There is nothing you can compare to holding your breath longer than a minute, dive down into the blue, and come face to face with a shark in absolute peace. A true passion for the open ocean drove me and my friends to explore the vastness of the seaway beyond our comfort zone.

This is a collection of underwater photography pictures taken during 4 years of expeditions with Pelagic Life, an NGO that aims to protect the Mexican open ocean through eco-tourism and stunning pictures. Most of these interesting photos were taken freediving in the open ocean, far away from the shore, and most of them were taken in Mexico.

I have been bouncing around in a rustic fisherman’s panga for over 12 hours countless times, some of those at two in the morning with rain pouring over us. Funny thing is, most of the time you come back empty-handed without seeing any ocean animals to take photos of, but you know you gotta get out there, you know it’s the only way you will find what you’re looking for. And that one time an extremely rare smooth hammerhead stays with you for over an hour, then you know everything was worth it, even for a couple of beautiful photos, and that you would do it again a thousand times.

More info: fishsaycheese.com

Bait Ball

My friend Pani diving down a huge sardine bait ball in Baja, Mexico.

Whale Shark

Close to Isla Contoy, Mexico, a whale shark gracefully swims as he feeds on tiny plancton.

Loggerhead Turtle

A curious turtle investigating my camera, wondering about its own reflection in Baja, México.

Sea Lion And Bait Ball

A female sea lion works her way around a sardine bait ball, in Baja, Mexico.

Lemon Shark

While freediving in the Bahamas, a lemos shark swam below me.

American Crocodile

A croc rests in the ocean around the island of Cayo Centro in the Chinchorro atoll, Mexico.

Smooth Hammerhead

An extremely rare, and impressively large female smooth hammerhead with an attitude comes to say hello in Baja, Mexico.

Silky Shark

It’s really early in the morning in the middle of nowhere. 30 miles out in the Baja open ocean, a silky shark swam smoothly and slowly below me.

Dolphins

A mixed pod of spotted and bottlenose dolphins playfully say hello somewhere in the Bahamas.

Great White Shark

This 14ft male turned out to be a real player and a fantastic model in the waters of Isla Guadalupe, México.

Reef Shark

Above me, a grey reef shark passing by in the Bahamas.

Bottlenose Dolphin

An über friendly bottlenose dolphin near Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

Lion Fish

An invasive species in America, but nobody can deny the beauty of this lion fish in the Bahamas.

Sea Lion And Bait Ball

A male sea lion works his way around a sardine bait ball in Baja, Mexico.

Jacks

A school of jacks in Cabo Pulmo, Mexico.

Stingray

In Xcalak, Mexico, a stingray dwells in the ocean floor.

Dolphin Dream

An emblematic diving and research boat, somewhere in the Bahamas.

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