Beauty in Blackwater

November 13, 2017 4:05 PM

Stunning photos of critters who only surface from the depths at night.
posted by MovableBookLady (15 comments total)

Beautiful and nightmarish.
posted by Fizz at 4:37 PM on November 13, 2017

I approve of animals being measured in terms of iPhones and Danny Devitos.
posted by The otter lady at 5:00 PM on November 13, 2017 [10 favorites]

The pictures are beautiful, but there is no way you could pay me enough to go night diving.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:00 PM on November 13, 2017

Oh the translucence is bewitching. I’m somewhat afraid of the deep, but to go down and see this wonder for myself... I think I’ll have to just enjoy these wonderful photos.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 5:01 PM on November 13, 2017

Thank you for this, they are amazing.
posted by jeather at 5:07 PM on November 13, 2017

These are the creatures that you see. Now imagine the ones that you don't.
posted by SPrintF at 5:24 PM on November 13, 2017 [2 favorites]

Gorgeous.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:00 PM on November 13, 2017

So beautiful and delicate! I love that he gave us an idea of their size...I never would have guessed they were all so small given just the photos with no context. Thank you for sharing something so naturally smile worthy!
posted by floweredfish at 6:26 PM on November 13, 2017

This is so beautiful. Thank you.
posted by limeonaire at 6:55 PM on November 13, 2017

¡Qué bonito! Thanks!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:13 PM on November 13, 2017

These are wonderful, but count me among the folks who think "swimming in the ocean at night" is the scariest place in the world.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 7:27 PM on November 13, 2017 [1 favorite]

It’s actually a very simple dive; when I went in Hawai‘i it was as a group of 6 plus dive master, we jumped in the water, clipped ourselves to rope so we wouldn’t descend too far (thus avoiding decompression issues), we all had flashlights tethered to us that we were instructed not to turn off, and it was super fascinating.

As for the depth, I think it was like 6000 feet of water below us.
posted by mikhuang at 10:00 PM on November 13, 2017

Loved this. :)
posted by mordax at 11:11 PM on November 13, 2017

Even just night snorkeling is worth a try, as the fauna changes significantly (both in terms of who shows up and of how they behave) from daytime. If the open ocean’s too much to think about, a shallow warm spot and a wide-angle torch make for a really unforgettable experience (our latest was in Assos, on Kefalonia).

Amazing photos - they remind me of some of A. Semenov’s White Sea pictures; thanks for the post.
posted by progosk at 12:13 AM on November 14, 2017

I did a night dive once in fairly shallow water near shore with a good flashlight (and a backup). We stirred up the bioluminescence. We gazed upward through the water at the moon shining through and we attracted dogfish with our lamplight. It was fun but also a bit creepy. These photos are amazing!
posted by amanda at 12:48 PM on November 14, 2017 [1 favorite]