Tuesday, October 15, 2024

I was captain of a navy ship like Manawanui that just sank. Mine almost sank too

The HMNZS Manawanui ran aground while surveying a reef south of Samoa late on Saturday.
Profile Boats / Supplied

From Press reader & StuffNZ

Commander Tom Sharpe OBE is a former Royal Navy officer.
He captained four different British warships, including HMS Endurance, the navy’s ice patrol ship.

courtesy of MarineTraffic
 
WS400211 ENC : Samoa - Apolima Strait
Scale : 45000 / Cat : 4 / Type : Approach
Edition_date : 20221224 / Edition : 1
 
WS504125 ENC : South Pacific Ocean - Samoa - Safata Harbour and Siumu Bay
Scale : 22000 / Cat : 5 / Type : Harbor
Edition_date : 20220616 / Edition : 1 
 
Over the weekend, the Royal New Zealand Navy’s hydrographic, diving and salvage ship, HMNZS Manawanui, ran aground off the southern coast of Samoa.
All 75 of the ship’s company abandoned ship safely and only minor injuries are reported.
She then listed heavily, caught fire and, some 11 hours later, sank.

Rare image of the HMNZS Manawanui afloat.
Photo: NZDF
 
As the commanding officer of the last Royal Navy ship to nearly sink – that was HMS Endurance – I have views.
I’m giving them here partly to inform, but partly also to correct some of the narratives and commentary that have emerged following the incident, many of which appear to have their basis in misogyny rather than hard-earned sea time.
 
 

Naval Divers on the scene above HMNZS Manawanui, off the southern coast Of Upulo.
 
There are only a few ways a ship can run aground.
First, you don’t know where you are on the chart through human or system-induced navigational error (e.g. HMS Nottingham, 2002).
Second, you do know but the chart is wrong (HMS Brocklesby, Burntisland noise range, 1997).
Third, you know where you are and the chart information is correct but conditions (wind, tide etc) overwhelm your ability to hold position (ferry Pride of Portsmouth collision with HMS St Albans, Portsmouth Dockyard, 2002).
Fourth, you suffer an engineering defect and the subsequent loss of control sees you run aground (MV Ever Given; MV Dali).
For completeness, we should include showboating (Costa Concordia, Giglio, 2012) and deliberately grounding to save the ship from sinking (MSC Napoli, English Channel, 2007).

 
All initial indications in the case of Manawanui point to a loss of propulsion/control as the primary cause.
This has been half confirmed by New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins, who said: “We need to find out what happened, apparently it lost power, I’m aware of that, and ended up aground on the reef.”

The photos of Manawanui before she sank shows she had Restricted in Ability to Manoeuvre (RAM) shapes hoisted – a signal to other ships.
The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea says a RAM vessel is one which, “due to the nature of her work, is restricted in her ability to deviate from her course.
These vessels include but are not limited to: vessels engaged in dredging, surveying, or underwater operations.”

In other words, when the machinery failure happened, Manawanui was probably operating in navigationally tight waters, likely surveying an area whose charting information was dated and therefore inaccurate.
Incidentally, surveying uncharted or poorly charted waters in South Georgia and Antarctica in HMS Endurance involved some of the most difficult ship manoeuvring I did in 20 years at sea.

Technically, once power was lost, Manawanui would have ceased to be RAM and would instead become Not Under Command (NUC), requiring a different signal hoist, before becoming Aground, requiring yet a third signal.
However the crew probably had other priorities than flying the technically correct day shapes.

The lead up to the grounding would have been tense.
Assuming there was a loss of power, the bridge team would have known very quickly how long they had before they would run aground (assuming the chart data wasn’t way out).
“What’s failed”, “can we recover it” and “what are our reversionary options” would have been the conversations flying between the bridge and the engineering team.
I can’t tell from the photos if an anchor was dropped – this would be a natural reaction to try and prevent a ship which had lost power from going aground but it doesn’t work in every situation.
In Endurance the anchors saved us in the end, but we drifted a long way before they took hold.

HMNZS Manawanui commanding officer, Commander Yvonne Gray
New Zealand Defence Force

The grounding of Manawanui would have been horrific, with a lot of noise, the lurching and grinding of the ship on the reef and alarms sounding on the bridge.
Those from my ship’s company in 2008 who ran into the engine room of HMS Endurance to try to control the water flooding into it will never forget those moments.
It would have been the same here.
The damage control officer takes reports from the damage control parties so they can track the amount of water coming in and whether or not it can be stopped or contained.
The ship’s marine engineering officer works alongside this, looking for ways to manage the water ingress whilst calculating the changing stability condition of the ship.

Vessels like Manawanui and Endurance, both originally designed for commercial service, are intrinsically less survivable than combatant warships: they’re not built specifically to take damage and keep on functioning.
The ship’s captain – Commander Yvonne Gray in Manawanui, a former Royal Navy officer – has to process all this information and make the big calls.
At some point, she would have looked the engineer in the eye and said, “are we going to make this?” The answer would have been the worst thing you can hear at sea, and she probably already knew it.

Then she made the call to abandon ship.
This is brave no matter how you got there.
Every second of your training for the past 20 or so years has been about keeping the ship going, ultimately in the face of an enemy.
Repair the damage, recover the systems and keep fighting, or at least get away to fight another day.
In Endurance back in 2008, at different stages of the crisis, abandoning ship was definitely on the cards.
I found the idea of abandoning ship so uncomfortable, the team I sent to plan how we would do it were forbidden from saying the words – this was part superstition and part not wanting the phrase to be overheard, which could have led to trouble.
Commander Gray would not have had the luxury of time for any of this.

The act of abandoning is perilous itself.
Most evacuation systems only work up to a certain sea state.
Then do it in the dark, in terrible weather and into rubber lifeboats with no engines, surrounded by the very reefs that you’ve just struck and the Manawanui’s company did well to not have any major injuries or fatalities.

 
The rescue operation after the HMNZS Manawanui ran aground while surveying a reef south of Samoa.
Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority

When the captain disembarks during all this is the subject of much conjecture and folklore.

Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon, for example, refused to abandon ship in 1893 as HMS Victoria sank beneath him following a collision caused by his orders.
Choosing to die whilst repeatedly saying, “it was all my fault” is a good example of the noble stubbornness that was common at the time.
It’s ironic that these traits were largely responsible for the collision happening in the first place.

Other captains have chosen to go down with their ship, but not that many.
It’s generally thought, however, that if it’s practical the captain should be the last person off.
The captain certainly shouldn’t be first or early off.
No one will forgive the captain of the Costa Concordia for deliberately imperilling his ship and then abandoning it with hundreds of passengers still onboard.
Saying it’s because you “fell into a lifeboat” and decided to “coordinate from there” and ignoring the Coast Guard telling you to get back onboard and sort your life out is not a good look.

In my case, if we had abandoned the Endurance, I would have stayed back with a small deck crew because a cruise liner was going to reach us around the time we were due to hit the rocks and I wanted last-ditch options to take a line and be hauled off.
Keeping five people back to at least try this was, in my judgement, worth the personal risk.
I wasn’t doing an Admiral Tryon; just managing the situation.
Staying on board to die is daft and of another era.

In the case of the Manawanui, it seems that Commander Gray made an early and brave call based on the inevitability of the situation, and then managed the evacuation well.

Now there will be a series of investigations during which culpability, responsibility and credit will be determined.

Crew members from HMNZS Manawanui arrive at RNZAF Base Auckland after being flown back from Samoa.
New Zealand Defence Force

They will establish how the ship lost control at this critical and dangerous point but tight navigational conditions, poor chart information and bad weather will almost certainly feature.
It will be decided, given those last three, whether or not this task should have been conducted just then at all.
Some of my best decisions at sea involved tearing up the programme (which there can be significant pressure to achieve), waiting for the weather to improve, or daylight, and then restarting.
Suddenly everything is easier and recovering the rest of your programme is never as hard as you thought it would be.

But these are only the precipitating causes.
Accidents of this magnitude are rarely black swan events; there is normally a tail of deeper causes.

For example, navies don’t operate commercially-designed ships well.
We overcrew them and then overcomplicate the maintenance.
We often run them too hard, as if they were built with the resilience of combatant warships.
We tend to conduct endless machinery drills, needlessly overstressing the kit, ‘because that’s what we do’.
Even combatant warships can be seriously damaged by overenthusiastic drills, for instance ones which involve suddenly cutting off electrical power.
Ships are designed to run a certain way and if you exceed or alter that, over time problems mount up.
This is what happened to HMS Endurance and I’d be surprised if there weren’t similar factors in play with the Manawanui.

The prevailing leadership and culture onboard will also be examined.
Actions post-incident will be dissected and lessons passed on to the rest of the fleet.
For Manawanui’s captain, I have no idea how this will play out.
Certainly in the Royal Navy, the line between an OBE and disgrace is a fine one.
For the ship’s company, there will likewise be decorations for those who excelled during the incident – there are always a few – and possibly punishment for others.
When a ship goes aground, the captain bears ultimate responsibility but the ship’s navigating officer and the officer of the watch at the time also have questions to answer.

Investigations will extend beyond the ship.
How hard was she and the rest of the navy being worked in the run-up to this grounding? Both the US Navy and the Royal Navy are seeing an increase in incidents caused by trying to do the same tasks with fewer ships and people.
Fatigue is everywhere – both human and material.

Is the New Zealand navy, now reduced to five operational ships, suffering from the same? Is it big enough in the first place? This paper suggested only recently that the answer is ‘no’.
In which case, what is the right number of ships for New Zealand and how do they now compensate for the loss of one? All of these will need to be addressed as well what to do with the sunken ship to minimise environmental damage and maybe even salvage her.

Hopefully this gives an idea of what might have happened last weekend whilst highlighting the complexity and risk navies take every day in the interests of defending their respective countries.
Those who have leapt to question the competence of the captain, often it seems based on her gender or sexuality, should take a breather.

Personally, I will be raising a glass to 75 sailors who for a few hours, miles from help, would have wondered if they had seen their last sunset – but hadn’t.
 
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Monday, October 14, 2024

British Isles & misc. (UKHO) layer update in the GeoGarage platform

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Geoscientists discover mysterious subduction zone beneath Pacific Ocean


A map of the East Pacific Rise region where the discovery of an ancient seafloor was made. 
Image credit: Jingchuan Wang.

From SCI New
 
During the Mesozoic era, between 250 and 120 million years ago, an ancient seafloor sank deep into Earth in the East Pacific Rise, a tectonic plate boundary on the floor of the southeastern Pacific Ocean, says a team of geoscientists from the University of Maryland and the University of Alberta.
University of Maryland researcher Jingchuan Wang and colleagues used innovative seismic imaging techniques to peer deep into Earth’s mantle, the layer between our planet’s crust and core.

They found an unusually thick area in the mantle transition zone, a region located between about 410 and 660 km below the Earth’s surface.

The zone separates the upper and lower mantles, expanding or contracting based on temperature.

The newly-discovered seafloor may also explain the anomalous structure of the Pacific Large Low Shear Velocity Province (LLSVP) — a massive region in Earth’s lower mantle — as the LLSVP appears to be split by the slab.

“This thickened area is like a fossilized fingerprint of an ancient piece of seafloor that subducted into the Earth approximately 250 million years ago,” Dr. Wang said.
“It’s giving us a glimpse into Earth’s past that we’ve never had before.”

Subduction occurs when one tectonic plate slides beneath another, recycling surface material back into Earth’s mantle.

Topography and tectonics of the SEPR and its surrounding oceans.
 
The process often leaves visible evidence of movement, including volcanoes, earthquakes and deep marine trenches.

While geologists typically study subduction by examining rock samples and sediments found on Earth’s surface.

By examining how seismic waves traveled through different layers of Earth, the researchers were able to create detailed mappings of the structures hiding deep within the mantle.
“You can think of seismic imaging as something similar to a CT scan. It’s basically allowed us to have a cross-sectional view of our planet’s insides,” Dr. Wang said.
“Usually, oceanic slabs of material are consumed by the Earth completely, leaving no discernible traces on the surface.”
“But seeing the ancient subduction slab through this perspective gave us new insights into the relationship between very deep Earth structures and surface geology, which were not obvious before.”

What the authors found surprised them: material was moving through Earth’s interior much more slowly than previously thought.

The unusual thickness of the area they discovered suggests the presence of colder material in this part of the mantle transition zone, hinting that some oceanic slabs get stuck halfway down as they sink through the mantle.
“We found that in this region, the material was sinking at about half the speed we expected, which suggests that the mantle transition zone can act like a barrier and slow down the movement of material through the Earth,” Dr. Wang said.
“Our discovery opens up new questions about how the deep Earth influences what we see on the surface across vast distances and timescales.”

The results were published in the journal Science Advances.

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Sunday, October 13, 2024

See 15 stunning images from the ocean photographer of the year awards


This rare leucistic green sea turtle was discovered among nests, supported by local conservation efforts, in Papua New Guinea’s Conflict Islands.
Jake Wilton

From Smithsonian by Samuel Sanders

The winning and highly commended underwater photography spotlights breathtaking animal behavior, conservation needs and the otherworldly environment of Earth’s oceans

The vastness of the ocean evokes both wonder and mystery.
And for centuries, photographers have been trying to capture its essence.
Since the first underwater photography began in 1856, technology has evolved to allow divers to take breathtaking images that bring to life this unique ecosystem.

The Ocean Photographer of the Year Contest, presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain, channels the passion of ocean photographers into a yearly competition.
The contest has a simple mission: “To shine a light on the wonder and fragility of our blue planet and celebrate the photographers giving it a voice.”

This year, photographers from around the globe submitted more than 15,000 coastal, drone and underwater images to the contest.
The shots fell into seven categories: wildlife, fine art, adventure, conservation impact, conservation hope, human connection and young photographer.
The competition awards an overall winner—the Ocean Photographer of the Year—in addition to category winners, the Ocean Portfolio Award honoring a photographer’s collection of work and the Female Fifty Fathom Award, which celebrates a boundary-pushing woman in ocean photography.

Winners of the 2024 contest were announced September 12, and the recognized photographs include dramatic wildlife encounters, beautiful examples of humans’ connection with the ocean and stark reminders of society’s impact on the marine environment.
The image winners will go on exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia, on November 28, followed by several yet-to-be-announced venues in early 2025.

Below are the stunning images awarded in this year’s contest, as well as a selection of finalists that also wowed the judges.

Overall Winner, Rafael Fernández Caballero
 
 
A Bryde’s whale opens its mouth, about to devour a heart-shaped bait ball in Baja California Sur, Mexico. 
Rafael Fernández Caballero

The overall winning image shows a Bryde’s whale about to devour a bait ball—a last-ditch defensive measure that occurs when fish swarm together and pack tightly, typically performed by small schooling fish when they feel threatened by predators.

In the photo, light shines through the water.
Research suggests Bryde’s whales spend most of the day within 50 feet of the water’s surface.
While this school of fish may seem like a hearty snack, Bryde’s whales eat an estimated 1,320 to 1,450 pounds of food daily—so this whale likely fed again shortly after.

“The image captures perhaps the most special—and craziest—moment of my life,” says photographer Rafael Fernández Caballero in a statement.
“It fills me with joy having lived this moment—and to have captured the image.”

Female Fifty Fathoms Award Winner, Ipah Uid Lynn
 
 
A tiny goby perches on a delicate sea whip, surrounded by colors at Romblon Island in the Philippines.
Ipah Uid Lynn

Ipah Uid Lynn, a Malaysian photographer, took home the Female Fifty Fathoms Award with her body of work that featured this colorful image of a goby.
This award works differently than the others.
Instead of submitting photos, the recipient is nominated by her peers and judged by a special panel.

“It’s a recognition that goes beyond personal achievement,” Lynn says in a statement.
“It highlights the importance of storytelling through photography and the voices of women in this field.”

This vibrant photograph highlights the beauty of small creatures in the ocean.
It depicts a goby resting on a sea whip, a type of soft coral.
Sea whips can grow to two feet in total height, making this a spectacular close-up capture.

Portfolio Award Winner, Shane Gross
 
Baby plainfin midshipman fish, still attached to their yolk sacs. 
Shane Gross

Canadian photographer Shane Gross encountered this group of baby plainfin midshipman fish still attached to their yolk sacs in British Columbia, Canada.
For these fish, it’s the males that provide parental care.
While the plainfin midshipman is known to be a deep-sea marine fish, it transcends habitats during the breeding season in summer and migrates to the fluctuating intertidal zone.
As the tide moves in and out, the fish face changing temperatures and oxygen levels.
While the fish might swim in comfortable cold water in the morning, their rocks could be completely exposed to air in the afternoon.

Despite this stressful environment, the male midshipman remains to care for his young.
The babies “are guarded over by their father until they are big enough to swim … to ocean depths,” Gross says in a statement.

Human Connection Winner, Zhang Xiang
 
 
A beach reflects the golden haze of the sunset while a traditional fisher wades through the water in Fujian, China. 
Zhang Xiang

A traditional Chinese fisher traverses a beach as the sunset’s golden haze is reflected by the sand and water.
China is the world’s largest seafood producer and exporter, accounting for about 35 percent of global production.
The sea around China contains 3,000 marine species, of which more than 100 are fished commercially, including mackerel, anchovy, shrimp and crab.

Here, the beauty of the landscape brings another economic value to the area in Fujian province.
“The gorgeous sight attracts many tourists, bringing income to local people,” photographer Zhang Xiang says in a statement.

Adventure Winner, Tobias Friedrich
 

A scuba diver is dwarfed by a shipwreck in the Bahamas. 
 Tobias Friedrich

The photo above was a surprise find for German photographer Tobias Friedrich.
“We were on a liveaboard cruise to take underwater images of tiger and hammerhead sharks,” he says in a statement.
“But due to bad weather conditions, we had to seek shelter and look for alternative dive sites.
We decided to dive on this wreck … At that time, the sand under the bow was washed out, which made it an excellent photographic opportunity.”

The region surrounding the Grand Bahama has 176 shipwrecks, according to an analysis of historical records done last year.
The ship pictured above was intentionally sunken by a dive center.
Known as scuttling, this practice of purposefully sinking ships has grown; it can produce dive training sites and increase revenue options for dive centers.
However, some scuttling has also been done for ecological reasons, helping to create new artificial reef sites for fish.

Conservation (Hope) Winner, Shane Gross
 
 
A green sea turtle is released by a researcher after being accidentally captured while trying to catch sharks. 
Shane Gross

This green sea turtle was accidentally caught by researchers when they were trying to find sharks.
Here, the creature is returned to the ocean after a researcher untangled it from the net, took measurements and tagged the turtle for conservation purposes.

Tagging an animal is a crucial way for scientists understand and learn about its species.
The practice could help researchers understand migratory patterns, lifespan and how the species spends time.
Shane Gross, who snapped the photo, remarks on the future of the tagged green sea turtle: “She is now an ambassador for her species.”

The green sea turtle is the largest hard-shelled sea turtle.
As herbivores, the animals’ diet of seagrasses and algae gives their fat a greenish color.
Green sea turtles can be found worldwide, nesting in more than 80 countries and swimming in the coastal areas of more than 140 countries.

Conservation (Impact) Winner, Frederik Brogaard
 
 
A fin whale, the second-biggest whale species on Earth, at a whaling plant in Iceland.
Frederik Brogaard

For the 2024 hunting season, Iceland made the controversial decision to distribute a license to a whaling company for the hunting of fin whales.
Above, a dead fin whale waits to get butchered at a whaling plant before being sent to Japan.

“The picture might induce a feeling of hopelessness, but public uproar throughout the last two years has resulted in the cancellation of last year’s whaling season in Iceland.
Unfortunately, a whaling quota was again issued this year,” says Frederik Brogaard, the Denmark-based photographer who captured this image, in a statement.
“I hope this picture raises awareness and serves as an inspiration to keep the public pressure on.
These whales are crucial in our fight against climate change, sequestering tonnes of CO2 in their lifetime, and are worth more to us alive than dead.”

Young Ocean Photographer Winner, Jacob Guy
 
 
An elusive algae octopus shows off its fluorescence under ultraviolet light in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Jacob Guy

The algae octopus is elusive.
“Normally coming out to hunt at dusk, with incredible camouflage, these creatures blend seamlessly into the reef—until they are viewed under a different light,” says photographer Jacob Guy of the United Kingdom in a statement.
He spotted this individual off of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
“On my last dive of the trip, I got lucky and found one of these beautiful creatures on the hunt for a meal and managed to capture the intense look from its yellow eyes.”

Under ultraviolet light, the algae octopus has an uncommon ability—it glowswith fluorescence, absorbing the light to emit it at visible wavelengths.
But in its resting camouflage state, the animal looks like a shell overgrown with algae—which is how it gets its name.
When an algae octopus is hungry, you may find it in an unexpected place: on land.
It can move between tidal pools on a beach when hunting for crabs.
 
Fine Art Winner, Henley Spiers
 
Juvenile Munk’s devil rays are attracted by a green light on a boat, seemingly flying through the water in the Sea of Cortez, Baja California Sur, Mexico. 
Henley Spiers

Munk’s devil rays, like the ones above, are found in tropical oceanic waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Munk’s devil rays are quite acrobatic.
They can leap out of the water, either alone or in groups, performing vertical jumps and somersaults.
They mainly feed on opossum shrimp and zooplankton but can also eat small fish.
The rays are known to form enormous congregations when feeding, resting or—in at least one instance—mating.

Henley Spiers of the U.K.
describes in a statement how he captured the photo: “At night, we hung a green light from the back of our boat.
As plankton gathered around it, the mobula rays gratefully swooped in for a microscopic buffet.
The rays seem to fly through the water as they pursue their dinner.
Entranced by their glance, I used a two-second exposure to capture their movements, which, to my eye, felt like an aquatic ballet.”

Wildlife Winner, Manuel Castellanos Raboso
 
 
A mahi-mahi, also called a common dolphinfish, proudly displays its catch amidst a feeding frenzy.
Manuel Castellanos Raboso

A sunlit mahi-mahi enjoys its catch from the bait ball behind it in Baja California Sur, Mexico.
The large fish, which can grow to seven feet long, eat a variety of species, including small pelagic fish, juvenile tuna and invertebrates.
Mahi-mahi can reproduce at a relatively young age, as early as four to five months old, and their productivity is one reason why scientists assume the mahi-mahi population is stable.

“Its vibrant yellow and green hues shimmer brilliantly under the refracted sunlight against the stunning blue of the Pacific Ocean,” Spanish photographer Manuel Castellanos Raboso says in a statement.
“[The mahi-mahi were] moving like torpedoes in front of us.
This scene captures the hunt and the energy of the Baja’s marine life.”

Finalist, Jake Wilton
 
 
This rare leucistic green sea turtle was discovered among nests, supported by local conservation efforts, in Papua New Guinea’s Conflict Islands. 
Jake Wilton

Typical sea turtles have deep green coloring, but the individual above has a rare condition: leucism.
An animal with leucism experiences a partial loss of pigmentation.
This often leads to white coloration in splotches on the animal’s skin or fur.
Leucism is not exclusive to turtles; it can be found in horses, cows, cats, dogs, crocodiles, penguins and other species.
Notice the dark color of the turtle’s eyes in the photo—this is one trait that distinguishes leucism from albinism, since leucism does not affect the eyes’ pigmentation.
Albino animals, on the other hand, have pink, red or light blue eyes.

For Australian photographer Jake Wilton, hitting the shutter with just the right timing was critical to achieving this shot.
“Using the surface of the calm water, I captured the striking reflection of the hatchling as it surfaced for air,” Wilton says in a statement.

In Papua New Guinea’s Conflict Islands, conservation efforts have boosted the numbers of turtle hatchlings.
The discovery of this rare leucistic turtle, Wilton adds, “is a testament to the successful turnaround in conservation efforts and the beauty of these endangered creatures.”

Finalist, Filippo Borghi
 
 
One of the Southern Ocean’s most formidable predators, the leopard seal, approaches the camera with its mouth wide open.
Filippo Borghi

“In the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean, just off the coast of Antarctica, I had the opportunity to capture a breathtaking encounter with one of the region’s most formidable predators—the leopard seal,” says Italian photographer Filippo Borghi in a statement.

The leopard seal, sometimes referred to as a sea leopard, is the second-largest species of seal in the Antarctic, behind the southern elephant seal.
Its only natural predator is an orca.
Sea leopards feed on fish, squid, small crustaceans, penguins, smaller seals and even whale carcasses.

Borghi describes his nerves the moment he got the shot.
“I held my breath, my heart racing with a mixture of awe and trepidation, as the seal approached, its spotted coat and powerful jaws seeming suspended in the crystalline waters,” he adds.
“[Its] dark eyes were fixed on mine.”

Finalist, Daisuke Kurashima
 
 
 diver swims through colorful waters off Iwo Jima. 
Daisuke Kurashima

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, a group of three islands in Micronesia governed by Japan.
The effect displayed in the photo above is a product of a special environmental feature of Iwo Jima: hot springs.

“When the water from the hot springs flows into the sea, the shallower the water is, the more red or orange it turns,” Japanese photographer Daisuke Kurashima says in a statement.
“The visible colors in the water vary depending on the concentration of the hot spring’s components, and the appearance is compared to an aurora borealis.”

Finalist, Edwar Herreño Parra
 
Beside the Sharkwater research vessel, which was initially used by the Japanese fishing fleet, swims a whale shark with its distinctive spotted pattern. 
Edwar Herreño Parra

The boat pictured above, aptly named Sharkwater, is a former fishing ship turned research vessel.
Beneath it swims an endangered whale shark.
Whale sharks have distinctive spotted patterns on their backs, which help divers and researchers to photograph and track individuals more easily.

Despite their name, whale sharks are not whales—though they are some of the largest creatures in the ocean.
Whale sharks can weigh up to 30 tons and even grow larger than a school bus.
Like whales, they are filter-feeders, meaning they eat by straining plankton through their gills.

Adult whale sharks do not stay with their young after birth, and only around 10 percent of them make it to adulthood.
However, if they grow to adult size, the sharks enjoy a lifestyle with few predators, meaning they can enjoy a long life of up to 150 years.

Colombian photographer Edwar Herreño Parra describes his moment with the shark on a tagging expedition.
“I stayed in the water with the shark for almost an hour trying to take an image of the endangered species below the scientific vessel.
It all came together, and the moody lighting and the rough sea add to the image’s appeal,” he says in a statement.

Finalist, Kate Jonker
 
  
An octopus peeks curiously out from its hiding spot in South Africa.
Kate Jonker

Octopuses are some of the most physically flexible creatures in all of nature.
Beyond this, the common octopus featured here excels at camouflaging with its surroundings.
The cephalopod achieves this feat through a network of pigment cells called chromatophores just below the surface of its skin.

South African photographer Kate Jonker describes her encounter with the hiding creature in a statement: “This little common octopus was so well camouflaged among the hydroids that I almost missed it.
It would peek out, then hide, lifting its head cautiously.”

Octopuses are quite intelligent—they can complete puzzles, untie knots and open jars.
Interestingly, their intellect is based in a different kind of anatomy than humans’—about two out of three of their neurons are located not in their head, but in their arms.

Jonker adds that she spent about 15 minutes just watching this creature, “noticing its curiosity and caution.
Gradually, it became braver, spending more time observing me and my camera.
Eventually, it allowed me to capture its photo before slipping away beneath her rock.”

Reflecting on the experience of getting the shot, Jonker notes that “moments like these are humbling, reminding us we are visitors in their environment, yet they are willing to share a connection.”
 
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Saturday, October 12, 2024

Creatures of the Deep Sea | Mission critical


Emerging explorer Jessica Cramp and her team dive to the depths of the Galapagos to explore never before seen creatures.
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