and share it for the world to see was the spark that lit his passion.
“Being able to not only enjoy the moment, but to be able to capture that experience and share it with other people, it was like putting more gas on the fire,” Tanner said. “The combination of those two things ignited something in me I never felt before, and it drove an obsession to master that craft and do it for the rest of my life.”
Tanner is the founder of Tanner Underwater, a shark diving expedition charter business operating mainly out of Jupiter. On top of his willingness (and insane talent) to hop in the water and snap shots of the oceans’ top apex predators, Tanner is a USCG licensed captain, master diver, and level three certified free diver. These licenses represent more than just a certification or bragging rights – it represents time, experience, and knowledge in the water, something you need to capture the split-second but life-altering encounters with marine life.
“It really comes down to how much exposure you can get, not only to the world, but also repetition in the water with wildlife,” Tanner said. “For most people, you have to work in the ocean and get that exposure in repetition. It takes years.”
There are a lot of obvious differences between what Tanner calls “topside” (above water) photography and underwater photography. Things like buoyancy, ocean currents, stamina, anticipating what the wildlife is going to do, and being in the right spot at the right time, all takes skill in the water, not just skill with a camera. >>
PHOTO: CARAGH FRASER
Tanner shoots with a Sony A1 camera body with a 16-35mm lens, and uses his sponsor’s – Aquatica – underwater camera housings. He is one of the several photographers operating with his shark diving charter company, jumping in the water to capture the moments of his clients’ interacting with sharks – doing what he loves most. There was a time in his life where there were no photos, however.
In 2020, Tanner and John Moore, Captain on a shark-diving charter boat, spotted a buoy with a line, and initially thought it could be a lost diver. Investigating further, they realized it was a longline that was attached to sharks. When they called law enforcement, Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), neither organization had answers for Tanner and John.
“They didn’t know of any permits or anything like that at the time,” Tanner said, “We thought we were doing the ocean justice, and we might have even been discovering a crime or illegal shark poaching.”
After doing what they thought was the right thing – cutting the sharks free – Tanner and John returned the line to FWC. It wasn’t until later that they found out the line was properly permitted through NOAA for shark research and was placed and owned by a commercial fisherman.
A federal prosecutor brought the case before a grand jury, arguing they intentionally cut the fishing line. In 2022, Tanner and John were convicted of theft of property within special maritime jurisdiction – a felony offense.
For Tanner, having a felony conviction meant a lot more than losing his voting and Second Amendment rights. He was unable to travel out of the country, essential to the business he had just started hosting trips overseas to places like Mexico and the Maldives. Between lawyer fees and having no income, Tanner began to spiral financially and mentally.
“It dramatically affected my art and my business,” Tanner said. “I lost that spark I had to be out in the water. It put a lot of pressure on me to have fun in the water and took a lot away from me.”
Eventually, things turned around for Tanner. In May 2025, Tanner and John both received full and unconditional pardons, signed by President Donald Trump. While they never got to speak to the man himself, their convictions were erased.
There are still days when it’s triggering to go out in the water. But Tanner recognizes the whole experience really pushed him to get Tanner Underwater charters to where it is today, allowing him to continue to document marine wildlife and share it with the world.
“It forced me to sink or swim, and in doing so, I was able to swim out of it by starting this business with my brother and two of my best friends,” Tanner said.
Tanner has more than 260,000 followers across his social media platforms, where he shares the photos and videos he captures on shark dives and expeditions in Florida and around the world. Sharing moments most people would only dream (or have nightmares) of – swimming with great white sharks, orcas, whale sharks, marlin, Mola mola… you name it, he’s probably seen it.
“Its so great to be able to bridge that gap and give people that perception shift that I initially had, that sharks aren’t man-eating monsters, they’re actually beautiful creatures,” Tanner said. “I think that feeling of being a steward to the ocean and getting people to be engaged with what’s going on in our oceans is what keeps me going.”
@tannerunderwater
PHOTO: TANNER MANSELL
HOW TO ELEVATE YOUR DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY
WITH CALEB JIMENEZ
Meet Caleb Jimenez – South Florida’s drone-wielding wizard. Caleb, perhaps better known as @yourdailynaturefix, got his first drone in 2013. He was born and raised in Michigan, and when he moved to Florida 20 years ago he found it beautiful at eye-level, but he always had a curiosity of what things looked like from above. In 2014, Caleb snapped a shot of Juno Pier with his drone shortly after sunrise.
“I had never seen a photo of the pier from that perspective, with that golden glow,” Caleb said. “Right then I knew it was something I would get really into.”
Caleb now has more than 66,000 followers on his Instagram account. Connecting with other drone pilots and photographers has helped him shape his photography and pattern his work after a few inspiring artists.
“No two days are ever the same,” Caleb said about South Florida. Whether it be the color of the water, the wildlife, or a storm rolling in, nothing is ever constant in his world above.
Since he’s been in the game so long, we asked him to share his tips and tricks with our dear readers so you can elevate your own drone photography. Happy flying!
Q&A
AC: If someone just unboxed their first drone and has no idea what they’re doing, where should they start?
Caleb: YouTube! There are so many tutorials out there that walk you through the basics, from setup to your first flight. It is one of the easiest ways to quickly get comfortable.
AC: Everyone is terrified of watching their drone disappear into the ocean. What is your crisis-prevention checklist for avoiding crashes?
Caleb: Always make sure your drone has updated the home point and is fully connected to enough satellites before taking off. That alone can save you from a lot of problems.
AC: You wake up and want to fly. How do you know if it is actually a good day to send the drone up?
Caleb: I always check the weather, along with the surf report and live cams. That gives you a good sense of wind, visibility, and what conditions actually look like in real time.
AC: What are the most important safety or legal rules drone pilots should understand before flying?
Caleb: Know where you are flying and always check if you are in a restricted or unauthorized area. Be aware of things like power lines before you take off, and always keep your drone in your line of sight, not just on your screen.
AC: Once the drone lands, what does your editing process actually look like from start to finish?
Caleb: A lot depends on the type of edit I am going for with those particular photos, but I usually start with the basic adjustments and then build from there.
AC: What is one thing that separates a good drone shot from a great one?
Caleb: Originality. Try to find an angle or capture a moment that you have not seen over and over again.
@yourdailynaturefix
PHOTOS: CALEB JIMENEZ
On a Shoot with VINCENT CONTI
In February, a 1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia arrived at my friend Gennaro Villella’s home his dream car. Gennaro comes from a family of Alfa owners and had a model toy in Carabinieri colors as a child. The raw, analog feel and smell of a berlina – a sporty, four-door vehicle – dancing on narrow roads invokes visceral memories of Italy and driving with his grandfather, father, and brother, and a summer spent picking grapes with his grandmother.
I knew immediately that I wanted to capture Gennaro and the Giulia while the feeling of newness was still present, just enough time to replace a battery, a fuel pump, a driver (only) mirror, and mount a pair of rally headlamps to the chrome bumper.
We share the vice of overworking at our day jobs, and so the photos had to be captured during a cheeky one-hour lunch break, or something close to it, may our employers forgive us. I devised a frantic drive along Palm Beach Island’s Western Coast, an obvious choice given the Italianate architecture, nearness of the water’s edge, and possibly the only spot of elevation change in the county, the locally-famed “Witch’s Wall.” Despite the gearbox growing angrier with the heat of prolonged stops at the draw bridges, the Giulia looked right at home. >>
PHOTO: VINCENT CONTI
“With cameras, cars, and guitars I gravitate toward a workhorse solution over complexity.”
For me, the photo kit is always the same. A Fujifilm mirrorless body. I shot 35mm film cameras exclusively until my late-20s and gravitated toward the XF system simply for the tactile familiarity. In time I learned to love the colors as well. I tend to select a single prime lens, mount it, and leave the house. I’m a believer in limitation-yielding innovation, or at least that’s the hope.
With cameras, cars, and guitars I gravitate toward a workhorse solution over complexity. The lens chosen for the Giulia drive was a 33mm, equating to a “nifty-fifty” equivalent given the smaller sensor in theory, the focal length most akin to the human eye. This preserves the shape and angles of the vehicle, lends a naturalist feel to the wider landscape shots, and provides a nearly voyeuristic closeness within the cabin.
A polarizer filter cut the glare of the Alfa’s immaculate paint while enriching the red hue. I left the lighting to the sun, which kindly obliged us. The Giulia is among the first automobiles developed in a wind tunnel, so emulating speed with low shutter speed-tracking shots was a must.
Liberties were taken in aspect ratio experimentation. For several frames I opted for a 2.4:1 anamorphic-inspired crop, characteristic of vintage cinema, especially (and befittingly) the Spaghetti Westerns. Coincidentally, the most notable film of the genre also arrived in 1966.
The 60-year-old machine is destined for rallies well beyond Palm Beach. Gennaro is already preparing for a 3,000-mile Overcrest Midwest excursion in June. I’m hoping to invoke buddy privilege (or at least photo bartering) to get some piloting time myself.
@vincent.anthony.conti
PHOTO: VINCENT CONTI
What’s in my bag?
With Ben Hicks
1. F-stop DuraDiamond® drone bag - Large
2. F-stop TILOPA DuraDiamond® bag
DaFiN Swim and Surf fins
Fourth element Seeker mask and Float snorkel
3. DJI Mavic Pro 3
4. Aquatech EDGE Pro housing for Canon R5 and Pd-140 Lens Port
5. Smith Guide’s Choice polarized glasses
6. DJI Mavic Pro controller
7. DJI Osmo Action 5 with Bite Mount
8. Manfrotto mini tripod
9. Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II lens with R mount adapter
10. DJI Mic 2
11. GoMacro - chocolate peanut butter flavor
12. Canon Intervalometer
13. Canon RF70-200mm f/2.8L IS
14. DJI Osmo Mobile 8 for iPhone
15. Koss wireless noise-cancelling headphones
16. Canon RF14-35mm f/4L IS lens and Canon RF24-105mm f/4L IS lens 17. Canon R3 camera body
