Adam Hanlon:
A grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) shows its teeth as it lies in the kelp. It would be easy to think that this is a sign of aggression, but in fact this was an invitation to interact with the seal. Part of this involved gentle mouthing!
Adam Hanlon:
Hammerheads make a mess of the visibility! These sharks use their "hammer" or cephalofoil to obtain information about their environment and to locate prey. It is packed with electro and chemo sensors. They sweep along the sea bed, sensing prey that may be
Adam Hanlon:
A Polycera quadralineata nudibranch strikes a pose on a kelp frond. Species from temperate regions of the world still display the bright colorations of their warmer water relatives.
Adam Hanlon:
The huge, dense schools of bait fish swirling over this barrel sponge literally blocked out the light. This created a monochrome light, which suited a conversion into black and white. Raja Ampat, Indonesia.
Adam Hanlon:
A beautiful whale shark (Rhincodon typus) ram feeds in the plankton rich waters north of Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Every year hundreds of these amazing, gentle animals gather off the island. You can join Wetpixel to snorkel and photograph them this year in la
Adam Hanlon:
A striated or "hairy" frogfish (Antennarius striatus) waves its esca or lure in an attempt to attract prey. Some think that the fish's "hairs", which are actually dermal spinules, are designed to make them look like urchins. My experience is that they ar
Adam Hanlon:
A Clark's anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) with a Cymothoa exigua isopod in its mouth. Contrary to popular belief, these so called "tongue biters" do not kill their host fish. They extract blood through the claws on their fronts, causing the fish's tongue
Adam Hanlon:
Do not adjust your set! Vibrant, colorful soft corals are a feature of diving in the Coral Triangle. Reefs not only provide homes for sea creatures , they also protect coatal communities from the effects of storms. Sadly, sea temperature rise and the asso
Adam Hanlon:
A great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) turns nimbly away from me. These large sharks are phenomenally maneuverable, and are able to turn full circle within their own body lengths. These sharks are viviparous, giving birth to litters of between 20 to
Adam Hanlon:
A striped fangblenny (Meiacanthus grammistes) peers out of its adopted home. Charismatic and photogenic, they are equipped with venomous glands that seems to be able to cause an attackers blood pressure to crash when they are bitten. Unlike many venomous
Adam Hanlon:
A small school of ribbon sweetlips (Plectorhinchus polytaenia) seeks shelter in front of a sea fan. These fish are capable of reaching a size of 50cm, and are an important commercial fish stock. This in turn, makes them vulnerable to over fishing. They fe
Adam Hanlon:
"Swallow the World." A "hairy" or striated frogfish (Antennarius striatus) yawns at me. This type of image is actually showing the animal's stress response. The frogfish is showing me its (formidable) mouthparts to warn me off as I have inadvertently got
Adam Hanlon:
Huge schools of bait fish swirl around this coral in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Coral reefs support more species per unit area than any other marine environment, including about 4,000 species of fish, 800 species of hard corals and hundreds of other species.
Adam Hanlon:
A coconut or veined octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) gathers up its shells. These charismatic and intelligent animals utilise shells, coconut husks or other similar objects to provide portable shelter and protcetion. Inthis case, the octopus has decided
Adam Hanlon:
A streaked Chromodoris (Chromodoris strigata) turns away from the camera. The rhinophores allow the animal to make sense of its environment and are complex organs which sense chemicals in the water, as well as currents and water movement.
Adam Hanlon:
Chemical warfare. The white sacks at the ends of this nudibranch's cerata are cnidosacks. The darker areas are digestive canals. These nudibranchs feed on hydriods, which have stinging cells. These are processed by the nudibranch, passed through the disge
Adam Hanlon:
Shark ecotourism can be a powerful force for good. In order for it to work though, local residents have to see the tangible benefit to protecting rather than fishing for sharks. In the case of the Bahamas, operators that employ local Bahamian people, and
Adam Hanlon:
Watched by its attendent remora (Remora remora), a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) gulps down a particuarly dense clowd of fish eggs. Each year, hundreds of whale sharks gather off the coast of Mexico to feed in the plankton rich waters. If you would like t
Adam Hanlon:
That sharks have individual personalities is no suprise to those that spend time with them. This young, female tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) was curious and aprehensive when she came into contact with divers for the first time. She is still visiting div
Adam Hanlon:
A smasher peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) with its brood of eggs. The club like appendages are used to catch gastropods, crustaceans, and bivalves. It is reported to have a "punch" of over 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). This is the fastest
Adam Hanlon:
It's hammer time! A great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) emerges out of the darkness. Much maligned due to their bizarre appearance, there has never been a recorded attack on a human by a hammerhead.
Adam Hanlon:
Soft corals festooned and surrounded with life. Indonesia's Raja Ampat is an epicentre of biodiversity and together with forward looking conservation of the area by the local people, is a jewel in the underwater world.
Adam Hanlon:
Message in a bottle. This veined octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) had decided to use a discarded bottle as a place to shelter. Octopuses are charismatic and intelligent and are likely to be able to adapt to rapid environmental changes. The problem for th
Adam Hanlon:
They went that-a-way....a grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) strikes a (to us) humorous pose. These animals are incredibly adept in the water and despite their cute antics, highly efficient predators.
Adam Hanlon:
Shark mayhem at Tiger Beach! Tigers, lemons and reef sharks all around us. If you haven't experienced it yet, you really should....These sharks futures are precarious. The best way to convert irrational shark fears and hate is to experience these amazing
Adam Hanlon:
So happy that we will be spending time with these amazing creatures again this year. Want to see more whale sharks in one day than Jacques Cousteau saw in his lifetime? If so join #wetpixel in Isla Mujeres this summer....
Adam Hanlon:
Silver vortex. A school of greater barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) swirl the into their customary spiral. Much maligned, barracuda pose no threat to divers and have been observed using co operative hunting techniques, a sign of higher intelligence. Perhap
Adam Hanlon:
Stunning soft corals in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Coral is very sensitive to both temperature and acidity changes. If we disregard the body of evidence supporting climate change, increased CO2 production will make the oceans more acidic. The US president ele
Adam Hanlon:
A great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) shark keeps an eye on me as it swims past. The US president elect has stated that he has no interest in shark conservation, which may make the future for these migratory animals bleak. Taken off Bimini, Bahamas with @
Adam Hanlon:
Amazing amounts of life surround the coral reefs of Raja Ampat. At times, the reef at Magic Mountain was actually obscured by the amazing g schools of fish that surround it. Raja Ampat is an epicentre of marine biodiversity, and thanks to this and some se
