Underwater

Invertebrate Marine Life Underwater Life

Photo of a Corynactis Anemone

The Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific recently arranged to use one of our photographs of the tiny Corynactis californica anemone for a huge wall mural, to be hung in the coming month. It reminded me of how cool these small creatures are, and how many times I have hunkered…

Phil CollaApril 17, 2006

Guadalupe Island Mexico Underwater Photography

Roca del Skip, Isla Guadalupe

Roca del Skip (Skip's Rock) is a dramatic spire at the southern end of Isla Guadalupe (Guadalupe Island) named in honor of the man who has videotaped and explored the submarine haunts of Guadalupe Island more than anyone else. Church Rock (left) and Roca del Skip (Skips Rock, right), near…

Phil CollaApril 13, 2006

Hawaii Humpback Whale Underwater Life Wildlife

Photos of Humpback Whale Bubble Displays

Humpback whales are famous for their use of bubbles to "net" prey, especially in Alaska where coordinated bubble netting among groups of humpback whales is often seen. However, humpbacks also commonly use bubble displays and air releases in their social interactions in warm waters. It is thought the these bubble…

Phil CollaJune 23, 2005

Galapagos Diaries Icons Underwater Life

Whale Shark Photo, Darwin Island, Galapagos

The Galapagos Islands, an Ecuadorian archipelago straddling the equator in the Eastern Pacific, is a remarkable underwater paradise. The central and southern islands hold a wealth of temperate as well as tropical marine creatures due to the mixing of currents there. However, it is the northern islands of Darwin and…

Phil CollaJune 22, 2005

California Natural World San Clemente Island Stories Underwater Life

The Kelp Forest :: Part V

When the goal is simply to swim in and admire a kelp forest, nothing beats the (relatively) warm clear waters of Southern California's San Clemente Island in late summer. On a good day the panorama at San Clemente is stunning: kelp in all directions reaching from seafloor to surface, summer…

Phil CollaJune 12, 2005

California Natural World Ocean Sunfish Stories Underwater Life Wildlife

The Kelp Forest :: Part IV

Further to the south, Santa Barbara and Catalina Island kelp forests offer somewhat less profuse animal life but warmer and clearer waters. While I don't dive these two islands often anymore, I do dive kelp originating from these islands throughout the summer: drift kelp. I was introduced to the notion…

Phil CollaJune 11, 2005

California Natural World San Clemente Island Stories Underwater Life

The Kelp Forest :: Part III

Central and Northern California kelp forests are bathed by cold, nutrient-laden currents. The waters here are generally not clear but are rich with animal life. Invertebrate displays on the rocks below the kelp forest are some of the most profuse and interesting in the world and it is common to…

Phil CollaJune 10, 2005

California Natural World San Clemente Island Stories Underwater Life

The Kelp Forest :: Part II

It is my spirited opinion, one that I enjoy defending over a beer after a long day on the water, that diving amidst giant kelp is the most magnificent diving in the world. I am fortunate enough to have had some amazing experiences underwater -- watching swarms of hammerheads soar…

Phil CollaJune 9, 2005

California Natural World San Clemente Island Stories Underwater Life

The Kelp Forest :: Part I

My first experience with seaweed was as a kid combing the shores of Newport Beach where I grew up. After storms my brother and I would find clumps of the brown stuff pushed up the beach. We would pick through them to pop the small bubbles attached to the leaves.…

Phil CollaJune 8, 2005

San Clemente Island Underwater Life

Seagrass in Motion

One morning while diving at San Clemente Island I was struck by the lackluster light. It was cloudy and dark and I had yet to find any exciting subjects to shoot. I was spacing out in the shallows watching the kelp fishes meander among the weeds when I started fiddling…

Phil CollaJune 2, 2005

Bahamas Sharks Underwater Photography Wildlife

Lemon Shark Photo, Northern Bahamas

On our recent trip to the Northern Bahamas in search of sharks, we encountered lots of lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) alongside the tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier). The lemon sharks were comfortable coming in for a close look and afforded literally hundreds of good photo opportunities on a single 90 minute…

Phil CollaMarch 21, 2005

Bahamas Sharks Underwater Photography

Tiger Shark and Keith Grundy, Northern Bahamas

We recently spent 8 days on the MV Shearwater in the Northern Bahamas, in search of various species of sharks to swim with and photograph. The most impressive of the ones we encountered were the tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier). They ranged in size from 9 feet to perhaps 14 feet,…

Phil CollaMarch 12, 2005

Environmental Problems Humpback Whale Marine Life Ocean Sunfish

Photos of Boat Strikes of Marine Animals

Boat strikes of marine animals are increasingly common, for obvious reasons. It is disappointing to observe a marine animal severely or mortally wounded by a collision with a boat. We have encountered several marine animals bearing unmistakable boat propeller scars: North Pacific humpback whale showing extensive scarring, almost certainly from…

Phil CollaMarch 8, 2005

Sharks Underwater Life

Caribbean Reef Shark Photo

These Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) were photographed a few weeks ago in the northern Bahamas: Caribbean reef shark, ampullae of Lorenzini visible on snout.Image ID: 10550Species: Caribbean reef shark, Carcharhinus pereziLocation: Bahamas Caribbean reef shark.Image ID: 10549Species: Caribbean reef shark, Carcharhinus pereziLocation: Bahamas Caribbean reef shark swims over a…

Phil CollaMarch 4, 2005

California Invertebrate Monterey Underwater Life

Photo of Hermissenda Crassicornis Nudibranch

This photo of a Hermissenda crassicornis, also known as an "Opalescent nudibranch", was shot in the early 90's near Carmel on the Monterey Peninsula. We rented a house in the town of Carmel for a week. Anticipating foggy skies and cold murky water, we did not expect to do much…

Phil CollaMarch 3, 2005

California San Clemente Island Underwater Life

Kelp Fronds and Pneumatocysts

Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is the fastest growing plant in the world. It clings to the ocean floor and grows upward toward the surface, buoyed up by gas-filled pneumatocysts. Growth occurs at the tips of the plant -- the fronds -- which resemble leaves of a terrestrial plant. Kelp frond…

Phil CollaFebruary 28, 2005

California San Diego Sharks Underwater Life

Photo of Blue Shark and Yellowtail

Some years ago I was freediving around an open ocean kelp paddy with Mike Johnson. We were photographing a few blue sharks that we had attracted to the paddy with a small bucket of chum. Two small yellowtail jacks were flanking one of the blue sharks, swimming closely beside it…

Phil CollaFebruary 24, 2005

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Sharks

Smiling Great White Shark

One great white shark photo on our website that is viewed more than almost all others is this one: A great white shark underwater. A large great white shark cruises the clear oceanic waters of Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe). Image ID: 10119 Species: Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias Location: Guadalupe…

Phil CollaFebruary 22, 2005

California Fish Marine Life Underwater Life

Photo of California Sheephead Wrasse

The California sheephead wrasse, Semicossyphus pulcher, is an interesting fish. It begins its life as a female and remains so until adulthood. When the region's dominant adult male dies or leaves then switcheroo! one of the remaining adult females will switch genders to assume the role of dominant male of…

Phil CollaFebruary 13, 2005

California San Clemente Island Underwater Life

Kelp Forest, San Clemente Island

Seen here is the upper 20' of a giant kelp forest. The kelp grows from the ocean floor, 30-100' below, all the way to the surface where it continues growing, spreading out to form a canopy. This species of kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, is the world's fastest growing plant (if you…

Phil CollaFebruary 7, 2005

California San Diego Sharks Underwater Life

Blue Shark Eye to Eye

Blue shark showing ampullae of Lorenzini, eye and small portion of nictitating membrane.Image ID: 01076Species: Blue shark, Prionace glaucaLocation: San Diego, California, USA This is a photograph of a blue shark, Prionace glauca. We bait for them offshore of San Diego, anywhere from 5 to 20 miles offshore (however far…

Phil CollaFebruary 4, 2005

Blue Whale Natural World Underwater Life

The Blue Whale, Largest Animal On Earth

The blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, is the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth. Depending on which expert is cited, blue whales once attained lengths of 100 to 120 feet (32 meters) and have weighed up to 160 tons (145 metric tonnes). Blue whales are found throughout the worlds…

Phil CollaFebruary 4, 2005

California Fish Ocean Sunfish San Diego

Ocean Sunfish Floating On The Ocean Surface

Here's a photograph we licensed today for a book in Australia. Can you guess what the bright white object is? Ocean sunfish.Image ID: 02030Species: Ocean sunfish, Mola molaLocation: San Diego, California, USA It is an OCEAN SUNFISH (Mola mola), laying flat on the ocean's surface, far offshore of the San…

Phil CollaFebruary 3, 2005

Fish Florida Underwater Life

Photo of Mangrove Snapper in Three Sisters Spring

Mangrove snapper. Image ID: 02685 Species: Mangrove snapper, Lutjanus griseus Location: Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River, Florida, USA I spent a week one winter hanging out at the Three Sisters spring in Crystal River, Florida, photographing manatees. Early in the week the weather was cold so plenty of manatees were…

Phil CollaFebruary 2, 2005

California Harbor Seal La Jolla

Photos of La Jolla Seals

Controversy over the La Jolla seals continues. To make a long story short: a group of Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) has taken up residence on the sand at the Children's Pool, a small pocket cove in La Jolla, California also known as Casa Cove. Their presence there has led…

Phil CollaFebruary 1, 2005

Florida Manatee Marine Life Underwater Life

Photo of West Indian Manatee, Crystal River, Florida

A West Indian manatee, also known as a Florida manatee, at the Three Sisters Springs on the Crystal River, Florida. A Florida manatee, or West Indian Manatee, swims slowly through the clear waters of Crystal River. Image ID: 02696 Species: West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus Location: Three Sisters Springs, Crystal…

Phil CollaFebruary 1, 2005

Great White Shark Guadalupe Island Mexico Underwater Life

Sex and the Single Shark

In the world of wildlife study, in which efforts are made to identify and track individual animals over time, researchers can fall prey to the temptation to name their subjects. There is considerable debate about the merits of this, as some scientists feel that assigning names to the animal subjects…

Phil CollaJanuary 30, 2005

Photo of a Corynactis Anemone

Roca del Skip, Isla Guadalupe

Photos of Humpback Whale Bubble Displays

Whale Shark Photo, Darwin Island, Galapagos

The Kelp Forest :: Part V

The Kelp Forest :: Part IV

The Kelp Forest :: Part III

The Kelp Forest :: Part II

The Kelp Forest :: Part I

Seagrass in Motion

Lemon Shark Photo, Northern Bahamas

Tiger Shark and Keith Grundy, Northern Bahamas

Photos of Boat Strikes of Marine Animals

Caribbean Reef Shark Photo

Photo of Hermissenda Crassicornis Nudibranch

Kelp Fronds and Pneumatocysts

Photo of Blue Shark and Yellowtail

Smiling Great White Shark

Photo of California Sheephead Wrasse

Kelp Forest, San Clemente Island

Blue Shark Eye to Eye

The Blue Whale, Largest Animal On Earth

Ocean Sunfish Floating On The Ocean Surface

Photo of Mangrove Snapper in Three Sisters Spring

Photos of La Jolla Seals

Photo of West Indian Manatee, Crystal River, Florida

Sex and the Single Shark

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