Looks like it’s lunchtime!  Sperm whale calves feed by sticking their mouths into their mothers' cloacas and sucking the milk into their mouths as it's released.  The calves nurse with their mothers for 2 years after they are born, though they have also been seen nursing intermittently after that for up to 8 years!

Photo taken under permit

#whale #whales #spermwhale #spermwhales #cetacean #ocean #marinelife #dominica #whalephotography #underwaterphotography #underwaterphoto #animal #animals #animalphotography #nauticam #nikon #yourshotphotographer #bbcwildlifepotd

Another lil critter dump from an amazing muck diving trip to Lembeh, Indonesia with @lembehresort 

#lembeh #indonesia #muckdiving #lembehstrait #uwphotography #uwphoto #uwpics #macro #macrophotography #macrophotos #scubaphoto #scubaphotography

A little throwback to crashing an opalescent nudibranch party while diving in Alaska!  There were at least 100 of these little babies crawling around a patch of seaweed, and the hardest part was figuring out which one to photograph 🤣

#alaska #scuba #scubadiving #scubadive #macro #macrophotography #supermacro #nudibranch #nudibranchs #opalescentnudibranch #underwaterphotography #animal #animals #animalphotography #nature #naturephotography #scubaphotography #nikon #nauticam #marinelife #yourshotphotographer

Haven’t gotten hammered like this in a while! 🤪🔨

I’m very relieved to see so many healthy great hammerhead sharks back in the Bahamas this winter season after a scary season last year where very few showed up.  I’m glad that they’re doing well and weren’t killed off unexpectedly!

#shark #sharks #hammerhead #hammerheadshark #hammerheadsharks #bimini #bahamas #greathammerhead #nealwatsonsbiminiscubacenter #scubadiving #yourshotphotographer

#tbt to an adorable Weddell Seal in Antarctica from a few years ago.  Weddell seals live the furthest south of any mammal species, and they usually do not travel more than a few miles away from their birthplace.  Due to their abundance, they’re the most studied seal species in the Antarctic!

#antarctica #seal #seals #mammal #mammals #animal #animals #travelphoto #travelphotography #naturephotography #animalphotos #animalphotography #yourshotphotographer

Though many larval flounders show up on blackwater dives in Lembeh Strait, these were the two prettiest ones I came across.  I love their cute lil horns!

#blackwater #blackwaterdiving #flounder #larvalflounder #larvalfish #fish #fishes #scubaphoto #scubaphotography #lembeh #lembehresort #indonesia #uwphotography #uwphoto #nauticam

How I look right now trying to find where the weekend has gone… 🥲

Shot in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica

#sloth #sloths #costarica #costaricaphoto #costaricaphotographer #manuelantonio #manuelantonionationalpark #wildlife #wildlifephotography #wildlifeplanet #wildlifephoto #wildlifephotos #animal #animals #animalphotography #animalplanet #animalphotos #yourshotphotographer #bbcwildlifepotd

Can’t get enough of that arctic glow in these Norwegian fjords 😍 

Shot with @valhallaorcaexpedition

#orca #orcas #orcaphoto #orcaphotography #cetacean #cetaceans #wildlife #wildlifephotography #wildlifeplanet #wildlifephotographer #yourshotphotographer #bbcwildlifepotd #animals #animal #animalphotography #animalplanet #animalphotos #whales #whale #whalephotography #marinelife

These fellas croc my world!  Though this one is still quite small, American crocodiles are one of the largest species of crocodile, growing up to 6.1m/20ft in length!  Adults are able to survive in saltwater environments due to salt glands on their tongue, which let them extract salt from their bodies.  Despite their toothy grins, they’re fairly docile and shy around humans.

Shot in Jardines de la Reina, Cuba

#crocodile #crocodiles #crocs #croc #americancrocodile #avalon #jardinesdelareina #cuba #mangrove #mangroves #reptilesofinstagram #reptilesofinsta #yourshotphotographer #bbcwildlifepotd

I am truly beyond honored and ecstatic to have been named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023 in this year's @upycontest for my "Boto Encantado" photo from the Brazilian Amazon!  Getting into underwater photography these past few years has been an incredible journey, and I feel blessed to receive this recognition from a team of judges whom I look up to immensely.

I'm also thankful for this opportunity to bring a little awareness to the Amazon river dolphin, a beautiful species that isn't talked about too often.  There are only 6 extant species of river dolphins left in the world, and all of them are either endangered or critically endangered.  All river dolphins face similar pressures, including pollution and large scale development projects that alter river flows and disrupt local ecosystems.  Amazon river dolphins are also affected by mercury poisoning due to the local gold mining industry, and, in some parts of the Amazon, they are intentionally killed by fisheries for use as bait for a prized species of catfish.  Though locals generally revere these dolphins as legendary creatures with magical powers, if we continue along the current path of environmental destruction in the Amazon, I fear they'll truly become no more than mythical beings.

Big congratulations to all of the other winners, and a huge thank you to the UPY judges and team for all of their hard work.  Thank you as well as to @tritonbaydivers, @backscattervideophoto, and @mareluxco for the amazing prizes!

#UPY2023 #underwaterphotographeroftheyear #boto #amazonriverdolphin #riverdolphin #brazil #amazon #amazonriver #uwphotography #uwphoto #uwpics

Talk about a glow-up!  Silky sharks get their name from the smooth and glossy appearance of their skin.  Instead of having scales, all sharks have dermal denticles, which are essentially tiny teeth that grow over and protect their skin.  Each species of sharks has its own uniquely-shaped dermal denticles, and those of the silky shark are very tightly-packed, giving them their sheen.  They’ve certainly perfected their skincare routine! 💅

Shot in Jardines de la Reina, Cuba

#silkyshark #silkysharks #shark #sharks #sharkweek #jardinesdelareina #sharkphotography #uwphotography #uwphoto #yourshotphotographer #picoftheday

Blast from the past!  The Great Basin bristlecone pine is likely the oldest non-clonal species of tree on earth, with trees recorded over 5000 years old.  Their wood is so durable and rot-resistant that they can still stand for hundreds of years after death.  In both living and dead trees, the tree's wood ends up eroding due to wind and the elements instead of rotting, creating its gnarled appearance.  They make beautiful night photography subjects!

Blue hour blend in the White Mountains of California

#whitemountains #california #bristleconepine #tree #trees #nightsky #nightphotography #nightskyphotography #milkyway #milkywaychasers #milkywayphotography #nightscape #nightscapes #landscape #landscapephotography #photography #nature #naturephotography #landscapes

Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve reached our cruising altitude… 🦅

#alaska #alaskaphotography #alaskaphotographer #eagle #eagles #eaglephotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #wildlifephotographer #bird #birds #birdphotography #birdphoto #birdplanet #yourshotphotographer #bbcwildlifepotd

A California brown pelican resting on a cliff at sunrise.  Though they generally spend the mornings resting and preening themselves, when they go out fishing during the day, they can dive from as high as 60 feet in the air into the water!

#pelican #pelicans #brownpelican #brownpelicans #birds #birdphotography #birdsofinstagram #birdphoto #birdplanet #birdpics #sandiego #wildlife #wildlifephotography #california #yourshotphotographer

Froggies of Lembeh 🐸 

Though frogfish move quite slowly, they have some of the fastest bites in the animal kingdom!  The hairy frogfish, shown in the last photo, is especially speedy, creating a vacuum in its mouth that can suck in its prey in just 1/6000 of a second 😱

#frogfish #fishes #fishphotography #frogfishphotography #lembeh #indonesia #scubaphoto #scubaphotography #uwphotography #uwphoto #snoot #nauticam #nikon #macrophotography #macro #macrophoto #marinelife #oceanlife

Caribbean reef shark cruisin’ for a bruisin’ 😤
Just kidding—they’re actually the sweetest cutest bestest little babies 🥹

Shot in Jardines de la Reina, Cuba

#jardinesdelareina #cuba #reefshark #reefsharks #shark #sharks #caribbean #uwphotography #uwphoto #reefphotography #reefdive #reefdiving #scuba #scubadiving #sharkdiving #sharkdive #nauticam #natgeoyourshot #bbcwildlifepotd

A pair of mandarinfish mating and releasing eggs.  Every day at dusk, mandarinfish emerge from the coral reefs to mate, with the dominant males vying to impress the females.  If a female accepts, the two fish will attach at the pelvic fin and rise up together above the reef and into the water column.  After a few seconds, the female will release a cloud of eggs, which the male will fertilize, before they split apart and rush back down into the safety of the coral below.

Shot in Lembeh, Indonesia

#manadarinfish #fishbehavior #dragonet #mating #uwphotography #uwphoto #uwpics #lembeh #indonesia #wildlife #wildlifephotography #wildlifeplanet #wildlifephotographer #wildlifeperfection #animals #animalphotography #yourshotphotographer #nauticam #bbcwildlifepotd #paditv

Humpback mania in Norway!  In the winter months, humpback whales congregate in the arctic Norwegian fjords to feed on herring, sometimes even forming superpods of 50+ whales to feed together with 🐋 

#humpback #humpbackwhale #humpbackwhales #whales #whale #cetacean #cetaceans #norway #arctic #tromso #seglvik #ocean #marinelife #whalephotography #nature #naturephotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography

During the winter breeding season, adult California Brown Pelicans change colors, with their pouches turning a brilliant shade of red.  It was such a blast spending a few quiet mornings photographing them by the coast!

#pelican #pelicans #brownpelican #brownpelicans #birds #birdphotography #birdsofinstagram #birdphoto #birdplanet #birdpics #sandiego #wildlife #wildlifephotography #california #yourshotphotographer

The “Shaun the sheep” nudibranch, also known as a leaf slug or leaf sheep, is my favorite nudibranch, and I was so excited to get to see one in person for the first time!  They’re so cute 🥹

This nudibranch is one of the only animals that can perform photosynthesis!  They absorb the chloroplasts from the algae that they eat, which are then converted into energy when they react with the sun’s rays.

Shot in Lembeh, Indonesia

#nudibranch #nudibranchs #nudilover #nudipics #nudibranches #shaunthesheep #marinelife #seaslug #seaslugs #macrophotography #macrophoto #uwphotography #uwpics #yourshotphotographer #animalphotography #lembeh #indonesia

A few close passes by a curious white southern right whale calf.  This calf stayed with our group for an hour, circling around us and inspecting us and coming in to say hello!

Photo taken under Argentinian government permit.

#whale #whales #whalecalf #whalecalves #cetacean #cetaceans #ocean #nauticam #wildlife #wildlifephotography #wildlifeplanet #wildlifeaddicts #nature #naturephotography #naturephoto #animal #animals #animalphotography #animalplanet #yourshotphotographer #bbcwildlifepotd

A coconut octopus with eggs!  Coconut octopuses are known for carrying around coconut shells or sea shells to hide in for protection.  When they lay eggs, they normally keep their eggs hidden inside their shells as well, though they aerate them occasionally.  While I had my snoot on this mother, she opened up her shells for a second and repositioned her arms, giving me the chance to take a few shots showing her eggs!

Shot in Lembeh, Indonesia

#coconutoctopus #octopus #octopuseggs #wildlife #animalbehavior #animal #animals #marinelife #ocean #scuba #lembeh #paditv #scubaphotography #scubaphoto #uwphotography #uwphoto #uwpics

Anemonefish are without a doubt one of my favorite subjects to observe and photograph.  I love the way they snuggle in their anemones, and I love the wide ranges of colors and patterns across species!  The little ones are especially cute 🥰

All shot in Lembeh, Indonesia

#anemonefish #anemone #fish #clownfish #macro #macrophotography #macrophoto #lembeh #indonesia #nemo #underwater #marinelife #uwphotography #uwphoto #uwphics #yourshotphotographer #bbcwildlifepotd

A longarm octopus that posed nicely for me, found on a blackwater dive in Lembeh, Indonesia.

#blackwater #blackwaterphotography #nightdive #nightdiving #uwphotography #uwphoto #octopus #scubaphoto #scubaphotography #yourshotphotographer #bbcwildlifepotd #divingphotography #divingphoto #lembeh #indonesia #paditv

A bit of a late post since I didn't have internet for the past week, but I'm incredibly honored to have selected as the overall "Best in Show" winner and the winner of the Macro category in the 2022 Ocean Art underwater photography competition hosted by @uwphotographyguide and @bluewaterphototravel.  It's been crazy to reflect on how much I've grown over the past year, and I'm very excited to continue learning and improving over the upcoming years!

Huge congratulations to all the other winners, and a special thank you to @carpediemmaldives for the prize sponsorship of a Maldives liveaboard trip--I can't wait to visit!

This photo shows a Caribbean reef octopus guarding her eggs, found off the coast of West Palm Beach, Florida.  Like all other species of octopus, this mother does not eat while she tends to her eggs, and she will die after they hatch.  It was a bittersweet feeling to watch her protect her eggs, knowing that this sad end was coming.

#oceanart #uwphotography #uwphotographyguide #bluewater #bluewaterphoto #bluewaterphototravel #nauticam #octopus #cephalopod #nature #wildlife

A jack and jelly in a symbiotic relationship.  The jack pushes the jelly through the water, helping it find food more quickly than normal, and the jelly provides the jack protection from predators.  When the jacks get really scared, they’ll hide their entire faces within the bell of the jelly!

Shot on a blackwater dive in Lembeh, Indonesia with @lembehresort

#blackwater #blackwaterphotography #nightdive #nightdiving #uwphotography #uwphoto #jellyfish #scubaphoto #scubaphotography #yourshotphotographer #bbcwildlifepotd #divingphotography #divingphoto #lembeh #indonesia #paditv

A little cuttlefish wandering around a reef 🥺

Like other cephalopods, cuttlefish can rapidly change color to blend into their surroundings.  An easy way to tell them apart from their squid and octopus relatives is their w-shaped pupils!

#cuttlefish #cephalopod #marinelife #wildlife #ocean #uwphotography #uwphoto #lembeh #indonesia #underwater #macrophotography #macro #macrophoto #macroworld

A polychaete worm called Eupolyodontes amboinensis, potentially not too rare in distribution but likely only photographed fewer than 10 times before.  They’re quite skittish but definitely cute!

Shot in Lembeh, Indonesia with @lembehresort

#worm #marineworm #uwphotography #uwphoto #uwpics #uwpic #underwaterphotography #underwaterlife #animals #animal #worms #lembeh #indonesia #macro #macroturkey #nauticam #yourshotphotographer #bbcwildlifepotd

A Banggai Cardinalfish brooding eggs in his mouth.  These eggs are developed enough that you can see the eyes!

When these cardinalfish reproduce, the female releases eggs into the water, which the male fertilizes and then sucks into his mouth, where he incubates them for about a month. 

Shot in Lembeh, Indonesia

#lembeh #cardinalfish #banggaicardinalfish #fishes #fishbehavior #fishbehaviour #natgeoyourshot #bbcwildlifepotd #lembeh #lembehresort #muckdiving #macrophotography #macro #nauticam #nikon #uwphotography #uwphoto #uwpics #uwpic #underwaterphotography

In the midst of all this rain, a throwback to sunnier days in Baja California ☀️

Striped marlin are one of the fastest fish in the ocean, and they often hunt prey like mackerel and sardines in the upper layers of ocean waters!

#marlin #stripedmarlin #mackerel #skewer #spear #hunt #photo #photography #underwater #underwaterphoto #underwaterphotography #nauticam #snorkel #snorkeling #marinelife #animal #animalphoto #animalphotography #ocean #nature #mexico #baja #bajacalifornia #naturephoto #naturephotography #yourshotphotographer #bbcwildlifepotd

Adventures

Home

Private adventure trip planning services and underwater, landscape, and wildlife photography.  Check meowt! 🐱

KatSnaps | Kat Zhou

Galleries

Underwater, landscape, and wildlife photography galleries.  Check meowt! 🐱

KatSnaps Photography Galleries | Kat Zhou

Ocean & Underwater

Custom unique adventures worldwide 🌎
Helping ambitious people discover the unknown, push comfort zones, or learn new skills, one trip at a time.

Private trip planning and travel consulting services, focusing on custom adventure travel around the world.  Check meowt!  🐱

KatSnaps Ocean & Underwater Adventures

Ocean & Underwater | KatSnaps Adventures

Landscapes & Hiking

KatSnaps Landscapes & Hiking Adventures

Landscapes & Hiking | KatSnaps Adventures

Wildlife

KatSnaps Wildlife Adventures

Wildlife Experiences | KatSnaps Adventures

Extreme Experiences

KatSnaps Extreme Experiences Adventures

Extreme Experiences | KatSnaps Adventures

Culture

KatSnaps Culture Adventures

Cultural Exploration | KatSnaps Adventures

Gastronomy

KatSnaps Gastronomy Adventures

Gastronomy & Craft Cocktails | KatSnaps Adventures

Private trip planning and travel consulting services, specializing in unique adventure travel worldwide.  Check meowt!  🐱

KatSnaps Adventures | Kat Zhou

KatSnaps Adventures | Discover Unique Experiences

About Me

Hi I'm Kat Zhou, and I'm a professional trip planner and underwater, landscape, and wildlife photographer.  Check meowt! 🐱

About Me | Kat Zhou

Contact Me

Want to ask about upcoming adventures, book a trip, send me cat videos, or just say hi?

Contact Me | Kat Zhou

KatSnaps is the leader in moment capturing