Hannes Klostermann Underwater Photography

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  • This is Tequila, a female tiger shark and long time resident at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. These sharks are truly magnificent and despite their enormous size, they hardly ever harm people. Incidents with tiger sharks are usually the result of their curiosity and divers not paying close enough attention to their movements. Swimming away from an approaching shark or showing erratic movements, for example, will always peak their interest, as that is what their prey would normally do. Simply standing one's ground and gently pushing them away is all it takes to show them that you're in charge. Despite having 5 to 6 tigers around for the majority of my diving at Tiger Beach, not once was there any hint of danger or aggression. Despite chum and bait in the water, the animals move at a very relaxed pace. In fact, I would say that diving at Tiger Beach is the perfect thing to do if you're afraid of sharks. It is impossible not to see their beauty, and how they are not the mindless killers the media like to make us believe, after spending some quality time with them in this beautiful environment.
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  • Last night I did my very first blackwater dive. If you're not familiar with the concept, it's night diving in the open ocean over deep water looking at critters that spend the day much, much deeper. It feels like floating through space and if you look closely, many aliens can be observed. Like this larval mantis shrimp for example.
    Mantis Shrimp... IN SPACE
  • A diver heads deeper into a flooded cavern in Mexico. Despite what it looks like, guided cavern dives are actually very safe. Even though there is no immediate access to the surface, it's in fact closer than on a deep dive and always just a short swim away! That being said, it's of course not recommended to venture into any cavern without somebody that is already familiar with the area and trained in cave diving procedures!
    The Tunnel
  • You might miss something, like this pregnant lady
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  • Ever since I started taking macro images I became fascinated with blennies. They can be extremely photogenic and are usually very patient with photographers, which is always a big plus! I met this little guy diving with my friends over at Bluedream in Cozumel, Mexico.
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  • Awarded 2nd place in the wide angle category of Scuba Diving Magazine's Through the Lens competition 2019.
    Godzilla
  • Following up from my previous post, we move from a pond near the Everglades back to Tiger Beach in the Bahamas, where tiger sharks can still be seen in good numbers. Sadly, even here they have dropped by more than 50%. While dives with around 20 tigers were the norm only a decade or two ago, today you'd be very lucky to see 10! Thankfully, these are very curious creatures so the ones you get tend to stick around. Having six tiger sharks swirling around you is still an amazing experience! I'd love to know what it's like with 20 of them! Have you ever dived with tiger sharks? If so, where and how was it?
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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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  • Everybody that goes to Bimini will want to see Great Hammerheads. During those dives, most other fish can be quite distracting as they constantly "photo bomb" otherwise great pictures. These remoras however, dancing underneath the boat in the afternoon sun, offered a truly special moment. One of my favourite pictures of this trip to the Bahamas!
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  • Tiger Beach might be famous for its tiger sharks, but that doesn't mean that they're the only species of shark that frequent these waters! Caribbean reef sharks, lemon sharks, nurse sharks, the occassional great hammerhead and bull sharks can all be seen on the dives as well!
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  • Taken on a Blackwater dive in Palm Beach County, Florida.
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  • Everybody that goes to Bimini will want to see Great Hammerheads. During those dives, most other fish can be quite distracting as they constantly "photo bomb" otherwise great pictures. These remoras however, dancing underneath the boat in the afternoon sun, offered a truly special moment. One of my favourite pictures of this trip to the Bahamas!
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  • Night dives in French Polynesia can be a huge thrill! In some places, you can dive with hundreds of grey reef sharks and feel like you're part of the pack! Can you spot a different species?
    hk_french_polynesia_2018_082.jpg
  • Another panning shot taken on a Blackwater dive off Palm Beach County in Florida. These guys are a rare find but fortunately this particular one was very cooperative!
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  • A grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) with potential prey. You can see the right pectoral fin pointing down instead of to the side, which is how they execute tight turns. I witnessed this fascinating behaviour during a night dive in French Polynesia.<br />
The end? What do you think happened next?
    hk_french_polynesia_2018_077.jpg
  • This is my take on the famous Cenote "El Pit" in Quinatana Roo, Mexico. It has been photographed countless times, and I think it's pretty obvious why! Because the whole cavern dive is conducted in only one room, getting a clear image without an armada of divers is the main concern, so thanks to Marcelin of Under The Jungle for timing our dive perfectly! The other concern is making the sunrays stand out. To get a decent amount of light I took this image at 1/15 sec - handheld! Fortunately underwater we can get away with shutterspeeds much lower than what we would use on dry land!
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  • Moray Eel on a night dive at Wolf Island, Galapagos.
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  • While I was on Little Cayman for the Digital Shootout, I spent almost an entire dive with this good-looking creature! Sometimes you don't have to venture far (or deep) to find good subjects. He/She was extremely chill, and had absolutely no issues with me being VERY close. At times I moved the camera out of the way and I ended up almost hugging the fish! Encounters like these always make for great dives! In fact, this image won me 2nd place in the wide angle traditional category of this year's competition.
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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!
    hk_galapagos_2017_054.jpg
  • A school of snapper hang out underneath a pier in French Polynesia. I spent an entire dive with these guys - maximum depth: 3.4m! I tried many different ways to light them, but ended up liking this traditional shot the most!
    hk_french_polynesia_2018_065.jpg
  • A playful juvenile California sea lion blows bubbles at me. These are amazingly curious animals and a dive with them is guaranteed to be a great time!
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  • I encountered this beautiful Sturgeon on a dive at my local quarry this evening. These are fascinating creatures that have been around for more than 200 million years. This means they are about as old as dinosaurs, yet they're still around!
    hk_capernwray_2017_007.jpg
  • An early morning dive on a tropical reef is always something special. Sunrays dancing on the surface cast the coral in an eerie light as a large Napoleon wrasse passes by in the distance.
    hk_french_polynesia_2018_087.jpg
  • Getting these shots right has been far more difficult than I had thought. Because of their sheer size you have to dive down quite a bit to capture the entire fish, even when using a wide angle lens. To then get the sun in the right position is an even bigger challenge! Share your best silhouettes in the comments :)
    hk_isla_mujeres_2017_052.jpg
  • This is only a very small portion of the famous "Wall of Sharks" of Fakarava in French Polynesia. On practically every dive, more than a hundred sharks can be observed here, slowly cruising the current to conserve energy.
    hk_french_polynesia_2018_070.jpg
  • Yesterday I had a lot of fun doing macro and supermacro on a local shore dive. This little Blenny measured about 5mm across and was an absolute supermodel peeking out of his coral home.
    hk_chileno_macro_01-02-2019_003.jpg
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  • Conditions were challenging when I went to Bimini in March. The sand there is like powder and countless pesky nurse sharks can stir it up a lot. Without a current to carry away the particles, divers quickly find themselves surrounded by a giant cloud, which makes photographing these beautiful, but shy creatures very tricky.
    hk_bahamas_2018_008.jpg
  • Vincent Canabal interacting with Rodeo, one of the resident ladies at Tiger Beach.
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  • Another older image, taken at Tiger Beach last year. The eye of a Caribbean reef shark. Can anybody tell me what those things are to the left of the eye? Some sort of parasite, I assume?
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  • Part 3 of my shark close-up series shows the eye of a Lemon Shark, one of the most common species of shark at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. It is important to keep in mind though, that although they may seem abundant there, their numbers are in rapid decline around the world and they could be threatened with extinction very soon!
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  • In many countries, today is Mother's day! Let's celebrate it with this beautiful, pregnant tiger shark!
    hk_bahamas_2018_051.jpg
  • A large female tiger shark called Emma swimming through a group of divers at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. These are very confident animals that know they don't have to fear anyone that's down there with them. This however doesn't mean that they are aggressive in any way. They will expect you to make way for them and will run you over if you don't, but there are hardly any serious incidents involving divers and it is surprisingly easy to steer them away should they get a bit too close for comfort!
    hk_bahamas_2018_049.jpg
  • Tiger shark extraordinaire Emma comes close to check out my legs (and camera) :)<br />
<br />
Because it's time for Shark Week, let me just point out that there are NO dangerous sharks. <br />
<br />
I'm sure there will be plenty of quality shows this week but also the usual programmes exploiting many people's irrational fears. Even a tiger shark the size of Emma (~15ft/5m) can be pushed away with ease when the situation is handled correctly. Again: there are no dangerous sharks. There are however potentially dangerous situations. Poor visibility, food in the water and people doing foolish things (like swimming away, splashing around etc) can make a shark investigate with its mouth. If their other senses aren't enough to determine what you are, that's simply the only thing they have left. Humans use their hands every day to figure out what something is, but sharks obviously don't have that tool available to them. As long as you keep a close look on the shark, you can always remain in control of the situation. We have to remember that we are only guests in the ocean, so let's treat all its inhabitants with the respect they deserve. Please just keep that in mind as you enjoy this year's sharky programmes :)
    hk_bahamas_2018_039.jpg
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  • Even though the lovely ladies at Tiger Beach usually move quite slowly, they do expect divers to move out of their way. After all, they're the biggest fish in that particular part of the sea. This can cause some confusion, especially when divers don't keep an eye on the sharks that surround them. Notice the diver that got knocked over by the tigress in this picture? Notice the lemon shark just next to him? No reaction. Despite what the media would like you to believe, even a diver losing control and falling over right next to a shark doesn't just end up as shark food, let alone someone that remains in charge of the situation. Sharks are used to other animals trying to get away from them, so people standing their ground (or swimming towards them even!) actually confuse and intimidate them quite a bit. Every species is different though. Tiger sharks for example are too curious and confident to care much about what other animals or people do or don't do, whereas hammerheads get spooked very easily. Remaining passive while keeping an eye on the shark is usually the best way to get a good, safe interaction.
    hk_bahamas_2018_055.jpg
  • Let's make the next 12 months a good year for the conservation of our oceans! Many countries are now heading in the right direction regarding the use (or rather ban) of single-use plastics, but there is still lots to be done! Every little helps! You can be a voice for our oceans. Convince your favourite restaurants and takeaways to get rid of plastics and say no to products sourced from sharks. I captured this gorgeous pregnant tiger shark at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas, one of the few places left in the world where you can see these apex predators in good numbers.
    hk_bahamas_2018_092.jpg
  • Did you know that at least every other breath we take contains oxygen generated in the ocean? This fact alone should highlight the importance of this vast ecosystem that covers around 70% of our planet's surface. <br />
<br />
Despite its importance though, we as a species have been doing our very best to destroy marine ecosystems through run-off, overfishing and plastics, just to name a few. <br />
<br />
Thankfully, many countries are now starting to re-think their relationship with (single-use) plastics, but lots remains to be done! It's important to remember that every little bit helps. Taking your own cup on your daily coffee run alone can help avoid hundreds of pieces of plastics that can potentially end up in the ocean. And that's just for one person! Try and get your friends, family and co-workers to be more aware of their impact on the world and little by little we might be able to make the change the world needs!<br />
<br />
Tiger shark, Tiger Beach, Bahamas
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  • Sharks have amazing eyes, very much worth a closer look! Tiger Sharks for example have diamond shaped pupils, as can be seen in this image. This is the first in a series of close-up photographs of sharks that I will be posting in the coming weeks.
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  • There's nothing quite like having a tiger shark swim just over your head!
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  • Posting some pictures from last year this week. This today it's another bunch of sharks from Tiger Beach. There are three different species in this picture! Can you name them all?
    hk_bahamas_2018_056.jpg
  • This is what happens when a pack of nurse sharks go mad in Bimini. The fine sand produces giant clouds and visibility drops to near zero. Still good fun though!
    hk_bahamas_2018_020.jpg
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  • This beautiful great hammerhead was one of the stars of my recent trip to Bimini! Despite their enormous size and power, they are incredibly cautious and can even be regarded as shy. Unlike the tiger sharks at Tiger Beach, these sharks are easily spooked by people not being calm, or even the ever-present, far smaller nurse sharks!
    hk_bahamas_2018_018.jpg
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  • Shark feeder Vincent Canabal offering up a snack to this beauty! Despite their enormous size, great hammerheads share their smaller cousins' shyness. Seeing them in direct comparison with the notoriously curious tiger sharks is a real eye-opener.
    hk_bahamas_2018_012.jpg
  • Part two of my Shark Close-ups series shows the face of one of the most beautiful of all sharks, the Caribbean Reef Shark. You can see its eye, mouth, nose and part of the sensory array they use to detect electrical signals from their prey.
    hk_bahamas_2018_080.jpg
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  • Peacefully is how we should interact with these beautiful animals. Just admire their beauty, strengh and elegance and refrain from consuming products that contain shark and today can be a good day for sharks wordwide.
    hk_bahamas_2018_066.jpg
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  • Yesterday I had the pleasure to share the water with a maximum of 6 silky sharks at the same time. Conditions were pretty rough but the sharks more than made up for the bounciness and strong currents.
    hk_cabo_shark_dive_29-05-2019_066.jpg
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  • When the tigers aren't around on Tiger Beach, you can always rely on those gorgeous Caribbean reef sharks to entertain you for a while!
    hk_bahamas_2018_038.jpg
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  • This baby Perch is about an inch (2.5cm) long.
    hk_capernwray_2017_010.jpg
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  • Some more whales from Magdalena Bay last week. Remember how I said they weren't the prettiest?
    hk_bahia_magdalena_feb_2019_1113.jpg
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  • Last Monday I had my very first encounter with what for me is the most beautiful of all sharks: the blue shark. These extremely elegant, pelagic animals are unfortunately a rare sighting in many parts of the world these days, due to the high demand for shark fins and other products. Their large pectoral fins make them a prime target for shark fishing worldwide and their lifestyle makes it fairly easy to catch them. Did you know that Spain is one of the top exporters of shark products? We Europeans tend to regard China as the source of all evil when it comes to shark-related issues, yet we're still very much part of the problem!  The IUCN currently lists the blue shark as near threatened. The last assessment, however, was made in 2005, so numbers are likely lower today, as commercial fishing continues largely unhindered.
    hk_blue_sharks_13-02-2019_002.jpg
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