Take a glimpse of 13 must-see underwater photos of whale sharks, jelly fish, anemone fish and will leave you gasping for air
Super talented husband and wife photography team, Jon and Kirsty Faulkner of Faulkner Photography, have scored their very own piece of paradise. The couple, who live on Christmas Island, have a sea of beauty waiting to be snapped. Kirsty and Jon specialise in wildlife, landscapes and underwater photography, have captured extraordinary images that will leave even the National Geographic photographer’s envious. Check out this selection from their incredibly beautiful collection which, highlight the stunning scenery and wilderness of Australia’s Christmas Island.
Whaleshark by Jon Faulkner
“I never get tired of swimming with these majestic creatures. After entering the water, this eight metre giant swam directly at me, allowing me to get a couple of nice shots before having to move aside to avoid a collision.”
Pelagic Jellyfish by Jon Faulkner
“What an amazing experience it was swimming with this jellyfish. I found it swimming in the Cove near the jetty. It was more than one metre long and gracefully moved around, foraging in the sand with its dreadlock-like tentacles trailing behind.”
Baby Jelly by Kirsty Faulkner
“While we were out swimming with dolphins, my husband noticed this tiny little jellyfish swimming through the water. I took the shot directly underneath the jelly and as it was close to the surface you can see straight up to the clouds!”
Pink Anemonefish Fish by Kirsty Faulkner
“Anemonefish are one of my most favourite fish to photography. They are just so cute! I’m very lucky that the island has a few different varieties of anemonefish to choose from!”
Hover by Kirsty Faulkner
“Every once in a while you have a very special dive and this was one of those days. The ocean currents had brought a huge amount of sea jellies and sea salps to the island – many of which I had never seen before. This shot is taken looking up to the mining cantilever on the surface.”
Dragon Moray by Kirsty Faulkner
“The Dragon Moray is such a beautiful, but very shy eel. To get this shot, I had to spend a few dives letting the eel get used to me before it was comfortable enough to come out from its coral hideaway.”
Fan Corals by Kirsty Faulkner
“On some of our dive sites we are lucky enough to have some very large and very beautiful gorgonian fan corals. They look so majestic swaying in the ocean currents and the colours are gorgeous!”
Freckle-faced Hawkfish by Kirsty Faulkner
“This juvenile Freckle-faced Hawkfish was very small and super cute. It took a little while for it to get used to the camera, but eventually he perched on the coral long enough for me to get this shot.”
Cantilever Idols By Jon Faulkner
“While photographing the cantilever structure at the Christmas Island Port, these Moorish Idols decided to bomb my photo. I really like the contrast between structure and nature in this shot.”
Porcelain Crab by Kirsty Faulkner
“Porcelain Crabs are fascinating little creatures to watch. Living on their host anemone they help keep it clean in return for the protection it offers from predators.”
Barracuda Sky by Kirsty Faulkner
“A local school of barracuda can often be found a short swim from the main beach. It’s quite surreal to be totally surrounded by hundreds of these fish!”
Lone Dolphin by Kirsty Faulkner
“Swimming with our Spinner Dolphins is another one of my favourite pastimes! They are so friendly, often swimming right up next to me! Amazing creatures!”
White whale shark Kirsty Faulkner
“There is nothing quite as breathtaking as swimming with whale sharks. These gentle giants visit our island each year to coincide with the red crab migration. It is by far, the most incredible experience you could ever have.”
Check out Faulkner Photography for more beautiful images.
