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Blue gasflame nudibranch (Bonisa nakaza), Sterretjies dive site, Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
 

This week we present to you a South African nudibranch extravaganza courtesy of underwater photographer and writer Kate Jonker. Kate is based in Gordon’s Bay, just outside of Cape Town, where she spent most of her childhood in the water, surfing, snorkeling and exploring. She first learned to dive in 2000 and purchased her first underwater camera rig a few years later. Today, her passion lies with sharing her love of the ocean and her underwater experiences with others, and she hopes to help create awareness of the magical underwater world, and encourage its protection and preservation.

The coastline along the eastern side of False Bay boasts some of the most varied dive sites in Cape Town, and are a mecca for underwater image-makers. Most of Kate’s diving is done locally in this area, and her passion is macro photography. She loves to find and shoot the often overlooked smaller creatures on the reefs and in the kelp forest, and her images are colorful and unique as a result.

False Bay may be famous around the world for its breaching great whites, but there are many other smaller critters to see and photograph, too, including an abundance of nudibranchs, one of Kate’s favorite subjects, and the focus of her featured portfolio.

When not taking pictures of flamboyant sea slugs and other critters, Kate works full time in the South African wine industry and as a dive guide and boat captain for her husband’s dive center Indigo Scuba Diving, in Gordon’s Bay. She also leads photography expeditions to other popular destinations around the world and is a regular contributor to international magazines and websites.
 

Carpet flatworm (Thysanozoon brocchii), Blousteen dive site, Gordon's Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Black nudibranch (Tambja capensis), Steenbras Deep dive site, Gordon's Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Silvertip nudibranch (Janolus capensis), Pinnacle dive site, Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Cape triplefin (Cremnochorites capensis), Stone Dog dive site, Gordon's Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Horned blenny (Parablennius cornutus), Sterretjies dive site; Gordon's Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Snooted strawberry anemones, Photographer’s Reef, Simon’s Town, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Basket stars (Astrocladus euryale), Sterretjies dive site, Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Ornate amphipod on whelk eggs, Photographer’s Reef, Simon’s Town, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Kelp forests with floors of colorful marine life, home to fascinating macro subjects, Gordon’s Bay, South Africa
 

Candy nudibranch (Cuthona speciosa), Steenbras Deep dive site, Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Purple lady nudibranch (Flabellina funeka), Drop Zone dive site, Gordon's Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Soft coral nudibranch (Tritona sp. 1), Stone Dog dive site, Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Coral nudibranch (Phyllodesmium horridus), Steenbras River Mouth dive site, Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
 

Kate Jonker
 

See more of Kate’s colorful critters on her website, www.katejonker.com, or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.