A sure death for this small fish, as the marlin jumped out of the water, spearing the little fish as it landed. Here, striped marlins congregate near a sea lion colony where they bring fish up from the depths, corral them into tight balls, and pick them off one by one. I spent three days documenting these feeding frenzies- watching countless terrified fish caught in the frays of nature’s greatest challenge. Low on the food chain, the fish’s best hope of survival is in the safety of numbers, but when dozens of apex predators gather, that can be their downfall. Many times a bait ball of fish is hunted down to the very last fish, leaving only the shimmering scales floating in the blue.
A terrifying scene for the small fish, fleeing for their lives as a striped marlin hunts them. Here, the slightest mistake means life or death as the marlin’s bill slices through the water during a high-speed hunt. These fish have very little respite, as birds try to hunt from above, and more than a dozen other marlin and sea lions all attack the same small ball of fish. Marlin is one of the fastest fish in the world, a terrifying predator for a small fish in the great blue desert. | When photographing wildlife moving at high speed such as fish or birds, it’s important to use a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion.
Karim was published in National Geographic magazine for his humpback whale photography. He now leads his own trips so that others can swim with whales.
If you are interested in swimming with or photographing humpback whales, Karim guides people on small trips between August and October every year in Tonga. Visit www.dancewithwhales.com to find out more
To see more of Karim’s work, visit his website at www.karimphotography.com
This piece was prepared online by Panuruji Kenta, Publisher, SEVENSEAS Media