If there are kelp forests underwater, there are also undersea meadows of green, brown and red algae (often referred as seaweeds). And red moki (Cheilodactylus spectabilis) is their “cow”. Grazing slowly, alone, in pairs or small groups. When the feeding is over, they hide in small crevices or under overhangs and sleep with open eyes. […]
When I saw this image, I realised why my mask had been leaking during that dive. The seal of the mask goes over my neoprene hood. I usually check if my mask sits properly on my face … actually I believe I did the check before that dive as well. It seems I was too […]
I am not a fan of selfies. However, I often dive alone, especially in shallow coastal areas. If I want to have a diver in a picture, it has to be some sort of a selfie. That’s why most of my pictures with divers look similar … a head with the upper torso and the […]
The picture was created in Goat Island marine reserve near Leigh, New Zealand. It’s a great place to photograph snapper there, the reserve has a resident population of these fish, from babies to old patriarchs. Snapper are fished heavily along the NZ coast, so it’s quite difficult to approach them underwater. Not so in the […]
Australasian snapper Pagrus auratus (or Chrysophrys auratus) is perhaps the most popular fish among the fishermen and spearfishermen in New Zealand. It is a commercially important species, both for the commercial and recreational industries. The result is in the coastal areas it is more-or-less fished out. Also the fish are very shy and keep the […]
Recently when I went for a shore dive in Goat Island marine reserve, I did not swim toward the island, but a bit to the left from it. After a relatively long swim the usual flat rocky reef ended suddenly. It was replaced by a flat sandy bottom with these rocky pinnacles. The visibility was […]