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Have you called a loved one today just to say hi? This mom and pup are sharing a nice moment near Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary as a reminder!

(Photo: Clarice Soleil. Image description: Adult harbor seal and pup touch noses on the beach.)

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Meet the lionfish! This invasive species can be found in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. 

Due to its 18 venomous spines, indiscriminate appetite, and reproductive success, lionfish are a fierce competitor for resources in the sanctuary. Lionfish aren’t recognized by other marine life as predators. This is known as prey naivete and results in native fish and invertebrates not knowing to avoid lionfish to keep from being eaten. (Photo: Travis Sterne. Image description: A lionfish swims by green corals.) 

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It’s World Octopus Day! ❤️❤️❤️

Behold, a common octopus for the people—the same species teaching classes on Netflix these days. 

Octopus vulgaris—meaning “common octopus,” not due to a cephalopoddy mouth—is found throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Their lairs can be spotted by piles of leftover shells scattered about the entrance—the famed octopus’s garden! Octo-ber 8th kicks off Cephalopod Awareness Days, a time to sea-lebrate these marvelous face-footed mollusks. Let’s cephaloparty!

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Swimming with the wild sea turtles

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Interrupting your feed today with a beautiful coral crest in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary! We hope these colors brighten your saturday like they did for us! (Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA. Image description: Colorful coral crest.)

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When you search a bit you can find the "Telmatactis cricoides" in a lot of variable colors! 🏵

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We’re suckers for a good octopus fact, and this one really stuck with us: The day octopus gets its name because unlike other octopuses, which normally hunt at night, it sea-ks out snacks while the sun still shines! By swiftly shifting the shape and the shade of its skin, this remarkable rogue can camouflage to mimic corals, rocks and algae—a seariously slick skill for snatching up its next sup.

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Here’s 20 minutes of bioluminescent waves + ocean sounds from Monterey Bay for your relaxocean needs:

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Nemo? These clownfish living in sea anemones in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa are a perfect example of teamwork. Clownfish make their homes in anemones, an organism with lethally stinging tentacles. A mucous on the clownfish builds an immunity to the sting, allowing them to hide among the tentacles keeping safe from predators. In return, they clean parasites off the anemone and lure in food. Now that is a win-win situation! (Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA. Image description: Clownfish swim over coral reef.)

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Looks like this humpback whale in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary didn’t want to miss the party! When brown pelicans and western gulls spot a feeding humpback, they know fish are right near the surface. The birds take this opportunity to dive in and grab an easy meal. So, technically, these seabirds are the party crashers! (Photo: Douglas Croft. Image description: Humpback whale’s front half is out of the water while surrounded by brown pelicans and western gulls.)

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5X5 LARGE POLYPED PAGODA CUP CORAL

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Juvenile Spotted Drum Fish (Equetus punctatus ) - There are around 275 species of drum fish living in oceans and freshwater. One of the loveliest drums to encounter is the juvenile spotted drum. Spotted drums are most striking as juveniles when their long flowing fins accentuate a black and white striped pattern that becomes quite hypnotic as they swim in repetitive circular patterns beneath coral overhangs, and in other sheltered crevices. As they mature, and their bodies grow, their dorsal fins become shorter and the stripes along their back half morph into spots. Drum fish are named for a deep sound they produce by beating their abdominal muscles against their swim bladder. The purpose of the sound varies from species to species, but for many it is used for mating, or as a danger warning. These fish are found in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and in the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Brazil. We photographed this Spotted Drum during a dive in Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras.

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Yellow and blueback fusilier #ウメイロモドキ . . #vitaminesea #scuba #nature #amamioshima #water_of_our_world #travelgram #underwater #island #underwaterphotography #ocean #blue #olympus #海 #蒼 #青 #ダイビング #島旅 #水中写真 #ファインダー越しの私の世界 #海が好き #青が好き #奄美大島 #ダイビング好きな人と繋がりたい #旅行好きな人と繋がりたい https://instagr.am/p/CBHaV6-h3lz/

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💙 . . #vitaminesea #worldoceansday #oceansday2020 #sea #underwaterphotography #water_of_our_world #island #travelgram #blue #sea #青 #海 #蒼 #水中写真 #ファインダー越しの世界 #旅が好き #青が好き https://instagr.am/p/CBMWDZ_B3OY/

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銀鱗 . . . 📍Moalboal 2020

#いわし #イワシ #silverscale #philippines #cebu #moalboal #scubadiving #scuba #nature #water_of_our_world #travelgram #underwater #island #underwaterphotography #ocean #blue #olympus #tg4 #海 #蒼 #青 #ダイビング #モアルボアル #セブ #フィリピン #島旅 #水中写真 #ファインダー越しの私の世界 #海が好き #青が好き https://ift.tt/3aaC85J

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Just sea flap flapping by to bat rays your spirits!

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💙 . . 📍Moalboal 2020 #philippines #cebu #moalboal #scubadiving #scuba #nature #water_of_our_world #travelgram #underwater #island #underwaterphotography #ocean #blue #olympus #tg4 #海 #蒼 #青 #ダイビング #モアルボアル #セブ #フィリピン #島旅 #水中写真 #ファインダー越しの私の世界 #海好きな人と繋がりたい #青が好き https://ift.tt/2xt6Nwx