Here we see freediver @juliana.velezg surrounded by "dangerous man eating bullsharks."
We've all seen the video reposted by @karmagawa of the fisherman shooting the shark. People like the woman in the video claim sharks in Florida are pests, a nuisance, overpopulated, she justifies shooting it saying sharks steal "her fish". In reality sharks are incredibly intelligent and have learned over time to associate engine noise from boats as a source of food, I've watched in Hawaii as sharks repeatedly follow fishing boats into the harbor, as they have learned that they get fed scraps while the fisherman cleans the fish. The problem isn't a shark overpopulation but an over abundance of fishing that has encouraged sharks to now follow boats hoping to snatch the fish before it is landed. We are in their homes, taking their food, they have more rights to the fish than us. If sharks start coming on land and taking from our refrigerators then we have a shark problem, until then we need to accept if we take from the ocean we may have competition, and be okay with that or stay out.
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#karma #karmagawa #sharksarefriends #sharks #fishinglife
Yesterdays amazing whale encounter, this beautiful calf and mother slowly swimming in in the shallows, as they entered the sunlight I was able to capture this image.
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#natgeoyourshot #underphotography #discoverychannel #whale #whales
Whale shark coming up to investigate, @adamfreediver , apparently he looks much like tasty plankton.
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#whaleshark #whalesharks #whalesharkswimming #natgeoyourshot
#natgeotravelpic
Beneath giants. Teahupoo know for its world class waves is a surf photographers dream. However under the waves is another world. Water comes up from the depths on a steep shelf crashing violently on shallow reef. The crash gives way to these incredible cloud like formations. Beautiful, violent and incredible to witness, a testament to nature's raw power.
#surf #art #surfphotography #tahiti #waves
Riding giants, a front row view. Filming the raw power, perfect symmetry, and the surfers taming these waves is a humbling experience. The next shots...Diving under the waves for shots behind the barrel and drone views of the waves breaking offer a glimpse into the magnitude of the oceans power.
#surf #waves #ocean #surfphotography #tahiti
Happy Earth Day. Most of my time is spend beneath the surface. It's a different world, moving in silence—light rays refracting in the waves, colors shifting, life flowing in ways most people will never see. The ocean covers over 70% of this planet, regulates climate, produces more than half the oxygen we breathe… yet we treat it like an endless resource and trash bin.
Most people don’t see the fishing lines wrapped into reefs, the hooks embedded in sharks and turtles, the plastic breaking down into particles at the bottom, the diminishing numbers of fish, the subtle shifts in ecosystems that take years to notice—until they’re impossible to ignore. It doesn’t look like destruction from the surface. It looks like it's fine.
It’s not.
Protection needs to become a global priority. We need to push big business to come up with biodegradable alternatives, put more restrictions and monitoring on the commercial fishing industry, consume less, be intentional with what we use, support conservation work, respect wildlife, and understand that every small action compounds at scale.
The ocean gives us everything. The least we can do is stop acting like it’s endless.
#EarthDay #Ocean #OceanConservation #ProtectOurPlanet #SaveOurOceans
Eye to eye with a great Hammerhead shark. Hammerhead sharks are engineered with 360 degree vision and a keen sensory systems allowing them to scan the sand looking for stingrays, crustaceans and small fish. Unfortunately they are also prized for their large fins in the fin trade and in many areas are threatened or endangered. In the Bahamas they have been protected since 2011. We need to continue to expand marine protected areas all over the world.
#underwaterphotography #marinelife #hammerhead #shark #bahamas
A collection of images from our Bahamas freedive trip a while back. A nurse shark hovers above a shipwreck as two freedivers complete a no fins shoot walking on the railing. The other images depict the clear water, white sand and nurse sharks gather curious by our presence.
#bahamas #freedive #underwater #dive #underwaterphotography
Scanning below the sand. A hammerhead and nurse shark swim side by side scanning for food.
Hammerheads use that iconic head to detect the faintest electrical signals in the ocean. Every movement below the sand they sense. Such an awkward but incredible shark.
#shark #hammerheadshark #sharkphotography #sharkphoto #bahamas
Silent Ascent... Gliding through the dark, these manta rays float like their in space, coming within inches of each other yet avoiding contact, even in the dark they have an acute sense of body awareness and position as they barrel roll upside down over and over. The barrel rolling is so they can filter plankton into their mouths using their cephalic fins. They are silent, weightless, majestic. The ocean at night strips everything down… just darkness and a sense of wonder and awe.
#mantadive #mantaray #manta #nightdive #hawaii
A few favorite shots from last years Moorea trip. One of those rare places where the ocean, mountains and jungle are all trying to outdo each other. In the morning your swimming with a 40 ton Humpback Whale and it's curious calf, in the afternoon your in a turquoise lagoon swimming with Rays and Blacktip Reef Sharks, finally you are hiking through the jungle through lush beautiful landscapes to stunning waterfalls.
We have a few spots left for this years trips, if you are interested in joining this incredible adventure shoot me a direct message.
#moorea #frenchpolynesia #swimwithwhales #grouptrip #ocean
Mother and calf ascending for a breath. The calf glancing a curious side-eye to the camera. Throughout the calving season mother can lose 8 to 10,000 lbs while baby is drinking up to 150 gallons of milk everyday. One of the most incredible energy transfers in the ocean.
#humpbackwhale #whale #underwater #moorea #frenchpolynesia
