Hawksbill Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Hawksbills only grow to about three feet in length. They will grow to 180 pounds on average. This month our gallery theme is “Turtles”! Ben and I are fortunate to have had many turtle encounters over the years. They are magical moments. When I was 13, I went snorkeling for the […]
The northern stargazer buries itself and then ambushes its prey! You are looking at a northern stargazer partially buried in sand. Seldom seen by divers, this fish is a master of stealth. Sometimes the only thing exposed above the sand are its eyeballs. If you look closely, even the skin around the eyeball is dotted […]
There is a flurry of activity… This photo comes from a coral spawn dive off the Upper Keys in Florida. Once a year staghorn coral reproduces by broadcast spawning, generally after the full moon in the late summer months. This simultaneous release of eggs provides a feasting opportunity other reef species. This Acropora coral crab […]
You can go your whole dive career without seeing [one of these spiders] If you thought spiders only lived on land, you’re wrong. This is a photo of a Caribbean Sea Spider taken near Blue Heron Bridge in West Palm Beach, Florida. This is a great dive location because no matter how much you dive it, every […]
Like with most things in life, timing is critical. This is a photo of a juvenile American Lobster riding on the back of a nudibranch. To provide some scale, this white “shag-rug” looking nudibranch is only about one centimeter long. The lobster is about the size of a grain of rice. I took this photo […]
Brain Coral – IUCN Conservations Status: Least Concern It easily took hundreds…of years to form this brain coral This is a photo of a massive colony of brain coral taken in Key Largo, Florida. In fact, this was the largest colony I knew about in the whole Florida Keys reef tract, until it’s recent death. This whole […]
Tarpon can survive in waters with low dissolved oxygen Tarpon are an unmistakable fish. They can grow to eight feet in length and weigh almost 300 pounds. These guys are tough. Tarpon can survive in waters with low dissolved oxygen and varying PH levels. They can also hangout in freshwater rivers or open ocean. This […]
The ray looks like a B2 stealth bomber on takeoff This is a photo of a southern stingray I took in the Florida Keys. If you move calmly and slowly as a diver, often times you can get very close to these rays. Sometimes all you see are their eyes poking out of the sand. […]
I’ll start by saying this is just a fun photo. What you are looking at is a ~1/4” juvenile spiny lobster riding on top of a ~1” planktonic tunicate. This was taken on a blackwater dive roughly 5 miles offshore of West Palm Beach, Florida. These increasingly popular dives involve going out at night a […]
Slender filefish can be a tricky find underwater This is a photo of a slender filefish taken on a night dive in Key Largo, Florida. These 2”-3” fish are great at camouflage. They are often wary towards divers and tend to retreat when approached. Slender filefish are often found around sea whips, sea rods, sea […]