Assignment Blog--Brian Skerry: One Fish, Two Fish, Gray Fish, Blue Fish

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Monday September 14 - I felt like I was in the middle of a Dr. Seuss story on my third dive today at Nikumaroro. Rob Barrel, the owner of our expedition vessel NAI'A, took me to an underwater location he found that was absolutely loaded with fish! I dove late in the day, beginning around 4 p.m. and swam over some huge boulders and reef structure to get to this place where massive schools of fish swarmed. I settled down on top of a massive boulder and wrapped my legs around smaller rocks to steady myself in the swaying surge and began composing images through my viewfinder.

Yellowfin Surgeonfish schooling and feeding in the shallows of Nikumaroro island in the Phoenix Islands. (Photo: Brian Skerry)

The visibility was not great, but it didn't need to be for the type of photos I hoped to make. The fish were not especially shy and I was able to get fairly close. I watched schools of yellowfin surgeonfish and lined surgeonfish and shoals of mimic goatfish, snapper and chubs pulse by. I left my perch and floated into the water column amongst the schools trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, at least in my mind. My body ebbed and flowed with the surge and I composed and fired frame after frame, hoping to make pictures that would capture the essence of this incredible place.

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