underwater photography of great white sharks, whale sharks, dolphins, scuba divers and other marine life
ocean photos of great white sharks, whale sharks, dolphins, scuba divers and other marine life by Stephen Brunson underwater photography of great white sharks, whale sharks, dolphins, seals, manta rays, scuba divers, turtles and many marine creatures ocean photos of great white sharks and dolphins by Stephen Brunson Award winning underwater photography of great white sharks, whale sharks, dolphins, blue sharks, manta rays, turtles, seals, and tropical fish All about underwater photographer and scuba diver Stephen Brunson underwater photos of great white sharks, whale sharks, dolphins, scuba divers and other sea life by Stephen Brunson free screensavers, free wallpaper, free animations Underwater and ocean links. Reciprocal link exchange

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Great White Sharks reproduce by means of claspers. Great White Shark photographed in Australia - Carchodon carcharias      This photo was taken in Roatan, in the Caribbean. Notice the colorful sponge coral in the picture, common throughout the Caribbean.      Dolphins reach sexual maturity at about 8 Years of age - Tursiops truncatus      Parrotfish feed on plants and Coral during the day; with the extra set of teeth in their mouths, they even ingest the coral skeleton as well as the polyps inside. At night, they find a place to hide; as they have a very strong scent, the parrotfish encloses itself inside a mucous 'cocoon' so it cannot be found - it may take it as much as half an hour in the morning to break out of its own creation.      Coral animals prey on zooplankton not so much for the calories but for the scarce nutrients, especially phosphorous. Through digestion, coral animals release these nutrients to the algae. Coral and algae then seem to cycle these nutrients between them, reducing the nutrient loss to the water.

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In the 1970s the book and movie Jaws introduced millions to the great white shark, making it the most feared and loathed animal in modern history. But in the 1990s the white shark (as it is now officially known) was becoming an animal recognized not for its rare attacks of human beings but for its key role in the oceanic ecosystem. South Africa, most of Australia, the state of California, and the U.S. government have even made the great white a protected animal. The great white shark is an 'apex predator,' the ultimate link in the food chain.      Dolphins weigh 330 - 440 lbs - Tursiops truncatus.      Dual Nudibranchs - crustaceans.      This is the famous Smokey the Barracuda, seen on the cover of skin diver magazine many times.      Great White Sharks are attracted by chum thrown in the water - Carchodon Carcharias

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Great White Shark photographed in Australia - Carcharodon Carcharias      Great White Sharks are found off the coast of South Africa - Carchodon Carcharias      Great White Sharks feed on seals and fish - Carchodon Carcharias      Great White Sharks are found in the south pacific ocean - Carchodon Carcharias      Great White Sharks are attracted by chum thrown in the water - Carchodon Carcharias

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Blue sharks eat great quantities of Squid and Bluefish. They can digest nearly three pounds of fish a day      Mating, which has not been observed, apparently is rough. The female has skin twice as thick as the male, thicker than his teeth are long! What appears to be scars of bites on females are not found on males      Blue sharks can weigh up to 600 Lbs      The playful Bottlenose Dolphin - Tursiops truncatus , found in coastal waters around the world, is one of the best-known and most loved marine mammals      Members of the Ray Family include the common eagle ray ( Myliobatis aquila ), spotted eagle ray ( Actobatus narinari ), and blunt nosed sting ray ( Dasyatis sayii )

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This scuba photo was taken at Grand Cayman Island, in the Caribbean. A picture type I refer to as 'Honeymooners' because the scuba divers are holding hands. Notice the colorful sponge coral in the picture, common throughout the Pacific and the Cayman Islands. I photographed all of these scuba divers and coral reefs with a super wide angle lens, the 15mm lens for the Nikonos V, and a 20mm lens for the Nikon 8008 with the Tussey Housing      This photo was taken in Roatan, in the Caribbean. Notice the colorful sponge coral in the picture, common throughout the Caribbean.      Blue sharks usually seem merely inquisitive and shy, circling around divers and swimmers, but it has attacked people; also blamed for feeding frenzies on survivors of World War II ship sinkings      This photo of scuba divers was taken in Fiji, in the South Pacific. Notice the colorful soft coral reefs in the picture, common throughout the Islands of Fiji.      Coral animals prey on zooplankton not so much for the calories but for the scarce nutrients, especially phosphorous. Through digestion, coral animals release these nutrients to the algae. Coral and algae then seem to cycle these nutrients between them, reducing the nutrient loss to the water.

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Pterois volitans or Lionfish, is a type of scorpionfish, so called for its poisonous spines      This picture was taken in the Chanel Islands off California, where small and large anemones flourish in many different colors      The Blue and Gold snapper, Lutjanus viridis, is known by many names including; the Fourline Snapper and the Blue and Yellow Snapper      Coral is the common name for a large group of marine invertebrates of the class Anthozoa, which also includes sea anemones, in the phylum Coelenterata      This picture was taken in Bonaire, the macro capital of the world. I used a 1:1 macro extension tube, at night, to capture these yellow-orange polyps, which are very abundant in Bonaire

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Many species of seals are hunted for their leather, among them the harbor seal, which lives in northern oceans. At least one species of seal is now extinct, the Caribbean Monk Seal, and the Hawaiian Monk Seal population is estimated to be less than 500. In 1911 an international treaty was adopted by the U.S., Great Britain, Russia, and Japan, establishing effective controls for the preservation of the species.      Whale sharks are pelagic in the tropical seas of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, usually in a worldwide range roughly between 30 degrees north and 35 degrees south.      The sea turtle has a thick, heavy, bony shell covered in platelike scales. In the adult, it is usually olive green or dark brown, marbled, or spotted with yellow.      During its first 50 million years, the sun contracted to approximately its present size. Gravitational energy released by the collapsing gas heated the interior, and when the core was hot enough, the contraction ceased and the nuclear burnoing of hydrogen into helium began in the core. The sun has been in this stage of its life for about 4.5 billion years.      Blacktip sharks, Charcharhinus limbatus, pectoral fins are black-tipped.

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Australian Sea Lions, Neophoca cinera, roams in smaller groups, with one dominant male, breeding on remote mainland beaches and islands south of Australia.      This picture was taken in the Chanel Islands off California, where small and large anemones flourish in many different colors      The sun, by the gravitational effects of its mass, dominates the planetary system that includes the earth. By the radiation of its electromagnetic energy, the sun furnishes all of the energy supporting all life on earth, because all foods and all fuels are derived ultimately from plants using the energy of sunlight - photosynthesis      Herbivorous fish, such as the colorful butterfly fish, as well as sea urchins, sea cucumbers, brittle stars, and numerous species of mollusks, feed on algae. Hiding in the numerous caves and crevices of a reef are predatory animals, cush as small crabs, wrasses, moray eels, and sharks. The numerous microhabitats and the productivity of the reefs support a great diversity of fishes.    Herbivorous fish, such as the colorful butterfly fish, as well as sea urchins, sea cucumbers, brittle stars, and numerous species of mollusks, feed on algae. Hiding in the numerous caves and crevices of a reef are predatory animals, cush as small crabs, wrasses, moray eels, and sharks. The numerous microhabitats and the productivity of the reefs support a great diversity of fishes. 

 

Click here to see Teeth, Claws and Jaws, a 5 minute video by Steve Brunson about the inhabitants and predators of the seas.
This film was featured in the 2006 37th annual San Diego Underwater Film Festival
by the San Diego Underwater Photographic Society at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography Theater.


© Copyright 2008 Stephen Brunson

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