Articles

Jeff Milisen is an observing naturalist first. But being a photographer is a close second. It is his curiosity as a naturalist that fuels his desire to capture images of the ocean’s most mysterious inhabitants—the denizens of the deep that rise up 5,000 feet every night to feed.

Jeff’s stunning images from “black water dives” have captured numerous international awards and continue to delight—and slightly frighten—the imaginations those who view the photos.

Jeff may spend countless nights in the black waters off of Hawaii, but during the day he also enjoys photographing oceanic whitetip sharks, dolphins and many of the Big Island’s other marine life.
 

Lamprogrammus: This is a deep-sea cusk eel larva with an extruded stomach
 

Steno bredanensis: A pair of rough-toothed dolphins
 

An octopus just below a retracting wave
 

A manta dines off the plankton just under the surface at night
 

A tiger shark crosses the sand in front of Jeff’s dive buddy
 

Chelonia mydas: Hawaiian green sea turtle
 

Prionace glauca: A blue shark under the boat offshore of Rhode Island
 

A lily pad habitat in a Connecticut pond
 

Chascanopsetta prorigera: Larval flounder
 

For more of Jeff’s work, make sure to visit his official website.