Pod of spinner dolphins

Spinner dolphins {Stenella longirostris} swimming over sand in the Fury Shoals. The sense of calm of the dolphins was not reflected in the photographer – frantically snorkelling to keep up with these elegant swimmers. Red Sea. June (Copyright Toby Gibson Photography)

Spinner Dolphins Stenella longirostris in the Red Sea

Location & date

Fury Shoals, Egypt: 26th June 2014

Subject

Spinner dolphins Stenella longirostris form pods like this one in the sheltered areas of the Fury Shoals. These are relatively shallow sandy-bottommed areas, a perfect place for bringing up young dolphins. Expert boat drivers from Red Sea Diving Safari were able to put us very close to the dolphins without disturbing them.

About this image

This image was taken as part of my MSc in biological photography and imaging with Nottingham University. I had travelled to the red sea to photograph the reefs for my final project. The book Coral Reefs and the Life they Support received a distinction grade. The sense of calm and tranquility in this image was not reflected by me unfortunately. Snorkelling above the dolphins with a heavy camera, trying to frame the shot in a moving sea was not my most dignified moment. The dolphins seemed unaware of my presence though.

Camera setup

Nikon D800, 16-35mm in a Nauticam NA-D800 housing – no flash
ISO 100, f/4.0, 1/500 sec

More like this:

Red Sea 2014 Portfolio gallery (on Toby Gibson Portfolio site)

Blog on Spinner Dolphins in Sudan (on this site)

Beara Creative – Natural World Imaging