Show Navigation

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
{ 64 images found }

Loading ()...

  • I photographed this Pachyseris speciosa coral formation in Disney Lake, a saltwater enclosure in the Rock Islands of Palau. The lake is only accessible via a submerged tunnel. The lake and surrounding area is sheltered from wind and waves, and almost no one enters the enclosed area, so some species of coral that are normally fragile are able to grow to large sizes. This coral formation was so thin at its edge that light can shine through. Lit from behind, the lines comprising the coral growth reminded me of flowing volcanic lava. See separate close-up photograph of coral edge detail.
    pachyseris-speciosa-coral-disney-lak...tif
  • I photographed this Pachyseris speciosa coral formation in Disney Lake, a saltwater enclosure in the Rock Islands of Palau. The lake is only accessible via a submerged tunnel. The lake and surrounding area is sheltered from wind and waves, and almost no one enters the enclosed area, so some species of coral that are normally fragile are able to grow to large sizes. This coral formation was so thin at its edge that light can shine through. Lit from behind, the lines comprising the coral growth reminded me of flowing volcanic lava.
    pachyseris-speciosa-coral-disney-lak...tif
  • Large group of sea fans with lots of jewel fairy basslets, at Carl's Ultimate dive site in the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea
    sea-fans-with-jewel-fairy-basslets-P...tif
  • Cute coral crab (Trapezia sp.) in pretty mint-colored hard coral (Acropora sp.)
    cute-Trapezia_crab-in-coral-ambon-20..tiff
  • This is a colony of Lobophyllia corymbosa hard coral engaged in broadcast spawning. Some eggs are visible on the left side of the image, floating through streams of sperm. Nearby colonies of the same species released gametes in synchrony.
    lobophyllia-corymbosa-coral-broadcas...tif
  • This is a colony of Pavona decussata leaf coral, photographed one day prior to spawning.
    pavona-decussata-leaf-coral-japan-20...tif
  • A swarm comprising thousands of orange basslets (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) rising up from an enormous hard coral formation at the top of Lynda's Reef near Nuakata Island in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
    Pseudanthias-squamipinnis-swarm-lynd...tif
  • Colorful Dendronephthya sp. soft coral with fish swimming in the background. Photographed at Surprise Reef near Nuakata Island in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea.
    colorful-Dendronephthya-soft-coral-n...tif
  • A lush, colourful coral formation with soft and hard coral, sea fans and a school of bright-orange fairy basslets at Carl's Ultimate dive site in the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea
    coral-formation-jewel-fairy-basslet-...tif
  • Large sea fan with magenta slender basslets, Eastern Fields, Papua New Guinea. This photograph is a film scan.
    sea-fan-eastern-fields-papua-new-gui...tif
  • Large Platygyra hard coral in shallow blue water in tropical water of Indonesia
    Spherical-Playtgyra-coral-Ambon-2010..tiff
  • This is close-up view of polyps of Alveopora japonica, a small zooxanthellate scleractinian coral that produces large polyps. This species is found in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Recent research suggests that genetic differences among the three populations are large enough to warrant consideration as separate species.
    alveopora-japonica-coral-polyps-japa...tif
  • This is a colony of leaf coral (Pavona decussata) spawning, with streams of sperm being sent into the water column in synchrony with gametes from other nearby colonies of the hard coral.
    pavona-deccusata-leaf-coral-spawning...tif
  • The marine lakes of Palau comprise a plethora of hidden environments and fragile ecosystems, often characterized by delicate formations such as this Merulina sp. hard coral, which was thin enough to be translucent. Photographed inside Disney Lake, located in Nikko Bay, Palau.
    translucent-merulina-sp-hard-coral-d...tif
  • Pontonides sp. commensal shrimp on a curled-up whip coral (Cirrhipathes sp.) formation
    Pontonides-commensal-shrimp-on-Cirrh...tif
  • Wire coral goby (Bryaninops yongei) photographed with a bit of motion-blur to show this fish opening its mouth
    whip-coral-goby-Bryaninops-yongei-mo...tif
  • Plush strawberry sherbet red Dendronephthya sp. soft coral with lots of fish swimming in the background. Photographed at Surprise Reef near Nuakata Island in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea.
    Dendronephthya-sp-red-soft-coral-mil...tif
  • Large, unspoiled staghorn coral (Acropora sp.) viewed from the bottom-up, photographed at Craig's Ridge dive site in Moresby Strait, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
    Acropora-sp-coral-milne-bay-papua-ne...tif
  • Pseudanthias squamipinnis orange basslets with sea fans on top of the arch at The Doghouse dive site in Diving Dog Passage on the Barrier Reef of Papua New Guinea
    Orange-basslets-Pseudanthias-squamip...tif
  • Lionfish patrolling the edge of Suzie's Bommie, a popular dive site accessible from Lololata Island Resort near Port Moresby. This small but healthy reef is always teeming with life, including large schools of sweetlips, thousands of basslets and many other marine organisms. This image is licensed on an exclusive basis to BBC through 29 October 2021.
    lionfish-Pterois-volitans-loloata-su...tif
  • Thousands of Chromis damselfish and Pseudanthias basslets swarming over a healthy Acropora hard coral formation in shallow water at Ashmore Reef in Australian waters.
    Acropora-hard-coral-with-thousands-o...tif
  • Unspoiled orange-yellow sea fan with golden damselfish and orange basslets in the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea
    orange-yellow-sea-fan-anthias-damsel...tif
  • Strong currents around Bangka Island bring nutrients to support sea fans like this. Note the small group of juvenile convict fish at the lower left part of the sea fan. Juvenile convict fish mimic venemous striped catfish (Plotosus lineatus). These fish were mistakenly called convict blennies and convict gobies, but are neither blennies nor gobies.
    red-sea-fan-blue-water-juvenile-conv...tif
  • This is a Dendronephthya soft coral colony growing atop a rock, where currents provide ample nutrient flow. The light in the background is from a scuba diver.
    dendronephthya-soft-coral-japan-2022...tif
  • This is a colony of Lobophyllia hemprichii hard coral engaged in spawning. Hard corals like this release both eggs and sperm at the same time, as seen here.
    lobophyllia-hemprichii-hard-coral-sp...tif
  • Staghorn coral formation at Point P dive site in the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea, with a large school of bigeye trevallies (Caranx sexfasciatus) swimming overhead
    caranx-sexfasciatus-bigeye-trevally-...tif
  • Large, beautiful black coral (Anthipathes sp.) formation at Hukurila Cave in Ambon, Indonesia
    Anthipathes-black-coral-ambon-indone...tif
  • Healthy cabbage coral (Turbinaria reniformis) formation surrounded by basslets, damsels and other tropical reef fish. Photographed at about 15 meters depth on a dive site near Normanby Island in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea that we named Julian's Cabbage Patch because there was so much cabbage coral.
    cabbage-coral-turbinaria-reniformis-...tif
  • Multicolored soft corals inflated to feed in the current passing over Sullivan's Patches, a beautiful coral reef located in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
    multicolored-soft-coral-sullivans-pa...tif
  • When the tides change and the currents run at Carl's Ultimate dive site in the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea, fish of all description swarm the reef by the millions. I've seen more fusilier damselfish (Lepidozygus tapeinosoma) like the ones pictured here at this dive site than I have at any other location I've ever dived. It is truly one of the world's greatest spectacles.
    Luzonichthys-waitei-basslets-swarmin...tif
  • Pretty pink Commerson's frogfish sitting on a sponge concealed by sea fans, at a dive site called Shaw Thing in the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea. This dive was the first time that Captain Craig of Golden Dawn had come across one of these frogfish in the Eastern Fields even though he had been diving the area for about 20 years at the time of this encounter.
    pretty-pink-frogfish-Antennarius-com...tif
  • Colourful fairly basslets and sea fans snatching bits of food from the passing current
    fairy-basslets-sea-fan-bangka-north-...tif
  • This is an adult Epiactis japonica sea anemone surrounded by juvenile. Normally flattened, an anemone of this species adopts a raised configuration and bends to produce a fold or groove, into which the adult deposits embryos via its mouth. During this process, the anemone moves it mouth in a circle, depositing offspring as it revolves. Initially, the groove may cover the offspring in part or full. As time goes on, the groove disappears and the young are exposed, as seen here.
    epiactis-japonica-sea-anemone-japan-...tif
  • This is a large Cerianthus filiformis tube anemone. This species is most often seen with purple coloration. The common name in Japanese is murasaki-hanaginchaku, with the word murasaki meaning purple. This individual was white with yellow tentacle tips. Photographed in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
    cerianthus-filiformis-tube-anemone-j...tif
  • The marine lakes of Palau comprise a plethora of hidden environments and fragile ecosystems, often characterized by delicate formations such as this Merulina sp. hard coral, which was thin enough to be translucent. Photographed inside Disney Lake, located in Nikko Bay, Palau.
    translucent-merulina-sp-hard-coral-d...tif
  • The corals living in the shallow waters around Fantasy Island in the Patch Reefs of Palau were devastated by a massive crown of thorns attack following extensive bleaching damage caused by El Niño in 1998. This photograph was taken in 2011, just 13 years after the corals here were wiped out.
    healthy-coral-recovered-bleaching-cr...tif
  • The steep, conical shape of this Porites sp. hard coral formation is reminiscent of the rock islands that comprise the land mass of Palau.
    porites-sp-hard-coral-formation-pala...tif
  • Red and orange soft coral (Dendronephthya sp.) in the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea, framed by a curtain of thousands of bigeye trevallies (Caranx sexfasciatus)
    soft-coral-bigeye-trevally-Caranx-se...tif
  • Fusilier damselfish (Lepidozygus tapeinosoma) swarming over large staghorn coral (Acropora sp.) formation at Carl's Ultimate dive site in the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea.
    fusilier-damselfish-Lepidozygus-tape...tif
  • Plush, healthy soft coral formation on the reef in Ambon, Indonesia
    healthy-soft-coral-formation-ambon-i...tif
  • Red-tinted black coral tree (Antipathes sp.) surrounded by a school of orange fairy basslets (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) at the Black and Silver dive site in the Nuakata Island area of Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea.
    Antipathes-sp-black-coral-Pseudanthi...tif
  • Healthy gorgonian sea fans at Deacon's Reef in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. Bob Halstead has picked up broken sea fans over many years and planted these sea fans on this wall, producing a beautiful dive site, with overhanging trees visible above.
    red-gorgonian-sea-fan-deacons-reef-m...tif
  • Wall of gorgonian sea fans at Deacon's Reef in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea. Bob Halstead has picked up broken sea fans over many years and planted these sea fans on this wall, producing a beautiful dive site, with overhanging trees visible above.
    red-gorgonian-sea-fan-deacons-reef-m...tif
  • Orange basslets with sea fans on top of the arch at The Doghouse dive site in Diving Dog Passage on the Barrier Reef of Papua New Guinea
    Pseudanthias-squamipinnis-orange-bas...tif
  • Orange basslets with sea fans on top of the arch at The Doghouse dive site in Diving Dog Passage on the Barrier Reef of Papua New Guinea
    Sea-fan-with-Pseudanthias-squamipinn...tif
  • Pretty pink anemonefish with mouth open
    pink-anemonefish-amphiprion-peridera...tif
  • Spectacular pink and orange soft corals in full bloom, surrounded by multicoloured fairy basslets
    pink-and-orange-soft-coral-picasso-p...tif
  • A gigantic, unbroken sea fan with swarming Anthias at Ashmore Reef in Australian waters in the Coral Sea. The first time we dived this site, I fell in love with the area because there were so many large, unspoiled sea fans like this one, and the reef was teeming with millions of small fish. Captain Craig DeWit of MV Golden Dawn was nice enough to name the dive site Wu Wu Wall for me.
    sea-fan-anthias-basslets-wu-wu-wall-...tif
  • Red coral formation at 40 metres depth, with silhouette of lone grey reef shark patrolling in the background
    red-coral-grey-reef-shark-ashmore-re...tif
  • Millions of fusilier damselfish (Lepidozygus tapeinosoma) swarming over a pristine coral reef called Carl's Ultimate, located in the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea
    pristine-coral-reef-millions-of-fish...tif
  • Beautiful, undamaged sea fans like this are characterstic of healthy tropical reefs. Photograph taken in the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea
    sea-fan-and-evening-sun-eastern-fiel...tif
  • Large Platygyra hard coral in shallow blue water in tropical water of Indonesia
    Platygyra-coral-against-blue-water-a..tiff
  • This is a polyp of Alveopora japonica, a small zooxanthellate scleractinian coral that produces large polyps. The orange spheres are planulae, or larval corals. Individual planula migrate from the coral stalk to the mouth, where the planula emerges and swims into the water. The species is found in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Recent research suggests that genetic differences among the three populations are large enough to warrant consideration as separate species.
    alveopora-japonica-coral-planula-jap...tif
  • Soft coral on the outer reef of Ambon, Indonesia
    soft-coral-ambon-indonesia-200810-00...tif
  • Coral and sponge formation on the outer reef in Ambon, Indonesia
    soft-coral-sea-fan-sponge-ambon-indo...tif
  • This is a polyp of Alveopora japonica, a small zooxanthellate scleractinian coral that produces large polyps. The orange spheres are planulae, or larval corals. Individual planula migrate from the coral stalk to the mouth, where the planula emerges and swims into the water. The species is found in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Recent research suggests that genetic differences among the three populations are large enough to warrant consideration as separate species.
    alveopora-japonica-coral-planula-jap...tif
  • Depicted here is spawning of a leaf coral (Pavona decussata) formation. Spawning was synchronized over a large area with many coral colonies.
    pavona-decussata-leaf-coral-spawning...tif
  • Shown here are oriental butterflyfishes (Chaetodon auripes) consuming gametes from spawning Lobophyllia corymbosa hard coral. Several species of reef fish engage in this type of opportunistic feeding. Photographed in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
    chaetodon-auripes-butterflyfish-eati...tif
  • This is a polyp of Alveopora japonica, a small zooxanthellate scleractinian coral that produces large polyps. The orange spheres are planulae, or larval corals. Individual planula migrate from the coral stalk to the mouth, where the planula emerges and swims into the water. The species is found in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Recent research suggests that genetic differences among the three populations are large enough to warrant consideration as separate species.
    alveopora-japonica-coral-planula-jap...tif
  • Diver Terry Ward shining a light on multicolored Lobophyllia brain coral formation at Darwin's Wall that Ron Leidich has dubbed the Four Corners. This unique location is flushed by strong currents exchanged between a large inner lake (Long Lake) and the open ocean, generating ample nutrient flow to support these slow-growing corals, which flourish in large numbers and grow to exceptional size in this area. There is minimal sunlight that penetrates the canopy of overhanging foliage, meaning than the corals rely more on the daily tidal exchange for nutrients than on their zooxanthallae. This wall and the corals that live on them are a perfect illustration of the intricate relationship between the ecosystems of the inner lakes of Palau's Rock Islands and the open ocean.
    diver-with-lobophyllia-coral-darwins...tif
  • When small fish like basslets, damselfish and other reef residents appear in large numbers with the change of tide at Carl's Ultimate dive site in the Eastern Fields of Papua New Guinea, predators such as bluefin trevally gather in packs to hunt them. This trevally used me for camouflage to approach the swarms of small fish, then charged straight in front of me in an attempt to grab a meal.
    bluefin-trevally-Caranx-melampygus-h...tif
  • This is an adult Epiactis japonica sea anemone surrounded by juvenile. Normally flattened, an anemone of this species adopts a raised configuration for reproduction. It bends to produce a fold or groove, into which the adult deposits embryos via its mouth. During this process, the anemone moves it mouth in a circle, depositing offspring as it revolves. Initially, the groove may cover the offspring in part or full. As time goes on, the groove disappears and the young are exposed, as seen here.
    epiactis-japonica-sea-anemone-japan-...tif
  • This is a close-up view of leaf coral (Pavona decussata) spawning, with streams of sperm being sent into the water column in synchrony with gametes from other nearby colonies of the hard coral.
    pavona-deccusata-leaf-coral-spawning...tif
  • Plush Dendronephthya orange soft corals at Sahaung 1 dive site at Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
    orange-Dendronephthya-soft-coral-ban...tif
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Tony Wu Underwater Photography

  • Search Image Archive
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • View Portfolio
  • Read About Me
  • Send Me a Note
  • Portfolio