About the Author

Tim O’Keefe, a past president of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association and a member of the Florida Trail Association, has lived in the Orlando area since 1968. For almost three decades, his articles and photographs have appeared in numerous publications, including eight National Geographic Society books, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Traveler, Discovery Channel Online, Outside, Caribbean Travel & Life, Newsweek, Sport Diver, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune.

His new Web site, www.FloridaWildlifeViewing.com, brings together all of his Florida outdoor experiences. His other love and expertise is the Caribbean, with his insights available at www.GuideToCaribbeanVacations.com (GTCV.com) and www.caribbeanhiking.com.

Tim was a major contributor to the National Geographic Guide to Caribbean Family Vacations. He also authored Caribbean Hiking; The Spicy Camp Cook Book; Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year: Florida with Georgia and Alabama Coasts; Great Adventures in Florida; Manatees, Our Vanishing Mermaids; Sea Turtles: The Watcher’s Guide; Fish and Dive the Caribbean and Fish and Dive Florida & The Keys (both with Larry Larsen); Diving to Adventure; and AAA’s A Photo Journey to Central Florida.

Tim’s work has won more than fifty regional and national awards. The Spicy Camp Cook Book and Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year: Florida with Georgia and Alabama Coasts were named Best Book by the Florida Outdoor Writers Association. Tim has published more than 15,000 photographs worldwide.

He received a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before retiring to freelance full time, he was a professor and head of the journalism division in the Nicholson School of Communication at the University of Central Florida, where he established the journalism program.