The Wave

During a National Geographic expedition to explore the Savage Islands, a remote archipelago 200 miles off the coast of Western Sahara, Africa, I observed this seemingly random wave rise from the depths. A true sea monster. The wave never formed to same way twice. We decided to have a look under it and found an amazing uncharted seamount full of life.

Sperm Whales

The Sperm Whale is the largest toothed predator on Earth. Rich in lore and history. I had hoped to photograph this gentle giant on a recent expedition to the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago made up of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. After an exhausting week working in rough seas with poor visibility, I slipped in and drifted with the current into a large pod of calves socializing on the surface. Within minutes, several large adults rose from the depths and encircled me. Moments later they all disappeared back into the deep.

Mother Shark

It took about a week to get comfortable swimming with the Oceanic Whitetip Shark. Considered on of the most dangerous in the sea. I found there demeanor to be more of a curiosity than aggression. It took a few days to find a moment in which I could portray this beautiful shark in a non-threatening way. I couldn't help but notice how incredible sleek and beautiful this pregnant female was. She rose in a split moment to have a look at some seabirds and I found my moment. It’s as if she’s a dancing in the rays of the sun.

Jellyfish

A basketball sized Red Jellyfish cruises effortlessly through the Andaman Sea in Myanmar while acting as a host for juvenile fish who rely on it’s protection. That protection comes at a cost as every few minutes a small skeleton would sink to the bottom.

Wolfpack

The critically endangered oceanic Whitetip shark in one of the ocean’s most elusive and powerful pelagic sharks. I‘ve spent years traveling to Cat Island, Bahamas each Spring to document this small aggregation. I find it difficult to compose photos when there are more than one shark in the water as they move fast and without artistic direction. In this one fleeting moment the pack aligned to composed themselves perfectly within one another.

The Mountain

During a National Geographic expedition to explore the Savage Islands, a remote archipelago 200 miles off the coast of Western Sahara, Africa, I observed this seemingly random wave rise from the depths. It never formed or broke the same way twice. One moment it was a wave and the next a mountain. Once the tide turned the swell was nowhere to be found.

Oceanic Whitetip

A large pregnant Oceanic Whitetip Shark cruises into shallow waters in the Bahamas. Working with biologists we were able to to bring her alongside the boat and view her three pups on a mobile ultrasound machine and apply a satellite tag gently behind her dorsal fin. The hope is to track her and locate the mysterious birthing grounds of this endangered species. Oceanic Whitetip populations have declined by over 90% in recent years due mostly to overfishing and the shark fin trade.

Coral Reef

A deep current runs over a rocky reef in Thailand and turns up the underside of a Sea Anemone. This fleeting moment of motion helps add a small white canvas to frame fish upon and stirs up a murk to the water, helping to add a ghostly depth to the background.

Pelagic Encounter

As you’ll see throughout most of my work, I’m obsessed with the deep blue. While others are largely drawn to rich & shallow colorful reefs, I find the canvas of the open ocean memorizing. Known as the “pelagic zone” the open ocean is akin to a desert. Not much exists out there and apex predators almost always come and give you a close look due to the scarceness of meals. The encounters provide intimate moments with our ocean's most elusive and beautiful creatures. This Oceanic Whitetip comes up to investigate her own reflection in my camera dome port before moving along her way.

Ship Wreck

A rusting long-lining fishing boat find her final resting place atop this hidden shallow reef in poorly charted waters off the coast of Thailand. Her story remains untold as waves pound away at her stern.