Just back on land from another incredible Socorro trip. I can’t believe even after 9 years of diving these magical islands they still leave me in awe. There’s something so incredibly special about sharing the water with these graceful and curious winged giants. Massive shout out to all the amazing humans that made this trip so special. I’m already counting down the days until next year for our 10 year anniversary!

🧜‍♀️: @bluemermaid.mx

📸: Captured on the Sony Alpha 1 using a 28-60mm lens with Nauticam’s WACP-1 at f13, 1/250s, iso 500

#mantaray #socorro #scubadiving #uwphotography #moodyvibes

In 2 days I’m heading back to one of my favorite places on earth for the 9th year in a row. Over the years Socorro has become like a second home to me. It almost feels like the mantas know this as they seem to glide in and welcome me back. No matter how many times I visit these magical islands I’m still blown away by them every time.

If you haven’t visited Socorro & the Revillagigedo Archipelago yet, I highly recommend adding it to your list. Not only is it a remarkable example of what marine protected areas can accomplish, but probably one of the most magical dive experiences on our blue planet.

#mantaray #blackandwhite #underwaterworld #socorro

Who else is ready to start exploring 2026? This year has been a wild mix highs and lows. But looking back at it I’m crazy grateful for all the epic adventures, awesome humans, and beautiful memories. Can’t wait to see what 2026 brings, Happy New Year fam! 🥳

📸 Captured as a single shot on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 using a 20mm f1.8 G lens on a @sliktripods at f1.8, 8s, iso6400.

💁‍♂️ Special shout out to my brother @stanmoniz for being a great model — and for introducing me to a type of photography that would unexpectedly change my world.

#milkyway #nightskyphotography #nightscape #milkywaychasers #skyfullofstars

Who else loves those dark and moody early morning dives? Captured this scalloped hammerhead cruising along the reef in Cocos Island on a dark and rainy morning. To create this effect I used a little extra power from the strobes to fill in the shark, while keeping my camera settings slightly underexposed. This way only what the light from the strobes hit would be illuminated and everything else would seem darker and moody. 🤓

Shot on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 at f5.6, 1/160s, iso 640 using @seaandseaimaging YS-D3 MKII strobes.

#hammerhead #hammerheadshark #darkandmoody #sonyalpha #sharkdiving

Merry Christmas and happy holidays fam!

Shot at the Tree of Life, UT on the @sonyalpha A1 II and 24-70 GM II at f2.8, 1/60s, iso 500 — with a little added holiday magic from @hoyafilterusa ‘s Sparkle filter 🎅

#christmaslights #holidaymagic #treeoflight #utahisbeautiful

Adding a little splash of color to your feed from the soft coral capital of the world. The colors of the reefs in Fiji are mind blowing and feel like you’re in some sort of dreamworld.

Shot on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 in @nauticamhousings at f10, 1/200s, iso 100 using 2 @seaandseaimaging YS-D3 mkII strobes.

The Sentinel`s Keyhole. Stumbled upon this alignment earlier this year while exploring Utah and just got around to finishing the edit.

It`s been a whirlwind few months with back-to-back commercial projects, but I`m loving the downtime to catch up. Working on my next fine art prints collection right now and reliving my favorite shots from this year. What do you think? Should I include this one? 🤔

Tracked and blended using the Sony Alpha 1 and a 24-70 GM II lens with a Hoya Sparkle filter, and MSM Nomad star tracker mounted on my fav Slik Tripod.

🗿: f9 10s iso 500
🌌 : f3.2 120s iso 500

Rise and shine ☀️ Who else loves a good desert sunrise? There`s something so magical about watching the world come to life as the sun’s warmth washes over the horizon..

Ever been attacked by a sea turtle? The other day I was hovering in the blue scoping out the dive site 30ft (10m) below to figure out a shot and then in the distance I see this turtle slowly gliding towards me. 😍 I quickly change the settings on my camera thinking it’s about to be one of those magical moments where a beautiful sea turtle slowly glides by as it heads down to the reef. But nope, as she got close to the camera she launched at me attempting to bite the camera and then my arm. I moved the camera to create space between us while using it to protect myself from being bitten. Then gently redirected her past me. She swam off leaving me very confused. I’ve never seen that type of behavior from a sea turtle.

But even crazier, 30 minutes later I’m ascending up to do a safety stop and she comes out of no where trying to bite my leg! I quickly span around and used the camera to create distance and redirect her as I would with a shark. She stared at me for a brief moment then turned and swam off. It was the strangest experience.

Looking at the photos later, I noticed she had lots of algae on her. Sea turtles are normally pretty diligent about scrubbing their shells and body against rocks and reef to keep them clean. And her eyes also looked a bit foggy. I wonder if this poor turtle is having some health problems which could also account for her strange aggressive behavior. It breaks my heart to think of such a beautiful creature suffering. What do you think?

I captured this one shot right before I realized she was trying to bite the camera. Didn’t even fire any shots before that either that could have agitated her. Once I realized she was not being friendly I stopped shooting to not further agitate her. Hope she’s alright!

Shot on the @sonyalpha Alpha 1 in a @nauticamhousings