In honor of World Oceans Day I decided to revisit some of my "rejected" underwater images from last year's dive trip in Kona, Hawaii. While you take the time to enjoy these images, please consider supporting efforts to clean up and protect our oceans! Organizations like @sealegacy and @lonelywhale work to educate and inspire the world to protect our oceans. Please consider checking them out and donating if you can (click on the links... seriously... they're right there... no Googling necessary, I did the work for you)!
I LOVE diving and being the in the water, so the saddest part of this dive trip was seeing the increased coral bleaching. We had visited Maui the year before and barely noticed the bleaching. The difference in one year was astounding. After talking to our dive guides we discovered that the year over year difference is huge but the most alarming thing is the difference they see in just mere months. And the pace is only picking up! Please help protect these beautiful animals. If you don't want to do it for them, then do it for me! I'd love to keep diving and snapping pictures of healthy reef systems around the world ;)
Manta Ray in black and white. The lights placed on the sea floor attract plankton at night. Then the Mantas come and feed on the plankton. This Manta has a mangled cephalic fin, likely due to getting caught in fishing line. We were told he/she will likely lose the fin. One of the greatest threats to Mantas is over fishing. Please consider consuming seafood from responsible and sustainable sources.
Spotted eel on the move.
Swimming away from me... typical.
This Lipstick Tang was particularly friendly... actually let me snap a few decent shots.
I can't describe how majestic and humbling it is to watch a Manta Ray soaring over your head.
Pyramid Butterfly Fish
When shooting Mantas with a 50mm lens... Anyway, the markings on the belly of a Manta help identify them since no two Mantas have the same markings. There's a data base for the Mantas spotted off Kona but I'll admit I've been too lazy to look this one up...
Ok, so this was taken in the pool... but its cute! Let's protect our oceans so our kids can enjoy them for years to come!
And now back to your regular scheduled programming... wedding sneak peek next week followed by New Zealand Day 2!