Flight of the Butterfly Rays Video

https://vimeo.com/78982322

Southern Stingray being shadowed by a Cobia

 Flying Butterfly Rays with other species over the sandbars of Cape Hatteras during a few hours of clear water in October 2013

Blue-Green Dreams Video

                                      

                                    

Barracuda over the British Splendour Shipwreck

                                                        https://vimeo.com/77553685

                                      UNDERWATER VIDEO OF THE SUMMER OF 2013

Barracuda
 

Location - Dixie Arrow Shipwreck - Water Depth - 95 ft.
Image Depth - 20 ft.
Barracuda - (Sphyraena barracuda)

Flounder Waiting To Ambush Prey

Location - Buxton Shorebreak
Image Depth - 3'ft.
Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma)
Note how the color pattern of this flounder matches the broken shell fragments on the bottom.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Location - Diamond Shoals  Water Depth - 20'ft.
Image Depth - 18'ft.
Loggerhead Sea Turtle - Caretta caretta
More than 100 species of animals live on Loggerhead's backs. These parasitic organisms increase drag, but may also serve as a form of camoflage.
I have witnessed turtles rubbing their backs on underwater structure while many species of fish consumed the leftovers.

Juvenile Blue Crab

Location - Cape Point  Water Depth - 6ft.
Image Depth - 6ft.
Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
This juvenile Blue Crab is consuming a strand of seaweed while blending in with the shells on the ocean bottom.

Atlantic Spotted Dolphins

Location - About 50 miles off Cape Hatteras  Water Depth - 5000ft.
Image Depth - 20ft.
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Stenella plagiodon)
Overcast and just before dark, these three members of a offshore pod of dolphins cruise by and  checkout the human who has jumped overboard near them. They circled 2 times and then swam off into the purple ocean water following the rest of the pod.
 A very cool 20 second open-ocean encounter.

Feather Blenny Inside Bread Sponge

Location - Ocracoke Island  Inshore Shipwreck Water Depth - 15-20 ft.
Image Depth - 18 ft.
Feather Blenny (Hypsoblennius hentzi)
Crumb of Bread Sponge (Plocamia panicea)

Lookdowns

Location - Diamond Shoals  Water Depth - 10-15ft.
Image Depth - 15ft.
Lookdowns (Selene vomer)

I found this school of Lookdowns swimming over the remnants of a wooden shipwreck that was just barely uncovered from the sand. The lack of marine growth on the shipwreck indicated it had not been exposed long. But it still attracted many types of marine species.
The wreck was buried in sand by the currents the next day.



Striped Burrfish With Attending Juvenile Crevalle Jack

Location - Cape Point - Water Depth - 10'ft.
Image Depth -8'ft.
Striped Burrfish (Chilomycterus schoepfi)
Crevalle Jack (Caranx hippos)



 

Spadefish With Attached Sharksucker Remoras

 Location -  Cape Point   Water Depth - 10'-15'ft.
Image Depth - 10'ft.
Spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber)
Sheephead (Archosargus probatocephalus)
Sharksucker Remora (Echeneis neucrates)

Arrow Shrimp On Sea Nettle Jellyfish

Location - Diamond Shoals - Water Depth 15'-20'ft.
Image Depth - 10'ft.
Arrow Shrimp (Tozeuma carolinense)

Blue Crab

Location - Soundside Ocracoke Inlet - Water Depth 5'ft.
Image Depth - 5'ft.
Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)



Rock-boring Sea Urchin

Location -  Pea Island Inshore Shipwreck  Water Depth - 20'ft. 
Image Depth - 8'ft.
Rock-boring Urchin (Echinometra lucunter)

Sheepshead

Location - Frisco - Water Depth  12'ft.
Image Depth - 8'ft.
Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)



Black Sea Bass

Location - Hatteras Inlet - Styron Hill Wreck - Water Depth - 20'ft.
Image Depth - 20'ft.
Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata)

Striped Mullet

Location - Rodanthe Shipwreck - Water Depth 15-20' ft.
Image Depth - 10' ft.
Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus)

Amberjacks

Location - Semi-secret shipwreck uncovered on Diamond Shoals - Water Depth 50'ft.
Image Depth - 30'ft.
Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili)



Juvenile Flounder

 Location - Cape Point - Water Depth 6'ft.
Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma)
This 6" inch Flounder blends into the shell fragments on the bottom of the sandbar.

Cutlassfish

Location - Hatteras Inlet - Water Depth 20'ft.
Image Depth - 8'ft.
Cutlassfish (Trichiurus lepturus)
Diving with a large school of Ribbonfish (Also refered to as Cutlassfish) can be a bit intimidating. Every fish have their mouths open, exposing long neetle-like teeth. They also hover in the water by oscillating their dorsal fin which can propel them forward or backwards at a high rate of speed.