Welcome to the SDM Crew page… we are here to ensure your adventure exceeds all expectations.
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Experienced professional with a diverse background in the TV and documentary world, with expertise as a cameraman, wildlife guide, storyteller, producer, and safety diver.
Eli has worked as a TV presenter for various networks, delivering engaging content to audiences worldwide for, Discovery Channel's, Shark Week, Disney Plus, Animal Planet, Nat Geo Wild, BBC, CNN, Outdoor Channel, WWF. He has been featured on NBC's The Today Show… as well as various documentaries, newspapers and magazines, around the world.
His latest TV work can be seen on Disney Plus; The Shark Attack Files. (Season 1 and 2).
ABOUT US
SDM adventures is a family business, run by Eli and his wife, Maritza Martinez.
Our company's goals are simple “to connect the world with wildlife, help protect what is left of our wild places and dispel the predator myth.” which is the belief that predatory animals are mindless monsters that need to be killed or culled.
For the past 22 years, we have organized wildlife photography expeditions worldwide - sharing with people the importance of protecting our natural places, and viewing wildlife the way they should be experienced… living their lives, wild and free.
We strive to help predatory species with their terrible PR problems. We share stories of their lives, showing people the positive side of these animals - how they live, and why we need them.
Giving back to the animals we love is our most important work.
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OUR ORIGIN STORY
Based out of South Texas, we began life as a publishing company. The first issue of Shark Diver Magazine, was published in March of 2003. Over an 8 year period, a total of 25 issues of SDM were printed and published.
To help finance our publication, we organized expeditions to various places around the world, seeking out different species of sharks.
These early expeditions are what helped us hone our knowledge about shark behavior - spending countless hours, observing them in the wild, learning how sharks live and interact with each other.
Feeding sharks during organized shark dives, allowed us to learn about shark behavior at an entirely different level. This helped us see the game within the game, learning new behaviors and social hierarchies that were previously unknown.
But as the years went on, we expanded our expeditions to include diverse wildlife; including whales, crocodiles, bears and wild cats.
These early expeditions opened up our world to experience more on how other wildlife - especially predatory species interact, live and benefit their eco-systems.
Sadly, the last issue of SDM was published in 2012. We recognized that social media was taking over the world, and a quarterly magazine just could not keep up with the speed of story telling on today's platforms.
BUT, we also discovered the benefits of using these mediums to tell our story. We could now connect daily with our readers and share all the latest news involving wildlife in real time.
Therefore, we quit publishing our paper magazine, and focused our attention on two areas of our business that we truly enjoyed;
- Storytelling... using platforms like; youtube, facebook, and instagram.
and
- Organizing Expeditions… connecting people with wildlife, and helping them on their photographic journeys.
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“Our mission is to help destroy the predator myth, because people will only protect what they love.”
GIVING BACK
During our time running the magazine, we championed sharks by highlighting their significance in ocean ecosystems and their role in benefiting both people and communities through eco-tourism.
Our publication shed light on the global overfishing crisis facing sharks and the efforts underway to safeguard them.
Although we've ceased magazine publication, we persist in giving sharks and other wildlife a voice. We share these vital messages through our expeditions, TV programs, blogs, vlogs, school presentations, and social media.
Many of our expeditions focus on endangered species, affording us unique insights that could contribute to their survival.
Our species-specific expeditions delve into intimate details, aiming to help ensure their survival.
Thank you for reading and visiting our website.
- the SDM Crew.