The Earth Story

• Video by @JenniferHayesIG // sponsored by and captured on @GoPro #TripOn #GoProTravel // Watching hundreds of gray reef sharks relax in the currents is better than meditation. Scientists estimate that an astonishing 700 sharks inhabit the South Pass of Fakarava atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. As shark populations plummet around the world, these sharks are a welcome sight. Protected from fishing, every individual is a symbol of a healthy ocean ecosystem. By day the sharks separate into a few distinct groups in the deeper regions of the pass, where divers can easily view them from small ledges without disturbing their behavior. As night falls the sharks aggressively patrol the bottom in groups looking for fish to reveal themselves in the reef, and then the chase for a meal is on.

natgeotravel

• The difference between a good photograph and a National Geographic photograph is often just a slight shift in perspective. Sometimes a ladder is really inexpensive tool (less so in my case, since I had to fly it to the remote Indian Ocean atoll of Aldabra) to obtain a different point of view. This proved to be the case on assignment for @natgeo in Seychelles a few years ago, when the ladder helped me create the opening image for this story. I have posted that particular photograph before, but I will post it again tomorrow for reference. Aldabra has the highest concentration of blacktip reef sharks I have ever experienced. The sheer abundance of sharks there is completely out of this world. At low tide they congregate in a small lagoon on a reef flat where a brisk current bathes them in cooler well oxygenated water. They avoid the deeper water off the reef edge where bigger sharks may prey on them. Time lapse video by my assistant and talented videographer @ottowhitehead

thomaspeschak