Animal Nature: 'Ocean Soul' photo exhibit dives deep; migrating whales move ...
"In the beginning," Skerry says, "I just wanted to make beautiful pictures. But over time, I've seen a lot of problems occurring in the world's oceans that may not be apparent to people unless they're diving on a regular basis."He straps on tanks and dives -- from the Arctic to the Bahamas, the Philippines, Patagonia, South Africa and beyond -- eight or nine months each year, compiling, so far, more than 10,000 hours underwater.
Overcoming such challenges as limited air supply, frigid water, the inability to change lenses, film or memory cards, he captures mesmerizing images of seal pups slipping into the sea for the first time, of spectacularly spotted whale sharks off Australia, of the unusual V-shaped blow rising from an endangered North Atlantic right whale. In one photo, the moon illuminates a leatherback turtle as she crawls ashore to nest. In another, unwanted fish species drop toward the ocean floor, tossed dead from a trawler whose operators were interested only