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.

MARINE MEGAFAUNA FROM 2013

professional stock pictures of orca whales, schooling silky sharks, mola molas, schools of fish, Florida manatees, whale sharks and dolphins

Happy New Year! 2014 is here. A time to look forward, and think back. As we enter our third decade of exploration beneath the waves in order to bring you the finest in marine photography, we'd like to thank you for your past business... and give you an update as to what we've doing lately, and where we're headed next. 

After early trips in 2013 for sailfish in Mexico, coral reefs in Palau, and shipwrecks in Truk Lagoon, I revisited some of my old haunts to make pictures of marine megafauna.

In the Galapagos Islands I lucked out with the largest bony fish in the sea, the weird Mola Mola, or Ocean Sunfish. Of course my lens was also pointed at sea turtles, rivers of fish streaming past me, and schools of hammerhead sharks. Many trips over many years have helped us build what is certainly one of the world's strongest single photographer portfolios of marine images from this famous archipelago. To see a gallery with some of our new Galapagos pictures, please click here. To browse hundreds more from past expeditions, please click here.

Everybody needs a favorite animal (or two). Mine would have to be the killer whale ( and octopus). I have spent so many weeks with killer whales over the last 25 years that I believe I've developed the special skills (and patience) to create dramatic photography which jumps out from the crowd. On my most recent orca expedition I was rewarded with some amazing action, and subtle beauty, in the wee hours at dawn and dusk. Follow this link to click through new selects. And this link to explore the full library.

Another subject for which we're known as experts in the underwater field is Mexico. Even after more than 50 expeditions, it remains a very productive (and fun) place to encounter Senor Bigs. In June I spent two weeks 250 miles offshore Baja in the Socorro Islands. Sharks, tuna, and mantas were on the shot list, and I scored with all three. Especially noteworthy are pictures of dolphins interacting with a whale shark, huge yellowfin tuna rocketing through the current, and a pack of silky sharks annihilating a baitball. Being in the middle of some 150 to 200 excited sharks made for a very interesting few minutes before a little voice in my head told me to get out of the water. We've created a gallery showcasing new images here. And we're sure you'll like to see more Mexico images here, including sailfish, sea lions, and great white sharks.

We're now shooting (and licensing!) underwater HD video clips. To view a few from Socorro, left click the following:  video clip 1  video clip 2  video clip 3

I closed out the year with a short trip to Florida to photograph manatees. These "smiling potatoes with flippers" are super gentle and sometimes quite curious, even friendly, making for a brilliant, easy snorkeling encounter with megafauna. We've added the new pictures to our stock collection and invite you to take a look on our web site.

What does the new year holds for us? How about great hammerhead sharks in the Bahamas. More manatees in Florida. Tiger and lemon sharks. Spotted Dolphins. Unique southern hemisphere temperate species in the kelp forests and sponge gardens of Tasmania. Minke whales in Australia. Whale sharks in Mexico. Giant Bluefin Tuna. And no doubt additional adventures yet to bubble up to the surface.

2014 is going to be a great year. Please join us on our journey into Ocean, and in our commitment to protect the marine habitat. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

REVISITING FLORIDA'S MANATEE

RQ0672-D. underwater photo of friendly Florida Manatee in Crystal River, Florida

The seas are filled with wonderful creatures. So are the world's freshwater systems. Few animals move back and forth between salty and sweet. Manatees, of the Sirenian tribe, do so with grace and style. I've made many photo trips to west central Florida's Crystal River area to photograph our country's only sirenian, Trichechus manatus latirostris, the endearing, and endangered, manatee. Technically these individuals are a subspecies of the West Indian manatee. They are gray, fat, and just about the coolest marine mammal the non-hardcore diver or snorkeler is likely to meet up-close and personal. In winter months, hundreds of these gentle creatures move from the coastal seagrass beds in the Gulf of Mexico, into Crystal River and its tributaries to rest and feed in the warmer springfed freshwater. On a cold morning, it's not uncommon to find ten or twenty huddled together in the shallow water, sleeping and socializing, staying warm and occasionally swimming right up to you to say hello.

Our manatee photos have been published all over the world, illustrating magazine articles, appearing in advertisements, gracing billboards and book covers, calendars and cards. To see more underwater pictures of Florida Manatees, please visit our web site. We will be happy to help with licensing requests. Select prints are also available for purchase.

LEAPING SALMON VIDEO CLIP

Coho and Chinook Salmon jumping out of river to clear small waterfall, on way upriver to spawn, Washington, USA from Brandon Cole MARINE PHOTOGRAPHY on Vimeo.

A little while back Melissa and I spent a couple days watching coho and chinook salmon fighting their way upriver, on their mission to spawn (and die). The determination of these fish to surmount any obstacle, their dedication and persistence to see their life's journey to the bitter end against all the odds, is one of nature's most inspirational stories. Unfortunately the water clarity was very poor due to heavy rains, so this shoot only yielded topside pictures and video (see clip above). No underwater pictures this time.

We have, of course, photographed this icon of the Pacific Northwest many times over the years, and have been fortunate enough to create many underwater salmon photos, some of which you can see on our web site using the following link:

http://tinyurl.com/q6752x6

REEF LIFE SLIDESHOW AND BOOK SIGNING EVENT

Thanks to everyone who attended the slideshow and book signing event last night at Aunties. Lots of fun!

We've just heard that our new book "Reef Life" has sold more than 5000 copies already. Thanks very much to all of you who have purchased one. This book was a massive endeavor and your support means a lot to us. If you do not have it yet, or want another for friends or family (Christmas is looming), please contact us (email: brandoncole@msn.com) and we'll be happy to send a signed copy to you for $30 ($5 less than list price). Of course it is also available on Amazon (super discount at $25, but unsigned) at the link below:

http://tinyurl.com/mentb9c

If you like "Reef Life", please leave a comment/write a review on Amazon. Then notify us, and we'll enter your name into a drawing where the winner (selected randomly by Melissa, so you know I'm not cheating) wins a free print (8x10, 8x12, or 11x14 size) of a photo from the book. Or another photo from our library of underwater photography- your choice!

Thanks again and please help us sell another 5000 copies!

KILLER WHALE PHOTO TRIP

Me piloting Charybdis into the storm

I recently returned from yet another orca whale trip. I think I've spent something like 50 weeks of my life in pursuit of killer whales, my favorite animal. Very near and dear to me, as I began my career 20 years ago with killer whales. Amazing creatures.

People often ask what it's like. I usually say something like "hours, sometimes days of boredom, punctuated by a few moments of magic..." That pretty much sums it up. Normally I do these trips by myself. Melissa has accompanied me a few times, but it's getting tougher these days because she is so busy with her art. Fun to remember that a week of whales in the San Juan Islands was our first date...

This time I was accompanied by a good friend, Frank WEST (http://frankwest.ch/), a superb photographer from Switzerland. We met in South Africa a few years ago, while chasing great white sharks. He told me that he's always wanted to spend time with orcas, so it was my pleasure to show him around.

Below is an excerpt from my trip log, a "day in the life" sort of accounting. It's not movie material, but it certainly gives you an idea what goes on behind the scenes. After the text, you'll find a link to new orca pictures from this trip.

Thanks so much to Frank for being such a great partner on this expedition. And thanks, as always, to the whales.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD- SEPT 10, 2013

5am- Wake up early, again. 4 fitful hours of sleep is not enough for me anymore. Maybe when I was 25, but not anymore.

6am- On the water, surrounded by fog. Really thick. It’s been like this most mornings. Can’t see more than 20 yards or so, and with a maze of islands around us, no choice but to pull out the old crappy handheld GPS. We meander through a foggy sea for a while. Cold this morning.

7amish- Almost collide with an island. GPS doesn’t have this island on its map… Hum… I know about where we are. Philippe is kind enough not to ask me if we’re lost. We’re not, but I don’t know exactly where we are. As it’s low tide, and I’m worried about rocks, best to shut down and wait.

7:30am- Fog begins to tear apart, and we start motoring again. I get my bearings and plot the day’s course. Surprise! A group of transients off the end of Gooch Island, near the beacon. 5 whales, one big male, one tiny newborn, and three others. Pretty sure I’ve seen these guys before, but can’t recall the exact ID.

8am – 12 noon. No more fog, nice sunshine now. Transients slowly working south, obviously hunting. After a nice spyhop, still with golden morning light, we follow them into a bay. We see them investigate a number of kelp beds, circling rocks, looking for harbor seals probably. Yes, definitely harbor seals. Witness two different attacks, lots of splashing around, saw the seal frantically trying to escape. Not 100% sure, but I think the last attack were successful. Unfortunately I can’t make any photos which really show the attack.

Amazing to watch these whales go to work. The orca pod worked together effectively, surrounding the prey, even creating waves trying to swamp seals and knock them off the rocks. One orca makes stealthy approaches into the shallows, almost sliding up into a tidepool where petrified seals are cowering. Whales celebrated a bit after the kill, playing at the surface, tail slapping, etc. Very young calf leaps out of water with mouth open. All 5 play under the boat, rolling upside down and blowing bubbles. We don’t have underwater cameras ready, so all we can do is watch, enjoy the moments.

Afternoon. After leaving the transients in search of resident whales, hours pass with nothing. Zig zag all over the place, covering about 60 miles without any sightings. Where are the other whales we saw yesterday?

Dinnertime, but of course we’re still on boat, and looking for whales, not eating dinner. That might happen later, depending on how tired we are when we return. Finally at about 6:30 we see some fins far away, way south of the south end of San Juan Island. Water is fairly calm, so we decide to stick with them til sunset. About 15 whales here, spread out. J and K pod members. I’ve known some of these whales for 20 years… No breaching or spyhopping tonight, just fin shots as the sun sinks and the water glows orange. Wonderful to be out here alone with the whales, listening to them breathe.

8pm. We have a long way to go, about 35 miles to reach the dock. Time to say goodnight to the whales, top off the gas tanks. Put on the warm jackets. It’s going to be cold tonight. Speeding back north, I wonder if we’ll find the whales tomorrow…

9:30pm Things were going fine up until half hour ago, until the last few miles, when we had to slow down and navigate by gps and use the spotlight to find our path through the darkness, avoiding the sandbar, rocks, and floating debris. Pull into the dock and tromp up the ramp. Not looking forward to filling up gas tanks. Just want to sleep.

10:30pm. Back in hotel room. Too tired to eat. But have to download pictures and take care of some computer work. Need to send a picture to a client. And charge batteries and get some things ready for tomorrow.

1am. Lights out. But only for 4 hours. Start the whole thing over again soon…

END OF NOTES

SELECTION OF KILLER WHALE PHOTOS FROM THIS TRIP:

http://www.brandoncole.com/WEBGALLERIES/Orcas2013_600pixel_BrandonCole/