Articles

A mother giant Pacific octopus aerates her eggs, British Columbia, Canada
 

It is a story heard over and over: the cold, emerald green waters of the Pacific Northwest, inspiring a passion for underwater photography. Chris Mullen is a photographer and scuba instructor who initally took up photography in the UK and began diving in Australia and New Zealand. He now calls Vancouver Island home. He credits the diverse and colorful marine life around the region with changing his life and making diving and underwater photography full-time pursuits. His feature here exhibits just a fraction of the incredible creatures to be discovered in his home waters.

While Chris has always been captivated by wildlife photography wherever his journeys took him, diving introduced him to an entire new world of exploration and discovery. Instead of traveling with a specific target in mind, diving immersed him into the unknown depths, where every dive offered an unexpected chance encounter with nature's wonders. Chris says the freedom from expectations that diving has brought him, gives him a profound sense of peace underwater.

Moving forward, Chris aims to further develop his diving and photography skills to become a better storyteller, not just an image-maker. The incredible sights he's witnessed continue to amaze him, and he is eager to share these experiences with others, hoping to inspire a deeper appreciation for the underwater world.
 

A freshly hatched giant Pacific octopus, British Columbia, Canada. The size of a grain of rice, it is incredible to think that it could grow to be 20 feet across!
 

A dense school of rockfish gather in midwater, British Columbia, Canada
 

An intimate and up-close look at the textures of a sea star, British Columbia, Canada
 

The world’s largest jellyfish, the lion’s mane, with tentacles that can be longer than 100 feet, British Columbia, Canada
 

An icon of the Pacific Northwest, a giant Pacific octopus hunts across the bottom at night, British Columbia, Canada
 

A small opalescent nudibranch strikes a pose on the edge of a kelp frond, British Columbia, Canada
 

A ubiquitous subject in the Pacific Northwest, a red Irish lord waits in ambush, British Columbia, Canada
 

A gorgeous China rockfish hovers around a rocky outcrop, British Columbia, Canada. It is thought that this species can live longer than 100 years
 

A small spiny dogfish shoving its adorable face right into the camera, British Columbia, Canada
 

The sentient eye of a giant Pacific octopus as it peers out at the photographer from the safety of its den, British Columbia, Canada
 

One of the ocean’s strangest nudibranchs, the hooded nudibranch, British Columbia, Canada
 

To follow along Chris’ underwater journey and view more of his images from the Pacific Northwest, please give him a follow on Instagram.