Special underwater encounters! With @barefoot.wandering / "I grew up on the east coast of Australia and the beach always played a large role in my life. I was enthralled by the world underneath the surface, yearned for the lifestyle of those who worked on the boat. There’s something special about the ocean, sometimes scary, wild, sometimes peaceful and inviting, but always wondrous and full of adventure. Two experiences stand out: The first one was when I encountered an ornate eagle ray. Known as the unicorns of the ocean, these are one of the rarest creatures to find underwater. Worldwide, there have only ever been 60 confirmed sightings. The second experience happened when I took my small boat and noticed a large congregation of sea birds diving down to catch fish. Swimming over to investigate, I was greeted by the sight of around one hundred sharks hunting what is known as a ‘bait ball’. A huge school of thousands of fish corralled into a tight ball as the sharks feed. After half an hour of swimming on the outskirts and watching the sharks in their element, I finally mustered up the courage to enter the middle of the bait ball. I was rewarded with one of the most amazing and raw experiences of my life. The small bait fish part around you, surrounding you completely and only staying thirty centimeters away, blocking out everything else from your sight, even the sunlight. Then, without warning, a shark will burst through, swimming straight at you, and you have only a split second to react. These encounters made for some of the best photos I’ve ever taken. Over the years, I’ve noticed the changes that have been happening to our underwater world. My studies have shown me just what a complex and interconnected system our oceans are and how they affect our lives more than we’ve ever realized before. The oceans are the lungs of our planet, and my studies have only furthered my passion to safeguard them for future generations." We highly recommend you reading the original story with @barefoot.wandering by visiting the link in the bio! 🌊