Hawaiian Monk Seal Underwater

Hawaiian Monk Seal

 Inside a partially underwater cave which leads out to the ocean I encountered one of the rarest sea creatures on Earth. Less than 2000 Hawaiian monk seals remain around the Hawaiian islands. These intelligent and curious animals are so few in number that a massive protection effort has been put in place. Volunteers help tape off beach areas where the seals rest and vast tracks of the northwest Hawaiian islands has been turned into a protected area called the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

Charged by a Sea Lion Underwater

Underater bubbles accompany this roaring sea lion.

 Looking back at the beginnings of my underwater photography. I bought a little 4 megapixel digital camera with a housing from a friend of mine out in California. I was hooked from the very first time. I had some amazing encounters those first few years. As always with technology I wish I could go back to those encounters with the gear I have now and the knowledge of underwater photography.
  Take for example this picture of a charging sea lion off the coast of Santa Barbara Island. This is a famous sea lion rookery and one of my all time favorite snorkel and dive locations in the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. Younger sea lions playfully charge and roar underwater. Occasionally a big bull silently swims through your vision, eyeing you suspiciously. All the while the 'man in the grey tuxedo' may be just out of your vision.

A different view of the ship

 Look up through the clear waters off the Caribbean coast of Panama. Our boat, the Sea Adler, brought us through storm and doldrums from the beautiful Colombian fort city of Cartegena, to the San Blas islands. My fellow sailors are on the bow looking down at me a few feet under.

Underwater Poker Match

                Underwater Poker

   This was not an easy thing to set up. The three of us were very comfortable in the water after going through our PADI divemaster certification together in Utila, Honduras. We wanted to push the challenge level up a bit so we grabbed a table, some beers, and a deck of cards to set up the ultimate poker game...30ft underwater.
  We took off our BCDs and tanks and hid them under the table. You can see Brian getting a quick breath from his regulator still. If you have ever been scuba diving you can understand the difficulty. Notice, no mask, instead sunglasses. What we hadn't counted on was the surge. Every so often a big wave would pass over head and even at 30ft down our poor poker table would get knocked over. With us soon following.

The 'Not So' Gloomy Nudibranch (Tambja morosa)

  They call this the 'gloomy nudibranch'! Doesn't look so gloomy to me. This hard to find sea slug has the deepest royal blue I have ever seen in an animal. The blue markings are different from slug to slug but the blue vizor over the 'eyes' is a pretty common feature. If you catch it in the right light the dark black features meld into a green tint especially towards the exposed gills.

  You will have to be pretty lucky to find this nudibranch in Hawaii, but you can see different color variations elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific.

  Check out my sea slug gallery at: www.daimarsphotos.com

Saddleback Butterflyfish, Chaetodon ephippium

 As an underwater photographer I love taking pictures of nudibranchs because they are colorful and move very slowly. This makes taking photographs relatively easy. Fish often present much more of a challenge. They swim very fast, and usually away from you. It takes a fast shutter speed and a keen sense of timing to capture moments like this.
  The saddleback butterflyfish, Chaetodon ephippium, is a rare species of butterflyfish to see here in the Hawaiian islands. They usually travel in pairs but this picture is of a loner. I knew I had a chance to get a good picture because this fish was being cleaned by a cleaner wrasse. Fish will usually stick around for that critical extra second when getting cleaned. 
 The other tip is to get the fish sideways but just turned to look at the camera. Having its mouth wide open in this moment was an extra bonus. If you find yourself snorkeling out here in Hawaii, put this fish on your underwater treasure hunt list. Its a beauty.

Commerson's Frogfish Close-up

A close up of a Commerson's Frogfish. One of the weirdest fish out there but one of my favorite to find. As an ambush predator they rely on camouflage and a lure to bring their prey close in. Then they swallow them up before you can blink an eye.

  See my frogfish gallery at: www.daimarsphotos.com