Latitude Living: Eli Parnes-Katz
We recently had the pleasure of interviewing Eli Parnes-Katz, a passionate wildlife enthusiast and avid explorer of the ocean. Eli shared with us his experiences with Latitude Encounters, a company dedicated to providing safe and respectful wildlife encounters, and how these encounters have impacted his life.
Eli Parnes-Katz is a digital marketer based in San Diego, California, who has always had a love for exploring the great outdoors. Growing up in SoCal, he spent much of his time exploring the ocean and its many creatures, including whale watching with his family and snorkeling. However, it wasn't until college that Eli got more involved in ocean wildlife exploration.
How did you hear about Latitude Encounters?
I initially found Latitude Encounters on Instagram when looking for quality companies to explore the oceans with outside of my SoCal backyard and took my first trip in December of 2022.
Have you always been an ocean wildlife fan?
I grew up constantly exploring the beautiful outdoor spaces across San Diego & SoCal with my family. I have always loved exploring the ocean since I was a kid and spent my free time hanging at the beach & snorkeling. When I was 10 - my mom started taking me whale watching in San Diego on sailboats. I went to college in Orange County which is when my close friend got me looped back into the ocean wildlife space inviting me out with his favorite zodiac company in Newport Beach - Newport Coastal Adventure.
For the past 5 years - I have been heavily dedicated to spending all my free time searching for ocean wildlife off the coast of OC - and exploring the Channel Islands and the offshore waters of California surrounding them.
What has been your most memorable wildlife encounter?
My most memorable wildlife encounter was spending 5 hours with killer whales while they hunted sea lions next to the boat off the Channel Islands in California last December. I have had many memorable encounters between Mexico, Hawaii & California over the years - but this one definitely took the award for #1.
Any wildlife encounters on your bucketlist?
My bucket list encounter would be seeing the vaquita in person! It would be a dream to be in the presence of the world’s rarest marine mammal which is on the edge of extinction. I would also love to encounter sperm whales - and have more killer whale + beaked whale encounters during my time on the water.
What makes you come back on Latitude Encounters expeditions?
I come back to Latitude Encounters because of a few different reasons:
Respect of animals: they truly respect animals and give them the space they deserve - which leads to the best encounters
The team: the entire Latitude Encounters team is kind, respectful, dedicated & truly passionate about what they do.
Experience: the entire trip with Latitude Encounters is always perfect. They are friendly + kind, care about their passengers have a great time with excellent customer service, they provide great food & high-quality equipment, and their boat in Cabo, the Rocinante, is the perfect boat.
How have wildlife encounters impacted your life?
Wildlife encounters have changed my life immensely. The most calming & my favorite place to be for me is spending time on a boat on the water. I just love being out there having a great time - and whatever sightings we encounter are just the cherry on top of a perfect day.
The connection I get with being up close with any marine animals is like no other. I love seeing animals so happy in their natural wild habitats & there is truly nothing more amazing than looking into the beautiful & peaceful eyes of a whale, dolphin, shark, sea lion, or any other animal.
I recently got into flying drones at the end of last summer which has heavily elevated my wildlife encounter experiences by giving me a new perspective to view encounters - and an incredible way to share my experiences with the world on my page, @whatcameradoyouhave.
Eli's passion for exploring the ocean and its wildlife is evident and we feel so grateful to have him as part of the Latitude Encounters community! We look forward to many more adventures together.
