A Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) on a blackwater dive off Oahu.
Flabellina nudibranch. Philippines.
Collected pelagic copepod (Sapphirina sp.) - 4.5 mm TL. Hawaii.
Truk's wrecks are covered in orange sun corals that feed at night.
Bigfin reef squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana). Philippines.
Bobtail squid postures to defend itself against the bright beam of my focus light.
Crinoid squat lobster (Allogalathea elegans). Indonesia.
Barred wire coral shrimp (Pontonides sp.). Fiji.
Flabellina iodinea - a common nudibranch in the Channel Islands.
Juvenile octopus reflects off the surface (Octopus sp.) in Papua New Guinea.
Two juvenile jacks swim above a barrel jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo) at night in Truk Lagoon. Barrel jellyfish are very common in Truk Lagoon during the late summer months.
The rare sight of a slipper lobster puerulus on a blackwater dive off Oahu. The puerulus stage is the transitional form from pelagic larva (phyllosoma) to benthic juvenile in lobsters.
Saron shrimp (Saron sp.) in a crevice. Papua New Guinea.
California mussel and purple sea urchins in the lower intertidal zone of Santa Cruz island, California. Purple urchins usually feed on plant matter, such as kelp, but, in tough times when algae is depleted, can also use their heavy-duty teeth to grind through barnacle and mussel shells. With their ability to withstand a wide range of ocean temperatures. purple sea urchins may well be among the ocean’s ultimate survivors. Areas dominated by purple urchins are increasing throughout the Channel Islands.
Porcelain anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes maculosus) on a carpet anemone. Indonesia.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) out and about on a colorful reef. Indonesia.
Fairy crab (Lauriea siagiani). Papua New Guinea.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) fight in the shallows off the Midriff Islands. One octopus is trying to engulf the other entirely.
Anenome shrimp (Periclemenes sp.). Indonesia.
Crinoid shrimp (Hippolyte catagrapha). Philippines.
I found a large aggregation of several hundred moon jellyfish in the lee of a small island in open ocean. Moon jellyfish aggregate under favorable (slack current) conditions to reproduce sexually. Solomon Islands.
A close-up of the of the red pencil urchin's (Heterocentrotus mammillatus) spines and skeleton (test). Hawaii.
A sea elephant (Pterotrachea coronata) at night in the open ocean.
Nudibranch on a tunicate. Indonesia.
Juvenile squid schooling at night. Florida.
Crab close up. Indonesia.
Nudibranch (Chromidoris sp.). Philippines.
An emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator ) on a serpentine sea cucumber. Indonesia.
Blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) juvenile on Halimeda algae. Papua New Guinea.
Saron shrimp (Saron marmoratus). Saron shrimps are quite variable in color and pattern. They may have greenish, brown, or even red, purple or blue markings. Ambon, Indonesia.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha purpureolineata). Papua New Guinea.
Pyrosome at night. Pyrosomes are actually free-floating colonial tunicates made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals, known as zooids. California.
Two-spot lizardfish (Synodus binotatus) with four stages of parasitic isopods. Tonga.
Squid larva feeding on a larval mantis shrimp. Solomon Islands.
Spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus). Bahamas.
A spotted cleaner shrimp (Periclimenes yucatanicus) in a pink-tipped anemone. Bahamas
Peacock mantis shrimp (Hemisquilla ensiger). Papua New Guinea.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator). Philippines.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha sp.) on a tunicate. Indonesia.
Squat lobster in a crinoid. Indonesia.
Squid larva - 12.6 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Anemone hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus). Indonesia.
Two bubble coral shrimp (Vir philippinensis) in an anemone. Papua New Guinea.
Larval squid releasing ink. Papua New Guinea.
Green-eye dancing shrimp (Cinetorhynchus sp.). Fiji.
Juvenile banded mantis shrimp (Lysiosquilla maculata) reflecting off the surface on a blackwater dive in Palau.
Collected unidentifed pelagic crustacean larva. Hawaii.
Flabellina nudibranch. Indonesia.
Two soft corals attached to a giant giant clam (Tridachna gigas) in Palau.
Atlantic triton's trumpet (Charonia variegata) feeding on a cushion sea star (Oreaster reticulatus). Sea stars are the triton’s primary prey item. A trumpet snail paralizes its prey with an injection of toxic saliva, and then bores through the body with its strong teeth. Adult trumpets are heavily collected for their beautiful shells, which has allowed sea star populations to proliferate in recent years. Bahamas.
A cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) at dusk.
Juvenile Hawaiian Saron shrimp (Saron marmoratus) collected as postlarva, raised in my aquarium and photographed in the studio. Hawaii.
Odd looking donald duck shrimp (Leander plumosus) on a coral. Indonesia.
A bobtail squid near the surface at night in Truk Lagoon.
Brain coral (Leptoria phrygia) pattern. Bahamas.
Blue boxer shrimp (Stenopus tenuirostris). Indonesia.
Octopus larva - 9.5 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Decorator crab. Indonesia.
Juvenile saron shrimp near the surface at night in Truk Lagoon.
Swimming pelagic marine copepod (5.7 mm). Hawaii.
Crown jellyfish (Cephea cephea) on a night dive. Crown jellyfish have a deep groove running around the bell, giving them the crown shape from which they take their name. Hawaii.
Shrimp hitching a ride on a colonial radiolarian at night in the open ocean off Oahu, Hawaii.
Reef squid (Cephalapod sp.). Palau.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris willani). Indonesia.
A banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) in the Bahamas.
Mantis shrimp larva - 65.0 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
A flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi) lifts off from the muck in search of food. Indonesia.
Coral pattern. Palau.
Ctenophore (about 2") feeding on a bristle worm on a blackwater dive off Oahu.
Octopus larva - 9.5 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Two giant basket stars (Astrophyton muricatum) at night. Indonesia.
Reef Squid (Sepioteuthis sp.). Like all cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and eight arms. There are around 300 species of squid. Indonesia.
Emperor shrimp or Imperial shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) lives commensally on a number of hosts, including this sea slug: Hexabranchus. Philippines.
Two fairy crabs (Lauriea siagiani). Papua New Guinea.
Bird's eye view of painted spiny lobster (Panulirus vesicolor). Indonesia.
A bright orange bristle star on a soft coral. Tonga.
Hyperiid amphipods riding a jellyfish (hydromedusa) at night in the open ocean.
Anenome shrimp (Periclemens sp.). Indonesia.
Head on shot of spiny tiger shrimp (Phyllognathia ceratophthalmus). Indonesia.
Crab on a softcoral. Papua New Guinea.
A reef squid (Sepioteuthis sp.) in full irridescence. Cephalopods create this amazing camouflage using specialized color changing cells (chromatophores) and reflecting cells (iridocytes) in the skin. Indonesia.
A pair of harlequin shrimps (Hymenocera elegans) feeding on a starfish (Linkia sp.) in Indonesia.
Squid (Cephalapod sp.) under rain drops. Palau.
Dozens of starfish cover a sand bed at Cocos Island. Costa Rica.
Nudibranch (Flabellina sp.). Indonesia.
Yellow spotted guard crab (Trapezia flavopunctata) collected as postlarva, raised in my aquarium and photographed in the studio. Hawaii.
Mating nudibranchs (Nembrotha lineolata). Indonesia.
Head on shot of peacock mantis shrimp (Hemisquilla ensigera californiensis) carrying a large clutch of eggs. Philippines.
Portuguese man-of-war reeling in a damselfish larva at night in the open ocean.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris michaeli). Philippines.
Spider crab (Hyastenus bispinosus) on gorgonian. Fiji.
Squat lobster on a sponge. These decapod crustaceans are not lobsters at all, but are more closely related to porcelain crabs, hermit crabs and then, more distantly, true crabs. Halmahera, Indonesia.
A spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus). Bahamas.
Ctenophore gleaming in iridescence at night in the open ocean.
Flabellina iodinea nudibranch. California.
Head on shot of a shrimp's eyes. Philippines.
Blue starfish and soft coral reef scene. Indonesia.
California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus). California.
Pram bug (Phronima sedentaria) in the barrel of salp.
Flabellina iodinea, a very common nudibranch in the Midriff Islands
Hermissenda opalescens nudibranch in the Channel Islands.
Colorful shrimp doing yoga on a blackwater dive in Truk Lagoon.
Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera elegans). Philippines.
Sea slug (Elysia diomedea).
Soft coral crab (Hoplophrys oatesi). Indonesia.
Nudibranchs (Chromodoris willani) at night. Philippines.
Crab on dendronephthya soft coral. Indonesia.
A salp (pelagic tunicate)(about 2") in the open ocean at night.
Crab megalopa collected in an egg tow. Hawaii.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris lochi). Philippines.
Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera elegans) feeding on a sea star (Linkia sp.). Indonesia.
Bristle star and crabs on a soft coral. Papua New Guinea.
Head shot of a pelagic shrimp. Hawaii.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha kubaryana). Papua New Guinea.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) lives commensally on a number of hosts, including this sea slug: Hexabranchus. Philippines.
Juvenile cuttlefish. Papua New Guinea.
Lobster larva near settlement. Indonesia.
Over-under scene of jellyfish under mangroves in Palau.
Crown jellyfish (Cephea cephea) off Oahu, Hawaii. Crown jellyfish have a deep groove running around the bell, giving them the crown shape from which they take their name. Hawaii.
Starfish. Papua New Guinea.
Spiny brittle stars (Ophiothrix spiculata) became dominant on deeper California kelp beds after the 1998 El Nino and may cover nearly 100% of the bottom in some areas. They are filter feeders and require clean, oxygen-rich water, which makes them a good indicator species for a healthy ecosystem.
Chromodoris kuniei nudibranch. Indonesia.
Collected blue pelagic shrimp. Hawaii.
Pinto Spiny Lobster (Panulirus inflatus).
Jewel anemone (Corynactis virids).
Pelagic nudibranch (about 3/4") on a blackwater dive off Oahu, Hawaii
Collected sea swallow (Glaucus atlanticus), a pelagic aeolid nudibranch. Hawaii.
An octopus larva hitches a ride on a leaf on a blackwater dive in the Solomon Islands.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) fight in the shallows off the Midriff Islands.
Hyperiid amphipod frequently parasitize hydromedusa and other gelatinous animals.
A crinoid (Crinoid sp) looking stylish at night. Indonesia.
A mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) peers out of its den. Indonesia.
Giant marine hermit crab (Petrochirus diogenes ) on a wreck in the Bahamas.
Bristle worm epitoke in the open ocean at night. An epitoke is posterior sexual part of a bristle worm (and other polychaetes) that develops from the anterior asexual part. Epitokes swim to ocean surface and release sperm and eggs during their breeding season.
Head on shot of painted spiny lobster (P. versicolor). Fiji.
Chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius). Papua New Guinea.
Yellow crinoid shrimp. Indonesia.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) on a sea cucumber. Indonesia.
A sea cucumber (Holothuroidea sp.) extends off the reef and releases gametes in the current.
A swimming bristle worm at night. Indonesia.
Crinoid shrimp (Hippolyte catagrapha). Philippines.
Baseodiscus mexicanus, a species of proboscis worm in the family Valenciniidae.
Reef squid in defense posture on a blackwater dive. Solomon Islands.
Saw blade shrimp (Tozeuma armatum) carrying eggs. Philippines.
Collected pink jellyfish (Pelagia species). Hawaii.
Squid (Cephalapod sp.) at night. Palau.
Humpback shrimp (Saron sp.). Fiji.
A reef squid on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
