From giant whales and sharks to colourful fish these are the incredible images which offer a glimpse of life beneath the waves.
The mesmerising images were taken by photographer Brian Skerry who risks his life swimming alongside the world’s most dangerous sea creatures.
The intrepid photographer has dedicated years of his life to his aquatic ambition in a bid to showcase the beauty of the world beneath the sea.
Gorgeous: A blue-eyed triplefin fish, whose Latin name is Notoclinops caerulepunctus captured on camera in New Zealand by National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry
Looming: An oceanic white tip shark swimming past a diver in this stunning picture taken by photographer Brian Skerry who travel the world capturing life beneath the waves on film
Unique: Manatees in Florida, whose Latin name is Trichechus manatus latirostris, in clear water with one turning towards the photographer allowing a perfect picture of its strange thick wrinkled skin
The daring photographer, 50, regularly delves into the depths of the unknown coming face to face with southern right whales and notorious predators including the oceanic white-tip shark.
Brian, from Boston, USA, began scuba diving when he was just 13-years-old and quickly fell in love with the ocean.
He bought his first underwater camera two years later and has been exploring and photographing the world’s oceans ever since.
He said: ‘I’m mostly an ocean explorer, I think there’s something mystical about the ocean and I’ve been drawn to it from a very early age.
‘Underwater photography is extremely challenging, you can’t use a telescopic lens you need to get up close to your subjects, light is tricky and you are working in an alien environment.
Brave: National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry gets to travel to amazing locations, but as this picture of his boat surrounded by aggressive Tiger Sharks, he faces many risks swimming alongside the worlds most dangerous sea creatures
Fearsome: An Oceanic Whitetip shark in the outer islands of The Bahamas captured by the intrepid photographer has its next meal is about to disappear between its huge jaws and into its cavernous mouth
Majestic: While most people would run a mile, photographer Brian Skerry was determined to get up close and personal with these Caribbean Reef Sharks in The Bahamas to get these close up shots
Glides: A short-tailed stingray, which is usually found off South Africa and can grow to more than 6ft wide, swimming through an underwater canyon
‘But there’s something stunning about underwater photos, the ocean is like a giant kaleidoscope it’s always changing and you can capture some of that through pictures.’
Brian now spends his life traveling across the globe in search of the most beautiful sea life.
He sometimes spends up to two to three months on location exploring and photographing the everything from Manatees in Florida to harp seals in the Arctic.
And he has recently written a book called Ocean Soul which documents his underwater experiences and discoveries over the last 35 years.
Brian said he finds exploring and photographing the ocean a challenging yet humbling experience.
Keen eye: A brightly coloured fish captured peeking out of a rusted old soft drinks can that had settled on the sea bed provided Brian Skerry with another opportunity to capture a beautiful picture
Beneath the waves: It can take months in each location searching for the perfect pictures, the most impressive fish and best reefs to achieve Brian Skerry’s impressive results
He said: ‘You never know how things are going to go with animals underwater. To be in the presence of a giant whale, a shark or a seal is quite humbling.
‘They are allowing you to get very close to them, the animal is tolerating you, it’s curious about you.
‘I think all the animals I photograph have a curiosity about me, I hope I give a vibe which isn’t intimidating.
‘But there’s always a healthy fear inside of me and I need to be cautious and wise, because after all these are wild animals.
‘It’s amazing and wonderful to be in the presence of these animals and it’s a huge testament to them to let me get so close.
‘You have to listen to the voice inside of you and the vibe you get from an animal. There’s always other dangers too, your equipment could malfunction or you could lose your exit hole when diving beneath the ice in the arctic.
‘But I’m always trying to do what I can to prepare, I try to do as much homework I can to understand the behaviour of the animals I’ll encounter and the conditions and dangers of the place I’m photographing.’
Scale: A huge 50 tonne Southern Right Whale in waters off the Auckland Islands in New Zealand which despite its size is not aggressive to people
