A translucent, saucer-like marine animal floats against a deep black background. Its body looks almost like clear glass, with many fine lines radiating from the center to the edge, forming a delicate circular pattern. Resting on the upper surface of the bell is a tiny octopus — the male argonaut — pale and lightly speckled, appearing small compared with the jelly. Several small yellowish particles drift around the animal, and faint bluish highlights trace the jelly’s thin rim, giving the scene a soft, luminous quality. Photo Credit: ©Gregory Rothman 2025

#Stunday
#Underwaterphotography
#Oceanlife
#Jellyfish 🪼
#Blackwaterdive
#EastCoastKin
#Anilao
#Scuba

"A male #argonaut, named Major Tom rides on top of the bell of a crystal jellyfish.

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Two close-up underwater photographs show a small, vividly colored octopus suspended in black water during a nighttime “blackwater dive” in the Philippines. The octopus has a rounded, speckled brown and white mantle (head), large expressive eyes with horizontal slit pupils, and eight slender, curling arms lined with white suckers. Its body glows with subtle iridescence under the camera’s light, revealing fine textures and a speckled pattern. The first image shows the octopus in profile, arms trailing behind like streamers. In the second image, the octopus is more frontal, its arms splayed outward, displaying a dramatic and dynamic posture as it appears to hover in the dark, open water. Photographer credit: ©Gregory Rothman 2024

Two close-up underwater photographs show a small, vividly colored octopus suspended in black water during a nighttime “blackwater dive” in the Philippines. The octopus has a rounded, speckled brown and white mantle (head), large expressive eyes with horizontal slit pupils, and eight slender, curling arms lined with white suckers. Its body glows with subtle iridescence under the camera’s light, revealing fine textures and a speckled pattern. The first image shows the octopus in profile, arms trailing behind like streamers. In the second image, the octopus is more frontal, its arms splayed outward, displaying a dramatic and dynamic posture as it appears to hover in the dark, open water. Photographer credit: ©Gregory Rothman 2024

An octopus, juvenile Veined Octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus), drifts midwater during a blackwater dive in the Philippines.

#BlackwaterDive #UnderwaterPhotography #Cephalopod #Octopus#MacroPhotography
#Photography