Hannes Klostermann Underwater Photography

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Galapagos, Ecuador 57 images Created 19 Feb 2018

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  • This endemic species can be found in rocky areas around all islands of the Galapagos archipelago, except the remote islands of Wolf and Darwin. They often gather in very photogenic schools that are simply a joy to watch!
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  • Mosquera, Galapagos
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  • Mobula rays sometimes gather in large schools, which are one of the many amazing things to see in the waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands. I encountered this school of 19 individuals cruising the sandy area near Mosquera - a tiny islet between Baltra and North Seymour Island in the central archipelago.
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  • The Galapagos seem to be full of sea turtles, that really are not shy at all! I would regularly have to take evasive action to get out of their way. This one, shortly after I took this picture, just decided to turn right into me. If you look (very) closely, you can see up to 3 hammerhead sharks (granted, they're only shadows!) in front of the turtles head, something I only noticed, when editing the picture! The Galapagos never seize to amaze!
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  • This turtle literally bumped into my camera! At Darwin Island in the Galapagos, sea turtles appear to be absolutely fearless when it comes to inspecting divers and their gear!
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  • Isla Darwin, Galapagos.
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  • As a photographer, you always have to do everything in your powers to get the shot!
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  • Darwin Island, Galapagos
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  • Hammerhead Sharks are known to travel long distances between the sea mounts in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Indivuals move between the likes of Cocos, Galapagos, Malpelo or the Revillagigedo Islands (Socorro) on a fairly regular basis. During those long journeys, they often get infested by fungi that grow on their bodies (the blotches on the side of the shark in this picture). Luckily, certain reef fish at those sea mounts provide a cleaning service to the sharks. In fact, most reef fish are cleaners at some point in their lives! They simply eat the fungi off the shark's body and in return, the sharks don't feed on them. This symbiotic relationship is just one of many examples of how these supposedly mindless killing machines interact with their environment in an intelligent and sustainable way. A balance that was intact for millions of years - before human intervention. Today, hundrets of millions of sharks are killed every year, mostly for their fins, but also for cosmetics, leather, hydraulic oils and other things. This will undoubtedly have a severe effect on the entire marine ecosystem - an ecosystem that billions of people around the world rely on for food and oxygen. If we keep disturbing this balance, this will ultimately be our own downfall.
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  • Isla Darwin, Galapagos.
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  • Very large, pregnant Whale Sharks can often be seen in the waters of Darwin Island in the Galapagos. In fact, more than 90 per cent of all Whale Sharks seen at this island are pregnant! This 14 metre long female clearly shows two bulges, which is where she carries eggs and hatched pups. The pups then develop in both uteri. Once they're ready, the juveniles emerge as fully-developed, yet miniature Whale Sharks.
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  • Schools of Hammerhead Sharks are known to send a spotter ahead of the group, to check the area for potential dangers. The spotter will then return to the school and communicate with them in a way we don't yet understand. If the spotter is scared away, for example by overly keen photographers, the school will never come close to the reef or cleaning station. Large schools of Hammerheads can often be seen at the remote sea mounts of Darwin and Wolf Island in the Galapagos. PS: Notice the huge school of big eye jacks in the edge of the frame?
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  • A school of Scalloped Hammerheads hiding behind some Pacific Creolefish (that did a fantastic job at ruining most pictures! ;)) at Wolf Island, Galapagos.
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  • This turtle clealy didn't mind having her picture taken! Encountered at the Landslide at Wolf Island, Galapagos.
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  • Moray Eel on a night dive at Wolf Island, Galapagos.
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  • Shot at Wolf Island, Galapagos.
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  • This young fish was hiding inbetween two large boulders on a night dive at Wolf Island in the Galapagos. Even though Wolf is most famous for its abundance of Hammerhead (and other) Sharks, the night dive there is all about the smaller things.
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  • Isla Wolf, Galapagos
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  • This pod of Bottlenose Dolphins stayed with me and my buddy for more than 15 minutes as we were drifting in the blue just off of Wolf Island in the Galapagos. Certainly one of the best moments of my underwater life!
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  • Isla Isabela, Galapagos
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  • These are the largest bony fish in the world, growing up to 3 metres  from the tip of one tip to the other. They are a fairly common sight at the wall of Punta Vicente Roca, Isabela in the Galapagos Archipelago. The dive on which this picture was taken featured more than ten of these strange, but fascinating creatures!
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  • Shot at Punta Vicente Roca, Isla Isabela, Galapagos.
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  • Shot at Punta Vicente Roca, Isla Isabela, Galapagos.
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  • Shot at Cabo Marshall in the Galapagos.
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  • Mobula Rays dancing just beneath the surface at Isla Isabela, Galapagos.
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  • Cabo Marshall, Isabela Island, Galapagos
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