Two blue whales, a mother and her calf, swim through the open ocean in this aerial photograph. The calf is blowing (spouting, exhaling) with a powerful column of spray. The blue whale is the largest animal ever to live on Earth.
The Tree of Eons, a spectacular dendritic formation in the Bentonite Hills of Utah. Fantastic colorful sedimentary patterns, ancient Bentonite layers are exposed through erosion in the Utah Badlands. The Bentonite Hills are composed of the Brushy Basin shale member of the Morrison Formation. This layer was formed during Jurassic times when mud, silt, fine sand, and volcanic ash were deposited in swamps and lakes. Photographed just before sunrise with soft pre-dawn illumination. Aerial panoramic photograph.
Enormous blue whale, exhaling as it surfaces from a dive, aerial photo. The blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth, exceeding 100' in length and 200 tons in weight.
Aerial View of Namena Marine Reserve and Coral Reefs, Namena Island, Fiji.
Childrens Pool Reef Exposed at Extreme Low Tide, La Jolla, California. Aerial panoramic photograph.
San Clemente Island Pyramid Head, the distinctive pyramid shaped southern end of the island. San Clemente Island Pyramid Head, showing geologic terracing, underwater reefs and giant kelp forests.
Mother and calf southern right whales are seen here as part of a larger courtship group, with adult males interested in mating with the mother. The calf has no choice but to stay by her mother's side during the courting activities.
Browning Pass aerial photo, with Nigei Island (left) and Balackava Island (right).
Dive Boat Hurst Island, Browning Pass, Canada, aerial photo.
Cabo Pearce on Socorro Island, aerial photo, Revillagigedos Islands, Mexico.
Batiquitos Lagoon and Ponto, stormy sunset, aerial panoramic photograph.
Mother and calf gray whale, aerial photo, embryonic folds visible on the very young calf.
Olowalu reef and West Maui mountains, Maui, Hawaii, aerial photo.
Sunrise over The Mount Soledad Cross, a landmark in La Jolla, California. The Mount Soledad Cross is a 29-foot-tall cross erected in 1954. Aerial photo.
Emerald Bay Lake Tahoe, aerial panoramic photo of the mouth of the bay, early morning.
Scripps Pier and Christmas Lights during holiday season, night exposure, La Jolla Coastline, Aerial view.
South Casa Cove and Childrens Pool sea wall, with tourist crowds at sunset on a low tide, La Jolla.
Aerial Panoramic Photo of Point La Jolla at sunset, La Jolla and Mount Soledad. People enjoying the sunset on the sea wall looking at sea lions on the rocks.
San Clemente Island aerial photo, Pyramid Head and Balanced Rock (China Hat) at the southern end of the island. San Clemente Island Pyramid Head, the distinctive pyramid shaped southern end of the island, exhibits distinctive geologic terracing, underwater reefs and giant kelp forests.
Mariner Mountain, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, part of Strathcona Provincial Park, located 36 km (22 mi) north of Tofino. It is 1,771 m (5,810 ft) high, snow covered year-round and home to several glaciers.
Brown Pelicans gather in large numbers on coastal cliffs, Goldfish Point near the Clam in La Jolla. Aerial photograph.
Los Islotes, famous for its friendly colony of California sea lions, part of Archipelago Espiritu Santo, Sea of Cortez, Aerial Photo.
Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world.
San Diego Coronado Bridge, known locally as the Coronado Bridge, links San Diego with Coronado, California. The bridge was completed in 1969 and was a toll bridge until 2002. It is 2.1 miles long and reaches a height of 200 feet above San Diego Bay. Coronado Island is to the left, and downtown San Diego is to the right in this view looking north.
Aerial photo of the West End of Catalina Island.
Steller Sea Lions atop Norris Rocks, Hornby Island in the distance, panoramic photo.
SIO Pier, Scripps Pier, La Jolla. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography research pier is 1090 feet long and was built of reinforced concrete in 1988, replacing the original wooden pier built in 1915. The Scripps Pier is home to a variety of sensing equipment above and below water that collects various oceanographic data. The Scripps research diving facility is located at the foot of the pier. Fresh seawater is pumped from the pier to the many tanks and facilities of SIO, including the Birch Aquarium. The Scripps Pier is named in honor of Ellen Browning Scripps, the most significant donor and benefactor of the Institution.
Dawn over the Skyline Rim, Factory Bench and Lower Blue Hills, Utah. The Henry Mountains are in the distance.
Makena Beach State Park aerial photo, Maui, Hawaii. Big Beach on the right, Little Beach on the left, Haleakala rising in the distance on the right, West Maui Mountains in the distance on the left.
Aerial photo of the San Rafael Reef at dawn. A fold in the Earth's crust leads to this inclined section of the San Rafael Reef, at the eastern edge of the San Rafael Swell. Clearly seen are the characteristic triangular flatiron erosion patterns that typical this formation. The colors seen here arise primarily from Navajo and Wingate sandstone.
Aerial panorama of Clipperton Island, showing the entire atoll. Clipperton Island, a minor territory of France also known as Ile de la Passion, is a small (2.3 sq mi) but spectacular coral atoll in the eastern Pacific. By permit HC / 1485 / CAB (France).
Los Islotes and Isla Partida, the northern part of Archipelago Espiritu Santo, Sea of Cortez, Aerial Photo. Islotes is famous for its friendly colony of California sea lions.
Aerial photograph of Land's End and the Arch, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Aerial View of Namena Island, Fiji.
Hurst Island and Gods Pocket Provincial Park, aerial photo.
Aerial photo of gray whale calf and mother. This baby gray whale was born during the southern migration, far to the north of the Mexican lagoons of Baja California where most gray whale births take place.
Downtown San Diego and USS Midway. The USS Midway was a US Navy aircraft carrier, launched in 1945 and active through the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm, as of 2008 a museum along the downtown waterfront in San Diego.
New Point Loma Lighthouse, situated on the tip of Point Loma Peninsula, marks the entrance to San Diego Bay. The lighthouse rises 70' and was built in 1891 to replace the "old" Point Loma Lighthouse which was often shrouded in fog.
Middle Coronado Island, viewed from the south.
A blue whale eating krill. This blue whale is seen feeding and surfacing amid krill with its throat fully engorged with krill and water. It will push the water back out with its tongue, trapping the krill in its baleen which acts like a filter. Aerial photo, Baja California.
Stone Steps Beach at Sunset, Aerial Panorama, Encinitas, California.
Fantastic colorful sedimentary patterns of Bentonite layers, seen as striations exposed in the Utah Badlands. The Bentonite Hills are composed of the Brushy Basin shale member of the Morrison Formation formed during Jurassic times when mud, silt, fine sand, and volcanic ash were deposited in swamps and lakes into layers, now revealed through erosion. Aerial photograph.
Erosion patterns in the Utah Badlands, aerial abstract photo.
Colorado River and Sorrel River Ranch, Moab, Utah. The Dome Plateau rises over the river on the left.
Molly's Castle, aerial view, Goblin Valley State Park. Curtis Formation whiteish caprock is on top, with reddish Entrada Sandstone below, both of Jurassic era. Molly's castle lies in the San Rafael desert near Goblin Valley, and drains into the Colorado River watershed. Aerial panoramic photograph.
Surfers at La Jolla Shores Beach, aerial photo.
Childrens Pool and La Jolla coastline at sunset, aerial panorama, showing underwater reef exposed at King Low Tide.
Self-portrait at dawn, Bentonite Hills, Utah.
Goldfish Point and La Jolla Caves aerial photograph, La Jolla.
Torrey Pines Golf Course over looking Blacks Beach and the Pacific Ocean, south course, summer, afternoon.
Laguna Beach Coastline including Views South to Three Arch Bay, Aerial Photo.
Aerial Photo of Point La Jolla and Scripps Park, La Jolla Coastline.
Childrens Pool Aerial Panoramic Photo at Sunset, people enjoying the sunset on the sea wall and the protected beach, Coast Boulevard in the foreground, Mount Soledad in the distance.
San Clemente Island aerial photo, Pyramid Head and Balanced Rock at the southern end of the island. San Clemente Island Pyramid Head, the distinctive pyramid shaped southern end of the island, exhibits distinctive geologic terracing, underwater reefs and giant kelp forests.
Los Islotes, famous for its friendly colony of California sea lions, part of Archipelago Espiritu Santo, Sea of Cortez, Aerial Photo.
Childrens Pool Reef Exposed at Extreme Low Tide, Aerial View, La Jolla, California. Aerial panoramic photograph.
North Coronado Island, Mexico, northern point looking south with Middle and South Islands in the distance, aerial photograph.
Clipperton Rock, a 95' high volcanic remnant, is the highest point on Clipperton Island, a spectacular coral atoll in the eastern Pacific. By permit HC / 1485 / CAB (France).
Dawn breaks over the Bentonite Hills in the Utah Badlands. Striations in soil reveal layers of the Morrison Formation, formed in swamps and lakes in the Jurassic era. Aerial panoramic photograph.
Aerial photo of the San Rafael Reef at dawn. A fold in the Earth's crust leads to this inclined section of the San Rafael Reef, at the eastern edge of the San Rafael Swell. Clearly seen are the characteristic triangular flatiron erosion patterns that typical this formation. The colors seen here arise primarily from Navajo and Wingate sandstone.
Webster Point, Santa Barbara Island, aerial photograph.
Point Bennett, San Miguel Island, aerial photograph.
Mother and calf southern right whale stir up sand in shallow water, aerial photo. The water is so shallow that just by swimming the mother and calf can stir up the sand beneath them.
Aerial View of Vatu-i-Ra Coral Seascape, Fiji.
Middle Coronado Rock Island, aerial photo.
Balaklava Island at sunset, aerial photo, Vancouver Island, Canada.
Ten southern right whales very close to shore, including four calves and a rare white calf, people watching from the beach, Playa El Doradillo, aerial photo, Patagonia, Argentina.
Sunrise over The Mount Soledad Cross, a landmark in La Jolla, California. The Mount Soledad Cross is a 29-foot-tall cross erected in 1954. Aerial photo.
Seymour Narrows with strong tidal currents. Between Vancouver Island and Quadra Island, Seymour Narrows is about 750 meters wide and has currents reaching 15 knots. Aerial photo.
Aerial photo of gray whale calf and mother. This baby gray whale was born during the southern migration, far to the north of the Mexican lagoons of Baja California where most gray whale births take place.
Gray whale blowing at the ocean surface, exhaling and breathing as it prepares to dive underwater.
Blue whale swims at the surface of the ocean in this aerial photograph. The blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth, exceeding 100' in length and 200 tons in weight.
La Jolla Caves and the Coast Walk, La Jolla. Aerial panoramic photograph.
Amtrak train over San Elijo Lagoon, Encinitas.
Blacks Beach and Mushroom House, aerial photo.
Fletcher Cove and Solana Beach Aerial Photo, aerial panorama of Pillbox and Solana Beach coastline.
Solana Beach and Del Mar dog beach, aerial panoramic photo.
Swamis Reef viewed from above, Encinitas, California.
Laguna Beach Coastline including Views South to Three Arch Bay, Aerial Photo.
Childrens Pool Reef Exposed at Extreme Low King Tide, La Jolla, California. Aerial panoramic photograph.
Los Penasquitos Lagoon and Torrey Pines State Beach, aerial photo.
Childrens Pool seawall and Casa Cove aerial photo, La Jolla, California. Sunset. Aerial panoramic photograph.
Point La Jolla and Scripps Park aerial photo, sunset, sea lions and sea gulls and tourists looking down on Boomer Beach. Aerial panoramic photo.
San Elijo Lagoon aerial photo, panorama.
Aerial Photo of Point La Jolla and Scripps Park, La Jolla Coastline.
La Jolla Caves and Coastline, Goldfish Point, Aerial Panoramic Photo.
Abalone Point and Cameo Cove, Laguna Beach, Aerial Photo.
La Quinta and Coachella Valley, aerial view, panorama.
Olowalu reef and West Maui mountains, Maui, Hawaii, aerial photo.
Spring Flowers and Grasses above Lake Hodges, aerial panoramic photo, Del Dios and Lake Hodges, San Diego.
Boat Horizon at San Clemente Island.
Boat Horizon at San Clemente Island.
Fantastic colorful sedimentary patterns, Bentonite layers are seen as striations exposed in the Utah Badlands, part of the Chinle Formation formed during the Upper Triassic Period. Aerial photograph.
Cascade Lake near Lake Tahoe, aerial photo.
Fletcher Cove and Pillbox Beach at sunset, panoramic aerial photograph.
Sandstone Fins at sunset, near Moab Utah. Fins like these form in sandstone and eventually some will continue to erode until they form natural stone arches, such as those in Arches National Park.
Atop South Coronado Island, aerial photo.
Punta Colorada and San Gabriel Bay, aerial photo, Isla Espiritu Santo, Sea of Cortez, Mexico.
Middle Coronado Island, aerial photo. Moonlight Cove on the left. Middle Rocks (Middle Grounds) and North Coronado Island in the distance.
Cardon Cactus on Isla San Jose, Aerial View, Baja California.
Torrey Pines balloon aerial survey photo. Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world. Peregrine falcons nest at the edge of the cliffs. This photo was made as part of an experimental balloon aerial photographic survey flight over Torrey Pines State Reserve, by permission of Torrey Pines State Reserve.
Cardon Cactus on Isla San Diego, Aerial View, Baja California.
Aerial Panorama of La Jolla, University City, showing (from left) University of California at San Diego, University City, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla Shores, Point La Jolla, Mount Soledad, in the background some of the mountains to the east of San Diego. The highest peak in the center of the panoram is Cuyamaca Peak (6512') while the rocky peak directly in front of it is El Cajon Mountain (3675').
Stone Steps Beach at Sunset, Aerial Panorama, Encinitas, California.
Coconut palm trees on Clipperton Island, aerial photo. Clipperton Island is a spectacular coral atoll in the eastern Pacific. By permit HC / 1485 / CAB (France).
Coral Reef at Clipperton Island, aerial photo. Clipperton has healthy, beautiful coral reefs. The white beaches are composed of white coralline rubble. Clipperton Island, a minor territory of France also known as Ile de la Passion, is a spectacular coral atoll in the eastern Pacific. By permit HC / 1485 / CAB (France).
San Miguel Island, aerial photograph.
San Miguel Island south side, aerial photograph.
Anacapa Island, west end, aerial photo.
Anacapa Island, aerial photo.
Anacapa Island, east end, aerial photo.
Aerial photograph of Land's End and the Arch, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Inquisitive southern right whale visits a boat, Eubalaena australis, aerial photo.
Aerial View of Namena Marine Reserve and Coral Reefs, Namena Island, Fiji.
Aerial Photo of North Coronado Island, Baja California, Mexico, viewed from the southwest. The Keyhole, a spectacular narrow cut and underwater tunnel through the island, is seen at the narrow neck of the island. The San Diego and Tijuana coastline is visible in the distance.
Dive Boat Passes Over Coral Reef at Clipperton Island in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, Aerial Photo. Clipperton has healthy, beatiful coral reefs. The white beaches are composed of white coralline rubble. Clipperton Island, a minor territory of France also known as Ile de la Passion, is a spectacular coral atoll in the eastern Pacific. By permit HC / 1485 / CAB (France).
San Evaristo at dawn, panoramic view, a small fishing town, aerial photo, Sea of Cortez, Baja California.
Boat Ambar at Isla San Diego, Aerial View, Sea of Cortez.
Isla San Diego and Coral Reef, reef extends from Isla San Diego to Isla San Jose, aerial photo, Sea of Cortez, Baja California.
Isla San Francisquito, Aerial View, Sea of Cortez.
San Elijo Lagoon Aerial Photo, Encinitas, California.
Falling bluffs and reinforcements, buttressing, Encinitas and Leucadia. These bluffs are coming down, its only a matter of time, but residents spend to prop up the bluffs and keep their homes from falling into the ocean.
Childrens Pool Reef Exposed at Extreme Low King Tide, La Jolla, California. Aerial panoramic photograph.
Wilson Arch aerial photo, Moab, Utah. Wilson Arch has a span of 91 feet (28 m) and height of 46 feet (14 m).
Stone Steps Beach at Sunset, Aerial Panorama, Encinitas, California.
Kapalua Maui with Hawea Point and Namalu Bay, Sunset, West Maui, aerial photo.
Erosion patterns in the Utah Badlands, aerial abstract photo.
Lower Blue Hills Badlands, sunrise, Utah.
Del Mar Coastline and Bridge at sunset, aerial photo, Torrey Pines and La Jolla in the distance.
San Clemente Island aerial photo, Pyramid Head and Balanced Rock at the southern end of the island. San Clemente Island Pyramid Head, the distinctive pyramid shaped southern end of the island, exhibits distinctive geologic terracing, underwater reefs and giant kelp forests.
Boat Ambar and School of Fish, Ensenada el Embudo, Isla Partida, aerial photo.
Isla Las Animas, panoramic aerial photo, Sea of Cortez.
Punta Alta and La Cueva, Baja California, Sea of Cortez, aerial photograph.
Aerial photo of gray whale calf and mother. This baby gray whale was born during the southern migration, far to the north of the Mexican lagoons of Baja California where most gray whale births take place.
Punta Ballena, Faro Cabesa Ballena (foreground), Medano Beach and Land's End (distance). Residential and resort development along the coast near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Isla San Jose, Aerial Photo, Sea of Cortez.
Natural Salt Lake on Isla San Jose, Aerial View, Sea of Cortez.
Sunrise over Isla San Francisquito, Aerial View, Sea of Cortez.
Aerial View of Namena Marine Reserve and Coral Reefs, Namena Island, Fiji.
Boat Ambar at Isla San Diego, Aerial View, Sea of Cortez.
Isla Cayo, Aerial Photo, Sea of Cortez, Baja California.
Predawn Sunrise Light over Isla San Francisquito, Aerial View, Sea of Cortez.
Seymour Narrows with strong tidal currents. Between Vancouver Island and Quadra Island, Seymour Narrows is about 750 meters wide and has currents reaching 15 knots. Aerial photo.
The Children's Pool in La Jolla, also known as Casa Cove, is a small pocket cove protected by a curving seawall, with the rocky coastline and cottages and homes of La Jolla seen behind it.
Honolua Bay in West Maui aerial photo, morning, with snorkel boat at anchor, panorama.
Aerial Photo of Avalon and Catalina Island.
Coastal mountains and clouds, rising above Bedwell Sound (hidden by clouds) and Clayoquot Sound, near Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Old Point Loma Lighthouse, sitting high atop the end of Point Loma peninsula, seen here with San Diego Bay and downtown San Diego in the distance. The old Point Loma lighthouse operated from 1855 to 1891 above the entrance to San Diego Bay. It is now a maintained by the National Park Service and is part of Cabrillo National Monument.
San Diego mountains, with the Sawtooth Mountain Range in the distance, near Mount Laguna.
Jacumba Mountains and In-Ko-Pah Mountains, east of San Diego, showing erosion as the mountain range ends and meets desert habitat.