Underwater Nocturnal Adventures

What happens at a coral reef after sunset? Fish go to sleep, squids wake up, and crabs come out of their dens to forage. The seemingly busy underwater life during sunlight hours continues; just with different actors. My research on coral reproduction – a fascinating phenomenon that also happens after sunset – has taken me underwater in the last few years every night for three months in the summer when corals in the Red Sea are spawning. During some of these nights, I spent as much as six hours per night, silently waiting for, and observing the unique and unfamiliar life around me. After my fifth summer night-season underwater, I put together this portfolio in which I aim to capture the nightlife and “night portraits” of some less familiar nocturnal inhabitants of the coral reef, from a majestic sea lily to an eagle ray. All photos in this portfolio were taken in the thriving and unique coral reefs of the Gulf of Eilat and Aqaba, Red Sea.