Articles

Grooved brain coral in a land-based coral nursery, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
 

Dan Mele is an underwater science photographer, filmmaker, and coral biologist based in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Dedicated to challenging the traditional, lab-centric view of science, Dan’s work focuses on engaging broader audiences and raising awareness about the importance of marine ecosystems. He documents the research efforts of both local and visiting teams, with a special emphasis on coral biology, reef conservation, and the environmental challenges these ecosystems face. Through his photography and films, Dan makes complex scientific topics accessible and compelling to a wider public.

A TEDx speaker, Dan’s underwater videography has contributed to Emmy-nominated and Telly Award-winning films, while his photography has appeared in books, magazines, and online platforms. For the past two years, he has been a member of the Emerging League Program of the International League of Conservation Photographers, helping to highlight and support critical ocean conservation work. Through his unique blend of science and art, Dan is not only documenting the beauty of the ocean but also driving conversations around the urgent need to protect it.
 

Coral biologists use spawning nets to collect coral sperm and eggs, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
 

A green sea turtle selects the last blade of turtle grass—its preferred food—from an endless field of the invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
 

A single polyp of smooth flower coral divides into two polyps to form a coral colony, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
 

An autonomous ocean glider readies for a dive to collect oceanographic data from the water column, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
 

A research technical diver surfaces after monitoring a Nassau grouper spawning aggregation, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
 

A research diver carefully covers a grooved brain coral with a net before its spawning event, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
 

A University of the Virgin Islands diver adds a staghorn coral fragment to a coral nursery, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
 

A group of invasive brittle stars colonizes a sea fan, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
 

A queen triggerfish on a mesophotic coral reef, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
 

An Atlantic longarm octopus scours the seagrass for prey, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
 

To see more of Dan’s work, please give him a follow on Instagram and check out his website, www.danmelephotography.com/photography.