Meetings

Please join us for our next DUPS meeting on Sunday April 20^th.

Our speaker will be Eli Martinez.

Eli Martinez is a wildlife expedition leader, conservationist, and photographer whose passion for nature has shaped his life’s journey. Growing up in deep South Texas, he was drawn to the wild from an early age, spending his childhood chasing lizards, catching toads, and losing himself in books about faraway animals. 

His love for wildlife was never just a passing interest, it was an obsession that would eventually define his career.

As the former editor of Shark Diver Magazine, Eli became a respected voice in the shark diving community. He has spent years working to change perceptions about sharks, studying their behavior, and pushing the boundaries of how we see these misunderstood predators. Through hands-on experience, countless hours in the ocean, and interactions with some of the world’s most formidable marine life, he has become a storyteller dedicated to debunking myths and showcasing the true nature of the wild.

But his passion extends far beyond the sea. Eli’s adventures have taken him from the jungles of Brazil, diving with anacondas in the Pantanal, to the Arctic, where he leads expeditions in search of polar bears and orcas. He believes that wildlife is not something to be conquered or observed from a distance, it is something to be experienced, something that changes you when you stand in its presence.

His work isn’t just about capturing beautiful images, it’s about telling the stories of the animals and the places they call home, and that the best stories are the ones that leave you changed forever.

 Eli’s photography and expeditions serve as a bridge between people and the wild, offering a glimpse into a world that few will ever see. 

His mission is to remind the world that these creatures exist and that their survival depends on our choices.

For Eli, this journey is more than just a career, it’s a calling. He has built his life around adventure, pushing himself beyond limits, and helping others step into the extraordinary. 

He believes that when people see, they understand; and when they understand, they care. 

https://sdmdiving.com/