Articles

A spectacular and aptly name gaudy clown crab holding onto a clutch of bright orange eggs, Bonaire
 

In 1980, Ellen Muller moved to the island of Bonaire from the US and instantly fell in love with the island’s coral reefs and crystal-clear waters. Over 20 years later, she purchased a compact underwater camera and uncovered a new passion that would change her life. Living on Bonaire provided Ellen with the opportunity to dive almost daily, and in doing so, gave her the ability to meticulously document many of the inhabitants of Bonaire’s reefs and their unique behaviors.

Ellen’s favorite images to shoot underwater are spawning activities, and you’ll see several featured here. Ellen says: “There is something quite extraordinary in watching the circle of life play out in a delicate dance beneath the moonlight.” Coral spawning, invertebrates spawning, fish spawning—they are all immensely fascinating. Ellen avidly documents and researches any type of spawning behavior. The majority of her dives take place at sunset or at night, which is when the reefs really come alive to showcase spawning activities. For coral spawning, her favorite time of year is late summer and early fall because there are so many opportunities to capture the unique spawning activities of a multitude of species. When the Orbicella corals spawn, beautiful brittle stars will come out en masse to dine on their eggs, and this is a spectacle that never gets tiring! It is truly incredible to witness the variety of spawning strategies used by different species.

Through these pictures, Ellen hopes to convey how precious, mystifying, and fragile our coral reef systems are. Coral reefs are under immense pressure. We’ve yet to discover all of the treasures that the ocean can reveal, and it is our duty to protect and preserve one of the greatest gifts Earth has to offer her future generations.
 

Sheltered beneath a Christmas tree worm, a yellownose goby warily eyes the camera, Bonaire
 

Close-up details of flower corals casting eggs out into the nighttime sea, Bonaire
 

Invasive but beautiful nonetheless, a lionfish mean-mugs the camera, Bonaire
 

A trio of longlure frogfish spawn midwater at night, Bonaire
 

Intimate details of a mother octopus guarding her developing eggs, with the embryos visible inside the casings, Bonaire
 

Eggs of a star coral, mere moments after being released, Bonaire
 

A stunning anemone, the orange ball corallimorph, getting ready to release millions of eggs, Bonaire
 

The pearly white chompers of a rainbow parrotfish, perfect for scraping algae off rocks and corals, Bonaire
 

A brittle star releasing bright red eggs into the current, Bonaire
 

Stoplight gobies clean the cavernous mouth of a sand diver, Bonaire
 

Not normally a communal species, an entire clan of sharptail eels has gathered together in a mating congregation that can last close to an hour before the eels all rise towards the surface together to spawn, Bonaire
 

A shy hamlet stretches out its jaws to keep them limber, Bonaire
 

A gorgeous redspotted hawkfish perched perfectly on an azure vase sponge, Bonaire
 

An incredibly uncommon image, the moment a new generation of yellowhead jawfish are released into the world, Bonaire
 

To see more of Ellen’s wonderful work from Bonaire, please give her a follow on Instagram and visit her gallery page.