You Can Seek Wild Sharks in the Bahamas in the Name of Conservation

By Mike Richard Published April 21, 2021

Most beach-goers hope to avoid shark encounters altogether. For adventurous nature-lovers, however, shark diving is practically a required bucket list experience. It’s one thing to see them from inside a cage; it’s quite another to experience a hands-on encounter with the opportunity to handle and tag them. Next month, one Bahamian resort in The Exumas will provide travelers the option to do just that.

Shark Tagging Adventure — Sami Kattan

The aptly named Shark Tagging Adventure at Grand Isle Resort and Spa promises travelers unprecedented, up-close access to the ocean’s greatest apex predator. Guests will board a research vessel alongside some of the world’s leading marine biologists, including Dr. Austin Gallagher. They’ll sail the Atlantic in search of hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, nurse sharks, and reef sharks. Once found, the creatures will be tagged with satellite trackers to allow biologists to monitor their real-time movements. Guests can help take measurements and even small tissue samples.

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The adventure is designed for guests to interact with the sharks as much or as little as they wish. Although, who’s booking a shark tagging adventure and doesn’t want to actually tag sharks?

Shark Tagging Adventure — Sami Kattan

Shark Tagging Adventure — Sami Kattan

While the initiative is designed to provide travelers with a unique experience, its primary goal is, of course, to do some good for the sharks. Beneath the Waves, the NGO behind the project, promotes healthier oceans in general and the advance of shark conservation in particular. The organization’s ongoing research helps to ensure the future of their populations throughout the Bahamas which is one of the world’s most critical and diverse areas for sharks. All of the $500-per-person donation fee for guests of the Shark Tagging Adventure goes towards supporting the initiative. If that price seems steep, you can rest a little easier knowing you’re doing some good for the environment (plus, there are free snacks on board!).

The first round of tagging excursions from Grand Isle Resort & Spa (just a one-hour flight from Miami) is scheduled for February 19-26, 2019. Space aboard each daily outing is limited to guarantee an exclusive, small-tour experience. Because of its unexpected popularity, however, the hotel already expects to add more dates in the coming months.

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Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…

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Outdoors

Wildfire forces closure of Grand Canyon’s North Rim for the season—and maybe longer

Grand Canyon National Park faces massive closures due to natural disaster

A sweeping view of Grand Canyon on a winter morning

The Grand Canyon is one of the many areas currently affected by the Dragon Bravo Wildfire, which began last month. According to AZ Central, officials speculate that the fire began due to a lightning strike, which then spread rapidly due to sustained winds of 20 miles per hour, with gusts reaching up to 40 miles per hour. As of July 27th, 2025, the fire was still active, and the National Park Service reports that somewhere between 50 and 80 structures have been lost, including many administrative buildings and visitor facilities. Fortunately, they also report that no one has been injured, and no loss of life has been reported. Unfortunately, this devastating fire has closed the North Rim for the remainder of the season, and possibly longer.

Current closures at the North Rim

Outdoors

Torsus Praetorian Liberra is a luxe motorhome disguised as a rugged, off-road RV

Go-anywhere capability meets high-end studio apartment luxury in an impossibly over-the-top design.

A Torsus Praetorian Liberra off-road RV parked in a desolate landscape.

In the world of driveable RVs, the largest rigs (think over-the-top, Taylor Swift tour-worthy motorhomes with all the fixin's) typically trade off-road capability for luxury. Of course, longer wheelbases, high-clearance roofs, and insanely heavy curb weights just aren't conducive to off-roading because, well, physics. But for those who refuse to compromise, there's the all-new, all-absurd Torsus Praetorian Liberra.
Everything we know about the Torsus Praetorian Liberra off-road RV

On the outside, the Torsus Praetorian Liberra exudes "Martian tour shuttle bus" vibes with the sort of straightforward, all-business silhouette found on personnel-carrying trucks and transport vans. But the upgraded ground clearance, chunky, oversized tires, and high-intensity light arrays hint at something more at play. German builder Dämmler bills the original Torsus Praetorian as "a vehicle that deliberately finds its territory off the beaten track. Whether it's transporting miners through open-cast mines, tourists to volcanoes, or military operations, the Praetorian knows its job." In its base trim, it's not designed as a chariot for uber-wealthy overlanders. But Dämmler sought to expand the vehicle's initial intent with the all-new Liberra model: "A perfect companion for discovering the world, the Liberra combines it into a new type of motorhome." This is a go-anywhere rig designed to take you from A to B ... to Z, and everywhere in between in style.
The Liberra shares the same underpinnings as the OG Torsus Praetorian, including a MAN TGM chassis and a beefy, six-cylinder diesel that pushes power to all four tires. With a 27.5-inch (70 cm) ground clearance, it's more than capable of fording rivers and driving over just about anything you need it to. Rounding out its off-road-centric design are three differential locks and an integrated cable winch, in case your off-roading goes a little more "off" than you were expecting. It's all wrapped in an ultra-durable GRP skin with a mil-spec external finish.
But what separates the Liberra model from its predecessor is the interior. Every last fixture, feature, and piece of furniture has been swapped out to create a rolling luxury studio apartment. The rear sleeping quarters are available in one of two configurations: A pair of beds designed to sleep up to four adults or a single, larger bed that's perfect for couples sans children. Beyond that, both configurations include a generous, full-featured wet bath, tons of storage, and a kitchenette. Extensive wood detailing, tasteful accent lighting, and a high-end fit and finish throughout elevates the interior well above what we've come to expect from "ordinary" RVs.
Score your own Torsus Praetorian Liberra off-road RV

Outdoors

This Yosemite campground is finally open after a 3-year, $11M renovation

Yosemite National Park, California

Tuolumne Meadows Campground, originally constructed in the 1930s, has been a staple for Yosemite visitors, accommodating up to 2,200 guests nightly and serving over 141,000 overnight stays annually. However, the campground closed in 2022 to undergo a huge rehabilitation project funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). This closure was necessary to address more than $11 million in overdue repairs to Yosemite, including Tuolumne, since most of this campground's infrastructure dates back to the Civilian Conservation Corps era or Mission 66, and it wasn't designed for today's surge in visitation.

The campground was completely off-limits to the public due to extended construction on key areas, including updating utilities and repairing environmental degradation along the Tuolumne River. But finally, it is open and ready for the 2025 season. Here's what you can expect: