Episode 6: Chris Paparo (Part 2) | Tropical Fish, Sharks & Hidden Life Beneath Long Island
Long Islander, Chris Paparo returns for Part 2 of our conversation on the Dive Long Island podcast. Known to many as “Fish Guy Photos,” Chris has spent decades documenting the marine life living beneath Long Island waters, from tropical fish and seahorses to whales, sharks, and giant stingrays.
In this episode, we dive into:
-How scuba diving changed the way Chris understood fishing
-The underwater world of Ponquogue Bridge
-Tropical fish drifting into Long Island waters from the Gulf Stream
-Rare marine life sightings around Long Island
-Underwater photography and storytelling
-Saving the old Ponquogue Bridge after Super Storm Sandy
-Shark research with South Fork Natural History Museum
-Why Long Island’s marine ecosystems deserve more attention
-How education and storytelling can inspire conservation
Chris also shares stories about building Fish Guy Photos, organizing educational dive trips to the Solomon Islands, and creating “Geek Talks,” a community lecture series focused on science, nature, history, and storytelling.
If you’ve ever wondered what exists beneath the surface of Long Island waters, this episode is for you.
Listen on Spotify or watch the episode on YouTube
Follow Chris Paparo / Fish Guy Photos:
Instagram: @fishguyphotos
Facebook: Fish Guy Photos
Website: fishguyphotos.com
Follow Dive Long Island:
Instagram: @divelongisland
Facebook: Dive Long Island
For sponsorship opportunities, guest ideas, or to connect:
infodivelongisland@gmail.com
Theme Song by Lauren Scanlon
Episode Chapters:
00:45 Getting Into Scuba Diving
02:03 Diving & Fishing Skills
02:40 Early Shore Dives
03:58 Ponquogue Bridge Diving
05:15 Tropical Fish on Long Island
06:52 How Tropical Fish Arrive
08:39 Collecting Tropical Fish
10:36 Rare Fish Encounters
13:12 Favorite Local Species
15:24 How Flounder Eyes Move
17:47 Macro Life & Nudibranchs
18:35 Stingrays & Sharks
19:51 Shark Research & Drones
20:27 Long Island Marine Life
22:45 Tracking Sharks with Drones
23:45 Photography & Storytelling
25:04 Building Fish Guy Photos
28:02 Saving Ponquogue Bridge
31:05 Photos That Changed Minds
31:48 How Photography Evolved
33:59 Chris’ First Camera
35:50 Film to Digital
39:31 Underwater Camera Gear
41:12 Returning to Uepi
48:37 Revisiting Uepi
50:11 Advice for Young Scientists
53:39 Ocean Stewardship
55:08 Looking Beneath the Surface
57:30 The Start of Geek Talks
1:03:21 Scientists as Storytellers
1:07:03 Why Long Island Waters Matter
The Transcript for this episode can be found here.