Alaska Underwater

The Grunt Sculpin

Grunt sculpins are peculiar little fish with a long snout and they can often be found crawling along the bottom in colder temperate reefs.

Basket Star Feeding

A large basket star, Eucnemis gorgonocephalus, opens its five branched arms to feed in the tidal currents of Alaska's Baranof Island in the Inside Passage.

Crimson Anemone

The pink and orange body and tentacles of a crimson anemone make up this underwater macro image from the Inside Passage of Alaska on Baranof Island.

Giant Pacific Octopus #1

A close-up head shot including the eye and siphon of a giant pacific octopus, one of the most intelligent invertebrates in the world. This image was taken on a SCUBA diving trip to Alaska's Inside Passage in August 2003.

Grunt Sculpin Portrait

Diving along the lush reefs of Alaska's Inian Islands, I found this grunt sculpin which made a wodnerful macro subject.

Giant Pacific Octopus #2

A giant pacific octopus, or GPO, snuggles up on a patch of reef at Dundas Island, Alaska. The suction cups of its eight arms are visible in this close-up underwater nature photo.

Red Flabellina #1

On Alaska's Baranof Island, a dive at Patterson Point led me to this red nudibranch, Flabellina trophina. Nudibranchs make great underwater macro subjects.

Eye of the Beholder

The red irish lord is a scorpionfish which relies on camouflage. This allows a close up approach to fill the frame with the speckled detail of its eye.

Red Flabellina #2

On Alaska's Baranof Island, a dive at Patterson Point led me to this red nudibranch, Flabellina trophina. Nudibranchs make great underwater macro subjects.

Underwater Bouquet

The underwater world is extremely colorful, even in Alaska where this image was made. The dead man's finger sponge dots the reef with other invertebrate life.

Steller Sea Lion Portrait

Steller sea lions are much larger than the sea lions I am used to diving with in California. On a featured dive at Alaska's Yasha Island, a small speck on the Inside Passage, I had a lone encounter with this female pinniped.

Curiosity

An inquisitive steller sea lion comes in tight for a closer look. The acrobatic abilities of pinnipeds is amazing and they are truly in their element underwater. But make no mistake, these are wild animals!

Steller Sea Lion Mughsot

A featured dive at Yasha Island in Alaska's Inside Passage stares directly at the photographer. These large marine mammals also have a strong curiosity and extreme acrobatic abilities underwater.

Open Wide

Aggressive pose from a steller sea lion in Alaska. These sea lions would come in close and open their mouths as a sign of dominance. Often times my camera or my head was in their toothy clutches!

In Your Face

An underwater close up image of a steller sea lion, all nose and whiskers near Glacier Bay in Alaska.

Steller Sea Lions #2

A group of steller sea lions come in close to the photographer during a SCUBA dive at Alaska's Yasha Island. Being underwater with these large marin mammals is quite an experience.

Steller Sea Lions #1

On a featured SCUBA dive at Yasha Island in Alaska's Inside Passage included a large group of steller sea lions swarming around and generally being very curious to see who had visited their underwater realm.

Underwater Bouquet #2

SCUBA diving in Alaska is a truly remarkable experience. The variety of colorful marine invertebrates can rival even the healthiest tropical reefs. Here, the dead man's finger sponge and the octo coral, Gersemia rubiformis, cover the rocky reef off the Inian Islands at the north end of Baranof Island and Glacier Bay.

White Lined Nudibranch #1

Nudibranchs, or sea slugs, are a diver's delight. They come in a myriad of colors and patterns, but this white nudibranch is stark against a black background.