39 Underwater Photos That Prove There’s A Whole World We Never See

Every year off the coast of Florida, from late July to early October, Kali colubrina, a fish belonging to the family Chiasmodontidae and commonly known as snaketooth fishes or swallowers, makes an appearance during blackwater dives. Fish in this family are renowned for their ability to consume prey larger than themselves, with mouths and stomachs capable of expanding to accommodate prey up to twice their length and ten times their weight.

Once encountered, they are notoriously difficult to photograph, as they have the annoying habit of hanging upside down in the water column, looking straight down. I was very lucky one night to come across this beautiful individual, fully displaying its elegant fins. Being fairly cooperative, it allowed me to take a few portrait shots. While setting up one of these shots, it suddenly decided to yawn, and fortunately I was able to react quickly enough to capture this image.

Once several weeks old and weaned from their mothers milk, elephant seal pups are abandoned by their parents on shore, left to navigate life alone. On Sealion Island in the Falklands, I watched dozens of them clamber over one another in shallow rockpools, awkwardly learning to swim, and quite engaging to my presence. I’d come here for this moment, to witness and photograph their first solo lessons in life. On the very first evening of my arrival, the sky ignited with colour. I donned my dry suit and rushed into the water, capturing a handful of frames before the light vanished. It turned out to be the defining moment of the trip, and I’m glad I didn’t hesitate.

Floating on a board with my head and arms submerged, I experienced something truly unforgettable. The belugas came and went freely, approaching me on their own terms, meeting my gaze, vocalizing, and observing with unmistakable curiosity. Laughing with emotion, I responded with a high-pitched voice, which made them even more curious.
At times, they gently touched the dome of my camera, as if investigating me in return.

I traveled to Churchill specifically to photograph belugas, but I never anticipated such close, voluntary interactions. My intention was simply to be present, to enjoy the moment, and to create the best image possible while always allowing the animals to set the pace. Photographing from the surface, half submerged on the board, made the encounter feel genuine and unforced. There is nothing more powerful than a real connection with wild animals, one built purely on mutual curiosity. In those moments, I couldn’t help but wonder who was truly observing whom.

Corals are animals, and this is how they reproduce. Revealing the hidden world of coral reproduction exposes one of the ocean’s most extraordinary spectacles. Like clockwork, thousands of corals across hundreds of kilometers synchronize to release egg-and-sperm bundles into the open sea. Capturing this fleeting event is exceptionally challenging: it occurs only once a year, on a specific night of a particular month, within a narrow window of just minutes. Using a slow shutter speed as waves break and sweep the buoyant bundles upward transforms the scene into a colorful underwater meteor shower. This image is part of an ongoing scientific-documentary journey exploring the vibrant nocturnal life and reproductive rituals of corals in the northern Red Sea, a project shaped by more than 300 nights spent underwater during spawning season.

The Red Sea scorpionfish is a master of camouflage, perfectly adapted to the vibrant reefs of Ras Mohammed National Park. Here, on Shark Reef, it blends effortlessly with the soft corals, relying on its textured skin and mottled colours to remain invisible to both predators and prey. Common throughout the Red Sea, this ambush hunter waits motionless for small fish or crustaceans to pass within striking distance. Despite its beauty, it carries highly venomous spines along its dorsal fin, an effective defence that makes it one of the region’s most formidable reef inhabitants.
By allowing me to approach closely, the scorpionfish became the centerpiece, its colours and textures brought to life by the flash amid the glowing soft corals. In a place where every creature depends on the health of the reef, encounters like this are a reminder of how vital it is to protect these fragile ecosystems for future generations.

A female California newt holds onto vegetation and a previously laid clutch from another newt to anchor herself in place as she begins to lay her eggs. Her holding onto the eggs this way is a lucky coincidence, but made for a exciting photo opportunity.

A rare and unexpected behavioural observation. A group of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) were engaged in social behaviour at a depth of approximately 20 m. While descending and attempting to align the camera housing viewfinder with my mask to frame the scene, a sudden movement in my right peripheral vision drew my attention. Within seconds, an oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) appeared in front of me, briefly approached and visually assessed me, then abruptly turned and retreated.

Approximately 30 seconds later, the shark returned, swimming directly toward me at a closer distance. At that moment, the group of sperm whales adopted a compact, head-forward formation resembling a battering ram and rapidly ascended from depth, orienting toward both my camera and the shark. The shark immediately fled the area, followed by a pursuit by the sperm whales that lasted several minutes.

While shooting on the sandy seabed at 15 meters in the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia, I found this well-camouflaged frogfish patiently lying in wait for prey. I waited for at least 15 minutes. To get a clean shot against the messy background, I aimed a macro light at its head to capture the split second it opened its huge mouth. Luckily, I got the perfect moment.

This image was taken in the lagoon of South Fakarava, French Polynesia, close to the southern pass, within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. While the pass is world-famous for its spectacular shark dives, it was the lagoon that drew me back again and again. Whenever conditions were calm, I entered the water to explore these shallow reefs, remarkable for their clarity. I returned to this spot several times, spending long hours in the water waiting for the right light and surface conditions to create this split shot. From the surface, I wanted to bring together environments that are often seen separately: sky, land and ocean. Beneath the surface, coral reefs form an essential natural barrier, protecting the islands and their inhabitants. Although this place remains remarkably well preserved, it is also deeply vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

In Bohol, Philippines, lizardfish are common and easily overlooked reef inhabitants, typically encountered resting motionless on sand or rubble. With this image, I wanted to move beyond the predictable image of a sedentary ambush predator, and reveal an unexpected view of the species.

Lizardfish are surprisingly skittish at close range, requiring a slow and deliberate approach. Working alone, I carefully positioned a snooted strobe on an extra-long arm behind the subject, backlighting the head to completely isolate it from the environment and fundamentally alter its appearance. Combined with a very low shooting angle, this approach allowed the impressive jawline to emerge, complemented by the subtle textures of the skin and the reflective quality of the eyes, transforming a lizardfish into something almost sculptural.
The result is an image that invited the viewer to pause and reconsider a fish they may have seen countless times.

As a tour leader and photographer in Dominica, I was fortunate to experience a truly magical encounter with a curious juvenile sperm whale. We entered the water at a respectful distance alongside the mother and her calf, watching as the mother prepared to dive in search of food, leaving her youngster at the surface. Almost immediately, the calf spun around and approached us, coming remarkably close, mouth wide open to reveal his emerging teeth, rolling playfully upside down. It seemed he was eager to interact. We could clearly see a chunk of squid held in his jaw and the many scars already etched into his skin. Over the years, I’ve photographed sperm whales countless times for documentaries and a feature film, but this unforgettable moment will always hold a special place in my heart. Looking back at the encounter, it’s tempting to believe he was smiling—and perhaps even about to give us a cheeky wink!

2025 was undoubtedly the Year of the Octopus. Being such an imposing creature underwater, these intelligent and charismatic animals had brought delight not just to me but to many fellow UK divers. Throughout 2025, I’ve been treated to an array of natural behaviours, ranging from hunting prey to mating, but in this case, I wanted to capture a female's final act of selflessness, as after she lays her eggs, she diligently guards, cleans, and wafts oxygen-rich water over them to keep them healthy. During this time, which can last for several months, she doesn’t leave their side, not even to feed herself, and once the eggs hatch, she will sadly die.

In this bittersweet and quite poignant time I spent with her, I wanted to try and capture the narrative of her final few weeks by shooting her face on, and encircling her offspring in the background.

2025 has truly been the Year of the Octopus in southern England, as these eight-armed wonders have taken over coastal reefs in significant numbers. Porthkerris in Cornwall has been a particular hotspot for divers to see them. As dusk fell and darkness started to descend, I followed a large, confident individual, patrolling and making fascinating poses as it moved. Turning a corner, it chanced upon another large octopus, and suddenly the two sprang together into this mysterious scene. My chosen slow shutter speed emphasises the dramatic movement. My guess is that it was at least in part a mating overture, as within moments the two cephalopods had enveloped each other in a tight embrace and I watched intrigued as they moved off together into the kelp forest.

After years of waiting, I dived into a cold Alpine lake near my home in northeastern Italy. Its clear, deep-blue waters rise from a spring, making it a gem among the mountains. Low nutrients favour green algae growth, the constant low temperature (around 9–11 °C) contributes to the water’s clarity and unique colour. Life is sparse, but I spotted a freshwater crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) among the aquatic plants. Impetuous, it swam toward me until it was touching my wet lens. With the housing too low to use the LCD, I had to shoot blind, holding the camera in one hand and one strobe in the other. I turned off my second strobe, positioning the remaining light above the dome for natural top-down illumination. The composition I'd planned for years is built on the transition from green vegetation to deep blue water, with mountain peaks framed in Snell's Window.

For years, the leopard seal topped my Antarctic wish list, a predator I dreamed of encountering face to face. I have to say, this dive was everything I could have hoped for: clear water, good lighting, and a playful seal. Leopard seals wield an astonishing array of dominance displays, and this one put them all to use, darting around me with effortless power. Watching that massive mouth lined with sharp teeth charge straight toward me is a thrill I'll never forget.

This half and half image of a shark patrolling a vibrant coral reef at sunset was shot in Fakarava, a coral atoll in French Polynesia's Tuamotu Archipelago renowned for its pristine ocean environment. Designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1977, sharks thrive here in their natural habitat due to strong protections. Sharks signify a balanced reef ecosystem so it is my hope that this image can help serve as a model for successful conservation and sustainability. This image was captured using a wide angle rectilinear lens, a small aperture, a large dome port, and dual flash guns. This is a single in-camera image.

While diving in Tulamben with my guide, Jaye, I encountered a commensal shrimp living within a naturally spiralling whip coral. Something I had long hoped to see. The coral’s deep, rich green formed a striking nest for the brightly coloured shrimp resting inside. By introducing red and blue light against the green coral, I wanted to create a sense of intense beauty combined with visual turbulence, while expressing the shrimp’s stillness at the centre.

Everything about this dive was a first for me, the location, the guide, and working with continuous light, but meeting a subject I had dreamed of photographing and capturing it in a satisfying way made the experience especially memorable.

In the depths of the East Sea at the height of winter, a male greenling transforms into a brilliant golden sentinel. This vivid coloration, triggered by his spawning hormones, serves both to attract mates and deter rivals. Photographed among the red soft corals of Jumunjin’s artificial reef, the male stands watch over his eggs, guarding them tirelessly until they hatch. The image reflects a moving moment of paternal devotion, an enduring act of protection shaped by instinct and sacrifice.

I had to be careful, while getting this shot, not to disturb the attendant adult scorpionfish who was protecting their newly laid eggs. I wanted to capture the tiny, still-forming eyes within each little round embryo, while at the same time having enough depth of field to show just how densely packed they were in the nest. So I decided to go for focus stacking, and this image is a stack of 8 separate photos blended in camera. It took me quite a few attempts, but I finally grabbed the shot I wanted, and on returning to the same spot 24 hours later I was pleased to see the adult still in attendance, my gentle approach had paid off.

What started out with 2 large sharks feeding at the surface turned into 3, then 4, then 5 over the course of the day. At some point most of the sharks had gone, and after watching the last tail fade away, I turned around and was greeted with the image here. These sharks had stopped feeding and formed a tight shoal, before breaking off and swimming in slow rhythmic circles, eventually spiralling off into the deep. This behaviour is known as a Torus and is thought to be a courtship behaviour and the precursor to mating - although that remains a mystery. Over the course of the summer we observed multiple toruses from the boat, with close to 20 sharks slowly circling for hours at a time. It felt like an ancient ritual that happens out of sight from the world and was an incredible moment to witness and capture.

Although this is a site close to my home that I’ve snorkelled many times, the shallow, high-energy conditions posed a real chance of scratching my dome port! But I knew, that on this day, the conditions would align perfectly to make it worth attempting the shot. I braced both myself and the camera to avoid being rolled by the surge into barnacle-covered rocks. I often like to incorporate both light and dark elements in my images, and the shadow cast by the breaking waves gave me the perfect opportunity to do so here. The thongweed helps convey the energy and motion produced by the swell, and I framed it to add another layer of separation within the image. It being a shallow site allowed me to rely on natural light, which I prefer when possible. Thankfully no dome ports were harmed in the making of this image.

Existing at the threshold of land and sea, the intertidal is a world of harsh extremes. It’s also a world of enormous biodiversity, concentrated into a relatively small area, and one of my favourite places to visit. I’m also a big fan of splitshots and couldn’t resist trying to see what was possible with a smartphone and dome port, and in trying to capture the diversity of the intertidal zone. This photo is of a snakelocks anemone, set amongst the kelp and colourful seaweed of the Cornish rocky shore, on a low spring tide, showing the beauty of this diverse environment on the doorstep of a major town.

My wife was snorkeling at the surface while I was below on scuba, in the mangroves of Casa Cenote. As I encountered this magical scene, sunlight filtered through the canopy above, creating ethereal beams that illuminated the crystal-clear water. I used hand signals to ask my wife to free-dive to the perfect spot, where she gracefully suspended herself underwater, appearing to dance with the light.

Light enters the wreck through a window, a square cut into history and now taken over by life. Choosing to shoot in black and white, I am inviting the viewer to contrast the thick, straight manmade lines with the delicate and intricate patterns of nature. Gorgonians fan outward like frozen breath, turning rust into art. Between them, a lone wrasse punctuates the frame, providing movement in an otherwise still composition. Off Sado Island, the past is not lost, it is inhabited. The window no longer looks out; it invites us to look in, framing the story of nature reclaiming metal.

This photograph captures the exact moment clownfish eggs hatch in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. In the late afternoon, my close friend Koji Matsuda told me that the eggs would hatch that day. Even before hatching, the parent clownfish carefully guarded the eggs, constantly watching for predators as they waited for the moment to come. I was able to capture the instant the larvae emerged. Holding a snoot in one hand, I carefully controlled the light so that it illuminated only the clownfish and their newborn larvae, allowing them to stand out against the darkness. I have been photographing clownfish for over three years and pressed the shutter countless times that day, but this single image is the only one that truly succeeded.

This engine room of the Kensho Maru is one of the most iconic and popular photographic sites in Truk Lagoon. With careful pre-planning, I brought in five video lights to precisely illuminate the engine piston, spare piston, and the ladder leading to the catwalk, balancing them with the natural light filtering through the skylight. While shooting, another group of divers ascended from the lower level and entered this beautiful space. As one diver moved toward me, I instinctively released the shutter from what I felt was the perfect position. The diver’s presence enhances the sense of scale, completing the composition and turning this image into a decisive moment. This moment connects human presence with the silent remains of history beneath the sea.

Peering into the crevices of this vibrant barrel sponge, I could see several dark figures moving around like shadow puppets. This turned out to be a large colony of hinge-beak shrimps, living together in very close quarters! While somewhat of a tight squeeze, communal living suits these social and cooperative creatures, as well as providing 'safety in numbers' against predators. Further, the craggy pink walls allow for great camouflage. I selected a wide aperture so that each shrimp is rendered increasingly out of focus as the eye is drawn deeper into the sponge. Those individuals at the back are reduced to a fuzzy puzzle of white dots and stripes. I would like to thank my guide, Wix (Scuba Seraya), for finding these shrimps for me, and also for taking me back to the same spot a second time as I liked them so much, which resulted in my getting this shot.

After spending 40 minutes documenting an underwater cleanup effort by the guides from Lembeh Resort, we ascended and decided to refocus our efforts on the large patch of trash floating at the surface. Almost immediately, the dive center manager, Charlie, shouted that he had spotted a sargassum frogfish amongst the refuse. While the guides continued to pick up trash, I followed this frogfish as it swam from plastic to plastic, making its home not among the sargassum seaweed for which it is named, but the detritus we discard without thought. My goal was to capture this unique species in its unnatural home in order to highlight the continued struggle the ocean and its inhabitants face due to the waste produced by human society.

This image is part of a photographic reportage produced at the CESTHA marine rescue centre in Italy, documenting the daily work behind marine wildlife rehabilitation. The turtle is a large adult female, estimated to be around 45 years old, being moved from the therapy tank into a tub for transport to the sea after months of care. Her release took place within an hour, just off the coast of Ravenna. My goal was to show the human side of conservation: coordination, responsibility and effort.

Blackfaced blennies are flirty little things at certain times of the year, the females are also very camouflaged against their weedy backgrounds. On this dive under Swanage pier there were pairs everywhere doing their little dances, posing, and flitting about. I had been trying to get a shot of one or both together for the whole of the dive without intruding on their business too much, but they gave me the run around. Then as the dive neared to an end I came across a female just sitting waiting for her date to show up. I used a long exposure, ICM and a blue light on the red weed, and a snoot on the black faced blenny to freeze her, showing off her gorgeous form and separating her from the theatrical landscape behind.

This image was taken in the South Pass of Fakarava, inside the legendary “Wall of Sharks.” Carried effortlessly by the strong current, I had no time to plan or compose, only to feel, observe, and react. Suddenly, a gray reef shark filled my frame, its gaze calm, curious, and powerful. Behind it, other sharks fade into soft blur, hinting at the hundreds surrounding us. This photograph is not about control, but about surrender: letting the ocean lead, trusting the moment, and becoming part of a living, breathing ecosystem that remains almost pristine. Drifting among these majestic predators was both humbling and exhilarating. For a brief instant, time slowed, fear dissolved, and I felt deeply connected to the wild rhythm of the sea.

Cenotes have always fascinated me - these ancient windows into the underworld where light, water and geology meet. In the Cenote Dos Pisos, I discovered a chamber whose ceiling was pierced by powerful roots. They reached deep into the water like veins, connecting the subterranean world with the life above. To capture this image, we planned a special cave dive to reach the exact spot under safe and optimal conditions. For a brief moment, everything seemed to merge: stone, water, light and time. In that silence, nature felt like a single, breathing organism. My goal was to reveal this fragile connection, the vulnerability of the cenotes, their spiritual atmosphere, and the power of life that finds its way even in the most unlikely places.

"Heaven’s Gate," a breathtaking section of the Nohoch Nah Chich underwater cave system in Mexico, is where I took this photo. The experience of entering this space felt less like a simple passage and more like a journey across time, a profound shift from the present into the distant past. Within this sacred space, fundamental elements converge in a powerful dance: nature and humanity, light and profound darkness, and the ephemeral trail of the diver’s rising air bubbles. Photographically, I aimed to capture this convergence, striving to express, as grandly and beautifully as possible, the intense emotions and sheer awe that overwhelmed me in that ethereal place. It is a moment of pure, raw connection with the planet's hidden wonders.

December in Cape Town and the young fur seals are super active, playing in the waves as they crash onto the jagged rocks of Duiker Island. Joining them in the surf is exhilarating, though photography is incredibly difficult. These animals shoot through the swell like lightning bolts; there is no time for autofocus, only instinct. I have returned to this spot for over five years to capture this exact moment. Sadly, such an experience is currently unattainable as seal colonies along the Cape coast struggle with a rabies outbreak. One wonders if these encounters will ever be safe again.

IJN Nagato is a famed Japanese battleship from which Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is said to have issued the order to attack Pearl Harbor. Seized by the United States at the end of World War II, she was later towed to Bikini Atoll and used as a target ship during Operation Crossroads, the early nuclear weapons tests. Today Nagato rests upside down at roughly 52 meters, making it a demanding but highly rewarding dive. On descent, divers are greeted by four enormous propellers, while the standout features are the twin stern guns, best approached from the port side. This image was carefully staged by a four-person team to maximize safety and reduce silt, since visibility can be limited and particles stir easily.

This image was shot on the second dive in this cave. I realized that this space was where I wanted to do something special photographically. The biggest challenge was the halocline, where fresh and salt water meet and mix right at the diving depth, turning the water into a blur. It's also quite far into the cave, about 30 minutes runtime with our powerful SUEX XK DPVs. The plan was to light up the space and get the perfect diver shadow on the bottom to create depth.

In addition to my seascape and marine life images, I’ve been lucky enough to work with fashion models, freedivers, and sometimes even mermaids in a range of environments. This particular image was shot in a pool set up like an above water studio. The image was captured with a Sony A1 in a Nauticam housing with a 12” port. Natural light was diffused with a scrim and fill light was added with a continuous light, which allowed subtle changes of the light to be seen.

This moment captures the fluidity and beauty of a classic muse enhanced by water to both further diffuse the light and suspend the subject. I created rich black-and-white tones to convey a cinematic film noir style. The model’s composure and technical skill brought a palpable calm to the frame, reminiscent of Bette Davis, and I am sincerely grateful for her cooperation.