Water Photos

Breaking wave, fast motion and blur, The Wedge.
Location: The Wedge, Newport Beach, California
Image ID: 14355  

Blue whale underwater closeup photo. This picture of a blue whale, the largest animal ever to inhabit earth, shows it swimming through the open ocean, a rare underwater view. Since this blue whale was approximately 80-90' long and just a few feet from the camera, an extremely wide lens was used to photograph the entire enormous whale.
Species: Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
Location: California
Image ID: 27299  

North Pacific humpback whales, a mother and calf pair swim closely together just under the surface of the ocean. The calf will remain with its mother for about a year, migrating from Hawaii to Alaska to feed on herring.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 00140  

Guadalupe fur seals, floating upside down underwater over a rocky reef covered with golden kelp at Guadalupe Island.
Species: Guadalupe fur seal, Arctocephalus townsendi
Location: Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Baja California, Mexico
Image ID: 02113  

Adelie penguins leaping into the ocean from an iceberg.
Species: Adelie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae
Location: Brown Bluff, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica
Image ID: 25005  

Guadalupe fur seal, floating upside down under the ocean's surface at Guadalupe Island, watching the photographer and looking for passing predators.
Species: Guadalupe fur seal, Arctocephalus townsendi
Location: Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Baja California, Mexico
Image ID: 02114  

Breaking wave, Moonlight Beach, Encinitas, morning, barrel shaped surf, California.
Location: California
Image ID: 27975  

Breaking wave, Ponto, South Carlsbad.
Location: Ponto, Carlsbad, California
Image ID: 17679  

Great hammerhead shark.
Species: Great hammerhead shark, Sphyrna mokarran
Location: Bimini, Bahamas
Image ID: 31966  

Two tiger sharks.
Species: Tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier
Location: Bahamas
Image ID: 31875  

Waterfall at Temple of Sinawava during peak flow following spring rainstorm. Zion Canyon.
Location: Temple of Sinawava, Zion National Park, Utah
Image ID: 12450  

Vernal Falls at peak flow in late spring, with a rainbow appearing in the spray of the falls, viewed from the Mist Trail.
Location: Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park, California
Image ID: 12634  

A rainbow appears in the mist of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. At 308 feet, the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River is the tallest fall in the park. This view is from Lookout Point on the North side of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. When conditions are perfect in midsummer, a midmorning rainbow briefly appears in the falls.
Location: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Image ID: 13319  

Grand Prismatic Spring (left) and Excelsior Geyser (right). Grand Prismatic Spring displays a stunning rainbow of colors created by species of thermophilac (heat-loving) bacteria that thrive in narrow temperature ranges. The blue water in the center is too hot to support any bacterial life, while the outer orange rings are the coolest water. Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest spring in the United States and the third-largest in the world. Midway Geyser Basin.
Location: Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Image ID: 13571  

A large, old brown bear (grizzly bear) wades across Brooks River. Coastal and near-coastal brown bears in Alaska can live to 25 years of age, weigh up to 1400 lbs and stand over 9 feet tall.
Species: Brown bear, Ursus arctos
Location: Brooks River, Katmai National Park, Alaska
Image ID: 17039  

A great white shark opens it mouth just before it attacks its prey with a crippling, powerful bite. After the prey has been disabled, the shark will often wait for it to weaken from blood loss before resuming the attack. If the shark looses a tooth in the course of the bite, a replacement just behind it will move forward to take its place.
Species: Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias
Location: Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Baja California, Mexico
Image ID: 19452  

Kelp frond showing pneumatocysts.
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: San Clemente Island, California
Image ID: 00627  

A whale shark swims through the open ocean in the Galapagos Islands. The whale shark is the largest shark on Earth, but is harmless eating plankton and small fish.
Species: Whale shark, Rhincodon typus
Location: Darwin Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Image ID: 01520  

A kelp forest, with sunbeams passing through kelp fronds. Giant kelp, the fastest growing plant on Earth, reaches from the rocky bottom to the ocean's surface like a submarine forest.
Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera
Location: San Clemente Island, California
Image ID: 02411  

A Florida manatee, or West Indian Manatee, swims slowly through the clear waters of Crystal River.
Species: West indian manatee, Trichechus manatus
Location: Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River, Florida
Image ID: 02696  

Horsetail Falls backlit by the setting sun as it cascades down the face of El Capitan, February, Yosemite Valley.
Location: Horsetail Falls, Yosemite National Park, California
Image ID: 07048  

Atlantic spotted dolphin, Olympic swimmer Mikako Kotani.
Species: Atlantic spotted dolphin, Stenella frontalis
Location: Bahamas
Image ID: 00647  

A great white shark swims through the clear waters of Isla Guadalupe, far offshore of the Pacific Coast of Baja California. Guadalupe Island is host to a concentration of large great white sharks, which visit the island to feed on pinnipeds and tuna.
Species: Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias
Location: Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe), Baja California, Mexico
Image ID: 07666  

Mount Rainier is reflected in the calm waters of Reflection Lake, early morning.
Location: Reflection Lake, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Image ID: 28703  

Great White Shark, South Neptune Islands, South Australia.
Species: Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias
Location: South Neptune Islands, South Australia
Image ID: 39139  

Great White Shark, South Neptune Islands, South Australia.
Species: Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias
Location: South Neptune Islands, South Australia
Image ID: 39140  

Great White Shark, South Neptune Islands, South Australia.
Species: Great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias
Location: South Neptune Islands, South Australia
Image ID: 39141  

Australian Sea Lion Underwater, Grindal Island. Australian sea lions are the only endemic pinniped in Australia, and are found along the coastlines and islands of south and west Australia.
Species: Australian Sea Lion, Neophoca cinearea
Location: Grindal Island, South Australia
Image ID: 39155  

Yosemite Valley Tunnel View, Storm clouds at sunset, Yosemite National Park.
Location: Yosemite National Park, California
Image ID: 34542  
Panorama dimensions: 7653 x 12541