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Take a peak through underwater photographer Franco Banfi’s portfolio and you’re bound to notice a familiar subject in most of the frames—a human.

Yes—Franco’s images feature rare and amazing creatures like the enormous sperm whale or frisky blue sharks. But the human element in so many of his images is undeniable. “I document a lot of uncommon animals and locations,” says Franco. “[but also] the human relationship with nature in environments from the equator to the poles.”

His images have gone viral, nabbed countless international awards, and no doubt inspired underwater photographers to push the bounds of the marine realm.
 

A school of soldierfish cluster together in formation
 

A diver explores a cold-water reef exploding with yellow coral
 

Smile! A sleeping parrotfish flashes its teeth for the camera
 

A photographer swims alongside the world’s largest predator, a massive sperm whale
 

A Mola mola, or oceanic sunfish, rises to the surface from the cold water depths for a sunbath
 

A tropical reef sits below the setting sun
 

My! What big teeth you have!
 

The highly endangered Amazonian river dolphin
 

Schooling scalloped hammerheads swim in formation by the thousand in both Cocos and the Galápagos Islands
 

Anemonefish seek safety in the tentacles of their host
 

To find out more about Franco Banfi’s work, visit his website or view his images on Facebook or Instagram.