Underwater

Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) photographed in Gili Islands, Indonesia during a night dive. For this image I decided to use my underwater torch instead of the strobes to create a unique, soft, lightning.

The silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) belongs to the family of Carcharhinidae. The shark is named after the smooth texture of its skin. In South Africa they are very common at the coast from KwaZula Natal. It makes me always happy to see these magnificent animals underwater. No wonder this particular dive was mind blowing. It was a baited dive, of the coast from Umkomaas. After positioning the bait box in the water, it took no longer than one minute for the first sharks to show up. Time to get in the water. More than 30 sharks were with us. I set the camera on manual mode for getting the most out of the pictures underwater. Sharks where everywhere. It was difficult to capture the quick moving sharks while not cutting off any fins or body parts in this picture. I positioned myself 8 meter under the surface and waited till the sharks came close. When I had two sharks in the perfect frame I pulled the trigger. Back home I saw this image and immediately recognized its potential in black and white. I converted the image into black and white.

Colourful anemones in the Red Sea, Liveaboard started at Marsa Alam.

The broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus) is found in cooler waters and is the last extent of the genus Notorynchus. The shark was photographed during an expedition into the kelps of and around Cape Town, South Africa. The water, as I recall, was freezing that day. After searching and diving through the kelp forest, we finally came across this beautiful 7-gill-shark.

Colourful corals in the Red Sea. Corals play an essential role in the ecostystem of the ocean.

Scalopped hammerhead shark photographed during reasearch and film project with the Bimini Biological Field Station in Grand Bahamas, Bahamas.

Blue spotted stingray can be found from the intertidal zone till 30 meters. They are common to warmer waters.

Trinchesia sibogae, a nudibranch photographed during a liveaboard assignement with Seven7Seas in Egypt. I am amazed by their beautiful colors and to me they are a highlight to see underwater.

Dugongs (Dugong dugong) are marine mammels and belong to the order of Sirenia. Manatees do too.But there is a striking difference between Dugongs and Manatees, both sometimes referred as sea cows. The most obvious is their different tail. Nails, nostrils, weight, mouth teeth, different birth times, are also indicators for distinguishing them from each other. This beautiful individual was photographed in Egypt, Marsa Alam.

A masked puffer (Arothron diadematus) photographed during a night dive through some caves in Egypt.

A whaleshark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest known fish species. He feeds exclusively on plankton.

A brown fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus) investigates me closely. The animals are among the most curious and playful ones I know. Sometimes they try to bite into your hoody or gloves.

Many years ago due to the continental drift, volcanic activities and the tectonic movements the jellyfish lake in Palau, Micronesia developed.Away from natural predators they dashingly increased their numbers. Fortunately for me, they have lost their ability to sting.In order to capture the invertebrates within their environment I decided on a split shot using the ambient light. Back then in 2014 the lake was full of jellyfish. At the moment truth be told, the lake is closed due to a dramatically decrease in the entire jellyfish population. One of the factors could be the extensive tourism and contamination with sunscreen in the freshwater. To avoid that issue in general people should purchase eco –friendly products when going on dive safaris.

Sea turtles are among the most endangered animals worldwide according to IUCN. Every dive in which I can observe these special animals is a highlight. In this picture you can see a fully grown green turtle, which just returns from the surface. I estimated the way which the turtle chose back down and carefully positioned myself in a none interrupting distance. Being a biologist helps as the behavior is known to me. I only had to set the camera and flashes and I took this shot against the sun. Palau, Micronesia.

Sea turtles are among the most endangered animals worldwide according to IUCN. Every dive in which I can observe these special animals is a highlight. In this picture you can see a green turtle, resting close to the surface. When I spotted the reptile I immediately put on my ABC gear, took my housing and started swimming. When I reached the animal it was totally chilled. Looked at me, looked down, at me again. I waited for a bit until I started taking pictures. The individual could not be bothered less. A perfect turtle for an underwater photographer. I chose the frame with the volcanic island in the background, as it shows the dramatic and rough landscape in the Galapagos Islands. This picture was taken at Vincente Punta Rocca, Isabella.

The ocean sunfish (Mola mola) is the heaviest known bone fish in the world. The first time I encountered the species was in the Galapagos, Ecuador. Gracefully, they are gliding though the water.

German Channel, Mikronesia. A Mantaray is enjoying the low tide hence the fact that no boat can pass through the natural channel between two islands in the crystal clear water of Palau. The upcoming storm adds some drama to the picture.

Many years ago due to the continental drift, volcanic activities and the tectonic movements the jellyfish lake in Palau developed.Away from natural predators they dashingly increased their numbers. Fortunately for me, they have lost their ability to sting. However to get the magnificent place and the animals in their natural habitat I tried to take a picture of one jellyfish against the sun. Therefore I dived down 3 meters, stayed there for a while until I had my favorite individual. I then started placing myself so that the animal was in between me and the sun. I repeated that procedure till I had the feeling that I got the shot.

Scalopped hammerhead shark photographed during reasearch and film project with the Bimini Biological Field Station in Grand Bahamas, Bahamas.

This image was taken on assignment close to South Ari Atoll in the Maldives. I tried to show that a sighting and interaction with an animal must be peaceful and respectful, in this case with a beautiful Manta Ray. Our group was already on the ground for 45-50 minutes. We were blessed as we had a Manta Ray playing with us for over 10 minutes already. At first the Manta kept its distance but soon it started to enjoy our bubbles on its belly. The Manta Ray circled around us and each time the animal came closer. Suddenly you could hear vessels arriving and people jumping in the water. It seemed rather hectically than calm and thoughtful. The new divers started to race down to the manta and scaring the animal away. It was a sad end to a beautiful encounter. Therefore it is best to let nature approach you rather than the other way round.

Pygmy seahorse (Hippocamputs bargibanti) can be as small as 13mm (0,51in). They are found on gorgonian coral called Muricella sp. For this image I used a special macro lense and a Seacam achromat.

Nudibranch found in Palau, Micronesia during a deep wreck dive.(If you know the name of this Nudibranch, please let me know).

Nautilus photographed in Palau, Micronesia.The animal is a pellagic mollusc of the cephalopod family. The word nautilus is derived from the Greek nautilos, which means literally "sailor".

The manderinfish (Synchiropus splendidus) is an enormous particular beautiful fish. Sadly this comes with a price and due to his popularity it is a high seller in the aquarium trade. This specimen was photographed during a solo night dive in Palau, Micronesia.

In this picture you can see a Napoleon wrasse that had no awe towards humans. He came so close to my camera that an automatic focus was no longer possible. Photographed in Palau, Micronesia.

A 4 meter tigershark (Galeocerdo cuvier) patrolling the sandy bottom, 100 km offshore from Grand Bahamas.

A pod of dolphins hunting a ball of sardines, Port St. Johns, South Africa.

I came across a mating ritual of octopus, while manta rays were gliding through the water. I did not know where to look, but decided to concentrate on the Octopus.