, Affordable posters: wide angle images
www.seafriends.org.nz/photolib/posters/wa01.htm

The posters in this gallery depict the underwater world as divers see it; the underwater adventure, habitats, large encounters. Many images have been taken with wide angle lens but some with standard lens.

f010206: A snorkeldiver is feeding fish at the Goat Island marine reserve, New Zealand. Above the brown seaweed, the frozen peas attract fish in large numbers, particularly blue maomao, snapper and parore.. Feeding the fish is a practice, now strongly discouraged because it may change their behaviour.

f010221: A snorkeldiver finds herself surrounded by the friendly fishes of Goat Island marine reserve, New Zealand. In the sheltered shallows of Goat Island it is easy to befriend the many fishes: snapper, blue maomao, trevally and more.

f020528: The stingrays of the Northern Arch attract thousands of divers each year to the Poor Knights Is, New Zealand. In this picture alone, over twenty short-tailed stingrays (Dasyatis brevicaudatus) can be counted and one albino. Here they can be seen milling around, waiting for the current that allows them to hover effotlessly.

f011933: An albino stingray hovers in the currents inside Northern Arch, Poor Knights Is, New Zealand. Short-tailed stingrays (Dasyatis brevicaudatus) found out that hang-gliding in the rising currents inside this archway, can be fun. Others followed. At times as many as 40 can be counted. In this picture about half a dozen can be spotted, fading in the distance.

f023124: A diver enters Blue Maomao Arch where dense schools of blue maomao rest. Poor Knights Is, New Zealand. Blue maomao (Scorpis violaceus) feed on plankton outside their caves where they come to rest or sleep. This archway is also renowned for its skylights.

f023625: A school of pink maomao meeting a diver at 25m depth, Serpent Rock, Poor Knights Is, New Zealand. Pink maomao (Caprodon longimanus) lives deeper than blue maomao but both feed on zoo plankton.

f023224: A diver plays with a male demoiselle in Nursery Cove, Poor Knights Is, New Zealand. While guarding their nests, male demoiselles can be very brave and aggressive.

f023232: Blue maomaos and demoiselles thronging for shrimps gathered under an overhang at the Poor Knights Is. Fish watch each other closely for feeding behaviour. The fish in the background found food and the ones in the foreground followed suit.

f023233: A diver watches blue maomao and demoiselles shuttle to and from the deep in Nursery Cove, Poor Knights Is. In the shallows they find their planktonic food, but in the depths they are safe from predation by birds.

f024006: A diver is mirrored in the permanent air bubble inside Bernies Cave, Poor Knights Is, New Zealand. Divers poke their heads through the bubble to view the yellow volcanic rock above and to talk to each other.

f025526: A diver admires a large fan coral that survived diver's greed in the Julian Rocks reserve, Australia. Fan corals like this may take scores of years to grow, requiring divers to take utmost care where they are protected.

f000125: At 20m depth, too dark for plants, the rocks are covered by sponges and other filter feeders, near Leigh, New Zealand. Orange finger sponges and yellow nipple sponges are common, while red carpet sponges cover the rocks.

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