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Giant kelp scimitar, Monterey Bay, California, USA
 

Our latest Photographer of the Week Sage Ono became a certified scuba diver at only 12 years of age, and grew up in a family of land-locked vacation divers with whom he explored the ocean throughout his teenage years. After graduating from university in early 2020, the COVID pandemic complicated his career plans, so he took the unexpected opportunity to work remotely in popular dive destinations along the Pacific coast of the US. After brief stints in Hawaii, San Diego and Santa Cruz, Sage finally settled in Monterey Bay, California, where his skill as an underwater photographer truly began to develop.

Regular access to Monterey’s most popular dives sites helped his camera skills to improve quickly, and he learned to love diving in the cold kelp forests on the central coast and became involved in the citizen science organization Reef Check California. In a short period of time, he has photographed many of the region’s most popular subjects, and his featured portfolio includes a nice mix of macro and wide-angle work from California and beyond.

My favorite images are the abstract shot of the rockfish’s dorsal fins and his kelp photography, which recently garnered praise in this year’s Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year competition. Sage plans to continue diving as much as possible in 2023, and has trips booked to Cozumel and the Philippines, so keep an eye out for his work among the winners in future photography contests!
 

Blue rockfish beneath the beams, Monterey Bay, California, USA
 

A poorly camouflaged pygmy seahorse, Ribbon Reefs, Australia
 

Copper rockfish dorsal fin, Monterey Bay, California, USA
 

Egg yolk jellyfish in the kelp, Monterey Bay, California, USA
 

Kelp canopy on a cloudy day, Monterey Bay, California, USA
 

Hyperiid amphipod carrying a salp, Kona, Hawaii, USA
 

Manta mating train, Exmouth, Australia
 

A stunning reef on the Ribbon Reefs area of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
 

Tubesnout eggs on kelp, Monterey Bay, California, USA
 

Nemo found, Ribbon Reefs, Australia
 

Hooded nudibranch feeding, Monterey Bay, California, USA
 

A salp lassoing the sun, Monterey, California, USA
 

Unidentified larval ribbonfish, Kona, Hawaii, USA
 

To see more of Sage’s beautiful work, check out his website www.sageonophotography.com or his Instagram page.