‘Blackwater diving’: Rarely seen photos of deep-sea creatures at night

Date: April 3, 2021

Source: Michelle Robertson
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It’s known as “blackwater diving,” and it’s bringing to light incredible images of tiny larval fishes rarely seen by the average person’s eyes.

Blackwater diving is nighttime SCUBA diving in “epipelagic environments,” or places in the ocean where it’s light enough for photosynthesis to occur.

A new paper, published this week in the journal Ichthyology and Herpetology, highlights the incredible images created by citizen scientists with a passion for nighttime diving.

The images seen here were created off the coast of Kona, Hawaii, generally with macro lenses that can capture the minuscule sea creatures. The larval fishes are presented alive and in situ, meaning in their habitats — a rare sight for anyone who rarely ventures into the deep beyond.

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