LOOKING BACK- 2014 THROUGH THE LENS

We are most grateful for your support in 2014. Your continued interest in our imagery is instrumental in keeping us afloat in this ever changing, ever challenging, and ever rewarding business. The photomontage above is a pictorial summary of 2014, touching on a few of the amazing things we were fortunate to witness in our ongoing quest to build the most dynamic underwater photo library around. 

We began the year snorkeling with gentle Florida Manatees, and then diving with enigmatic Great Hammerhead Sharks in the Bahamas, creating stunning pictures of this striking species, as well as documenting marine biologists at work. 

After this we turned 180 degrees and crossed the Pacific, all the way to Tasmania to explore truly unique kelp forest and sponge garden habitats, home to rare species such as sea dragons and handfish. Australia's Great Barrier Reef was our studio for photographing curious Minke Whales and colorful coral reef species.

Leaving the South Pacific in the depths of their winter, we were called back to the Bahamas to swim with sea turtles, sharks, and dolphins. Our portfolio from this island nation continues to grow and is sure to impress. Need visuals of Tiger Sharks? How about dozens of wild spotted dolphins in clear water? We have both, and so much more from the Bahamas.

Mexico has long been another favorite of Brandon Cole Marine Photography. We were drawn back to the Yucatan Peninsula in August, timing our visit with the world's largest gathering of feeding Whale Sharks. Epic! Then we took advantage of the freshwater springs to rinse away the saltwater. Slipping into the cenotes opened doors into the shadowy Mayan underworld, a vast network of sunken chambers decorated with stalactites and illuminated by otherworldly light shows.

As 2014 drew to a close we packed up our camper truck and drove north into Canada to behold the saga of the sockeye salmon. After four years at sea, these red and green super fish have survived a gauntlet of obstacles to return to the freshwater streams in which they were born. Their mission- to spawn and die. It's among the most inspirational stories we've ever covered. We can't wait to show you the new photos and video footage. 

     

Now it's time to submerge once again. First stop for 2015 is Egypt's Red Sea, to photograph dugongs, cousins to the manatees we met exactly one year ago. After that, the coral kingdom of Indonesia beckons, specifically Komodo and Flores, marine biodiversity hotspots both. Assuming we come up for air, we have a date with basking sharks in the UK. Then humpback whales in Tonga, great white sharks in Mexico, California kelp forest critters... you get the picture. With your partnership, we'll do our best to bring back new pictures to help bring your projects to life.

ARTICLE ON DIVING THE SOCORRO ISLANDS

Our article on scuba diving in the Socorro Islands of Baja, Mexico was recently published in Diver Magazine. These islands, far out in the Pacific Ocean, are home to giant manta rays, sharks, and huge schools of fish- hence the story name "Mexico's BIG Animal Mecca." On our last photo expedition onboard the superb Solmar V live-aboard boat, we also encountered dolphins, yellowfin tuna, and even a whale shark, in addition to the resident friendly mantas, a huge pack of silky sharks, baitballs, and much more. Photos from these remarkable islands (officially called the Revillagigedos) can be seen on our web site.

Besides the Socorro Islands, the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean region also contains world famous diving hotspots such as the Galapagos Islands, Cocos Island, and Guadalupe Island- the planet's top spot to cage dive with great white sharks. Over the last 25 years we've worked extensively in these waters, resulting in a very strong collection of dramatic imagery. And we'll be back! In fact, we're returning to Guadalupe in 2015 on the Solmar V to come camera to face with apex predator Carcharodon carcharias. Click here to learn which infamous fish bears that name.

ARTICLE ON MINKE WHALES IN AUSTRALIA

A new article with photos about my Minke Whale adventure during my June trip to Australia has just been published in Scuba Diving Magazine. Here's a link:

http://tinyurl.com/oukf9rt

NEW MAGAZINE COVER CREDITS

We returned home from a very busy summer with scuba diving and snorkeling photo expeditions all over the world to find that a number of magazines have recently featured our marine photographs on front covers. Here's one showing a photograph of humpback whales underwater from Tonga:

And another new magazine cover showcasing a curious harbor seal picture from California:

And another image from our marine stock photo library, that of a great white shark from South Africa:

And another photo, proof that our portfolio also includes animals in freshwater, schooling pink or humpback salmon in spawning coloration:

Contact us to tell us which photos of finned and flippered wildlife you need for your project. It will be our pleasure to assist.

PHOTOGRAPHING IN MEXICO'S CENOTES

Melissa and I recently returned from Mexico, where we were working underwater underground in the cenotes, sinkholes leading to caverns and passageways snaking below the jungle. Our good friend Hedrick Rivero joined us in exploring chambers decorated with amazing stalactites and stalagmites. I am editing the pictures now. Thanks to Hedrick for this picture of me photographing Melissa in the Mayan Underworld.

To see cenote photos from a previous expedition, use the following link. New pictures will be posted to our web site soon.

http://tinyurl.com/lllpe7t

WILD DOLPHINS IN THE BAHAMAS

We're back in the Bahamas, swimming with the amazing wild spotted dolphins. They have always been one of my favorite photo subjects, and have been the focus of many expeditions over the last 20 years.

To see more of our photos, visit our web site:

http://tinyurl.com/2s6w88

TASMANIA- EXPLORING KELP FORESTS AND DEEP SPONGE GARDENS

In June we explored oceans Down Under, enjoying two weeks of scuba diving in the temperate waters off the east coast of Tasmania, Australia. Lots of amazing new critters for us, and very interesting habitat including deep sponge gardens and giant kelp forests. New pictures will be posted to our web site in due time.

ARTICLE IN OUR LOCAL PAPER, AND AWARD FROM RANGER RICK

Thanks to Rich Landers of the Spokesman for the interview:

http://www.spokesman.com/outdoors/stories/2014/may/01/deep-perspective/

AND to the world's greatest children's magazine Ranger Rick for recognizing me as Photographer of the Year.

http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick.aspx

Happy Spring everyone!

INTERVIEW WITH SHARKS 4 KIDS

While in the Bahamas last month photographing great hammerhead sharks, I dived with friends and filmmakers Jillian Morris and Duncan Brake. Jillian runs "Sharks 4 Kids", a great educational site helping to share the magic of sharks with children all over the world. Jillian and I discussed our shared fascination with sharks. Check it out!

And check back with us shortly for a new batch of super up-close and personal pictures of Sphyrna mokarran. I am preparing the images now and will soon post them on our web site.

INDONESIA PHOTO ON FRONT COVER OF TAUCHEN MAGAZINE

 

As I've said many times, the seas are filled with wonderful creatures. Including real live mermaids! Here is my favorite, Melissa, swimming along a reef ablaze in soft corals, deep in the heart of Indonesia. This photo was just published in Europe's leading scuba diving magazine, Tauchen. We've worked with them countless times over the last 20 years. I'm sure that Melissa has graced the cover at least 20 times! Indonesia boasts many of the world's richest reefs, and we thoroughly enjoy exploring this hotspot of marine biodiversity. There are more species of coral, fishes, and invertebrates in Indonesia than any other place on earth. We have loads and loads of underwater pictures from Indonesia, hundreds of which can be seen on our web site. 

We will be returning to scuba dive Indonesia in 2015 in the company of a great group of friends from around the world. There are two spaces left on the boat, so if anyone out there is interested in coming aboard to dive into waters dubbed "The Cauldron of Creation", please contact us. Future group diving safaris are likely to include exotic places such as Fiji, the Maldives, Tonga (for humpback whales), Bahamas, and more. Come join us beneath the waves!

GREAT HAMMERHEAD SHARKS

I recently returned from a shoot with Sphyrna mokarran, the Great Hammerhead Shark. To see a gallery of the resulting pictures, please click here.

This is one impressive fish, a solitary giant with a tall curved dorsal fin much like an orca whale. It’s the largest of the eight or nine species of hammerheads (family Sphyrnidae), which are immediately recognizable because of their flattened T-shaped heads. Some scientists surmise it acts like an airplane wing, providing lift during swimming. Certainly this "cephalofoil" enhances mobility, allowing the shark to make extremely tight turns, and the position of the eyes at the outer edges of the "hammer" likely improves stereoscopic vision.
   
Though usually not aggressive, the great hammerhead’s size, averaging 10-12 feet (females are larger than males), demands respect and caution from divers and swimmers. Up until recently encounters were hit and miss, but recent expeditions in the Bahamas Islands of the western Atlantic Ocean have proved reliable for winter-time sightings.
   
The Great Hammerhead feeds on a wide variety of mid-water and bottom fishes, including other elasmobranchs. Most noteworthy is its preference for skates and rays. At night it hunts stingrays, eagle rays, guitarfish and the like, using an amazing technique. Using the side of its hammer, it pins a ray to the bottom, then deftly rotates its head to the side and bites off a large chunk of the prey’s wing. The pin-spin-and-bite attack continues until the skate or ray is consumed.

These dramatic new images of great hammerhead sharks add to our legacy pictures of this enigmatic species. I will be returning to Bimini in the Bahamas in a couple of weeks to spend more time photographing this remarkable shark.

ROCA PARTIDA ONLINE PHOTO GALLERY

RM40291-D. Underwater stock photograph of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacores), large (1.2 meter long) males with spawning coloration and banded pattern chasing females just before they releases eggs for them to fertilize. Socorro Islands, Baja, Mexico, Pacific Ocean.

Roca Partida is, in my opinion, one of the best scuba diving sites in the world. Far offshore Mexico's Baja Peninsula, this remote rock is a magnet for big marine life- whales, dolphins, big fish like tuna, manta rays, sharks, sharks, and more sharks.  It is a challenging dive, with potentially strong currents, open ocean swell, and deep. A selection of our underwater images from Roca was recently published on-line at FishTrack:

http://www.fishtrack.com/features/roca-partida-revealed_105633

Wait for 15 seconds, then move through the photos and read our captions to experience this unique place beneath the waves.