This is 800 kg of precision and power, a masterpiece of evolution that has survived and exceled in the ever-changing oceans for millions of years.
After Guadalupe, it was my second experience with the great whites. The cage is essential here. Not because this is a “monster,” but because we’re stepping into the territory of an apex predator capable of taking down sea lions weighing over 300 kg.
This kind of experience is still debated. Cage diving divides opinions : some say attracting sharks with baits is not ethical and can impact their behavior. Others say it reshapes how we see the sharks and help to valorize them being alive than overkilled for fins and by fear.
Having done cage diving in two different parts of the word, I tend not to be too categorical or extremist in my opinion. In both places, the activity is led in natural shark gathering areas where they are already feeding and mating, far from any kind of human activity.
I've noticed each time a strong rigor in the operator practices, a significant commitment to minimizing the impact of the activity on sharks and a will to make it useful through participation in research and conservation programs.
First time swimming with sea lions and i could not have expected such an intense encounter.
We were exploring kelp forests with @stewartislandsnorkel when 5 New Zealand sea lions, the world rarest sealion species decided to come visit us. It's quite intimidating to be alone and face to face with 300kg of pure curiosity which only focus about you and your fins. For 45 minuts, they kept checking us out and looking at us right in the eyes.
This place is something else.
Why do dolphins swim alongside humpback whales?🐋 It’s not just playful curiosity. Dolphins are known to draft off the pressure wave created by larger animals, conserving energy while moving at incredible speed. Humpbacks, among the largest creatures on Earth, can weigh up to 40 tonnes, yet move through water with breathtaking agility.
What looks like a race is actually a masterclass in how marine life coexists, adapts, and thrives together. 🐬
🎥 @matthmoz
Every wildlife photographer/filmmaker knows that feeling when, after hours of searching and waiting, a wild animal suddenly approaches. You hold your breath, your body tenses to become perfectly still, and your heart races at the thought of a few precious seconds of proximity. And sometimes, like that day, lying on the frozen ground of a Japanese peninsula, between abandoned houses, the wild animal's curiosity compels it to sniff your camera.
#wildlifephotography #redfox #foxes #japan_nature_photo #animallovers
There are still places where it’s possible to swim with whale sharks ethically, far from mass tourism.
That morning, as I was ready for a breakfast facing the ocean, I spotted one… then two fins, just 200 meters offshore. Whale sharks feeding at the surface. I slipped into the water to meet them first — the drone only followed later.
Some wild places remain. And maybe the best way to protect them is to stop naming them.
#whaleshark #dronephotography #marinewildlife #oceanlife #sharklovers
Siberian drift ice cracking against the hull, Arctic wind burning my skin, the cold is biting hard. In front of us, an unique aggregation of hundreds of raptors. Steller’s eagles, the largest sea eagles in the world have gathered on the drift ice.
#driftice #japan_nature_photo #stellereagles #wildlifephotography #raptorsofinstagram
In the wild seascapes of the Philippines, only a few dozen baboy-dagat — the local name for the dugong — are believed to remain.
These gentle giants of the shallows are quietly shaping seagrass meadows that sustain entire ecosystems.
After 3 hours of navigation and multiple diving on very healthy reefs, we spot a grey mass lifting the sand in just two meters of water. This male is completely indifferent to our presence as it feeds.
The same cannot be said for the dugong rangers : always watching, making sure every approach and observation respects strict ethical guidelines 🔥
#dugong #philippines #wildlifetravel #oceanlife #seacow
Mid winter, tough conditions, cold water biting hard.Even with wetsuits, we need to warm up by splashing boiling water between dives.
Mount Fuji is watching over us in the background, and below the ocean surface, waters absolutely bursting with life.
4 species of sharks, 2 species of rays, asian sheephead wrasses, moray eels, giant groupers... At a point, we found ourselves in a vortex of dozens of banded houndsharks like in a real life sharknado.
Diving in Japan is something special : warm-hearted, dedicated and full of surprises - made possible by a team of passionnate experts who live for moments like these.
Also, sometimes video gear decides to fail at the wrong time so thank you to @mohea_moana for helping filming this video
#bandedhoundsharks #scubadiving #japan #oceanlife #sharklover
Snow Monkeys in the cold Japanese winter
Temperatures are well below zero in the Japanese forests.
I'm visiting a unique place where Japanese macaques use hot springs, or onsen, to keep warm. It's a surprising behavior, but one they learned naturally and only recently, and it's adopted by only a small percentage of the Japanese macaque population.
While I'm forced to use heating pads to warm my gloves and camera batteries, the snow monkeys seem perfectly comfortable thanks to the onsen. This behavior has become world-famous and one of Japan's main tourist attractions in winter, drawing large crowds of curious visitors.
#snowmonkey #japan #winterlife #wildlifetravel
This diving spot is one of my favorite places to explore. I feel like I'm on another planet, coral roses stretch as far as the eye can see. This place is one of the largest deep-sea coral reefs ever documented.
What surprises me is that this reef is in pristine condition, with no signs of bleaching, mortality, or human impact. And for me, this is a strong sign of hope: these deep-sea reefs show the resilience and adaptation of corals even in extreme conditions. They also could play a key role as a refuge reef, a kind of natural biodiversity bank, capable of helping surrounding reefs recover after a crisis.
📸 @mohea_moana
With @mokarrandiving
