May 28, 2004 – Feb 28, 2024

David Zeleznik Underwater Photography

Underwater photography marries two of my passions, photography and scuba diving’s sense of exploration. From Nikonos film to my latest digital rig, I’ve been doing underwater photography since my first years of diving in the late 1980’s. I started out shooting FujiChrome with a 35mm Nikonos V rangefinder camera and a single SB103 flash. I am now on my fourth digital setup with a Lumix LX10, Nauticam WWL1 wide angle and CMC-2 macro lenses, and twin Inon strobes. All of these photos and more are also included in my general photo gallery organized by vacation or dive trip. Follow me on Instagram @dave.zeleznik.uwphotography.
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It's endemic party central at Stone House! Let's start with a pair of Milletseed Butterflyfish who look similar to the Multi-Band, but without the vertical stripes. In the background is a school of endemic Hawaiian Dascyllus, also known as Hawaiian Domino Damselfish, guarding their cauliflower coral head.
Stone House dive site, Kauai, USA
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This Giant or Spotted Porcupinefish was getting some dental hygiene done by a tiny cleaner shrimp 🐡🦐
Sheraton Caverns dive site, Kauai, USA
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Honu waking up from its nap at Sheraton Caverns
Sheraton Caverns dive site, Kauai, USA
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It was definetely JAT Day (just another turtle) at Koloa Landing that afternoon. If it was possible to trip underwater, we might have had some stubbed fins!
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Honu coming in hot!
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Pair of Multi-band Bufferflyfish 🦋
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Pacific Trumpetfish in typical vertical hunting position
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Had a couple of great dives with just me and Shaun Doyle at Koloa Landing. He brought along his larger camera rig which gave us the opportunity to take turns taking each other's "beauty shots". Here you go Shaun! Can't wait to see the reciprocal photos you took of me!
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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"But they're cousins, identical cousins all the way. One pair of matching bookends, different as night and day." Hawkfish lookouts, the larger Stocky or Marbled Hawkfish below and his cousin the smaller Arc-Eye Hawkfish above.
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Believe it or not, these little guys are puffers. They're endemic to Hawaii and are appropriately (and very originally) named the Hawaiian Whitespotted Puffer 🐡
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Octopus are usually extremely shy and retreat into their hidey-hole when approached, but this one seemed genuinely inquisitive to learn what all the interest in him was, posing and staring for quite a while 🐙👀
Sheraton Caverns dive site, Kauai, USA
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Octopus are usually extremely shy and retreat into their hidey-hole when approached, but this one seemed genuinely inquisitive to learn what all the interest in him was, posing and staring for quite a while 🐙👀
Sheraton Caverns dive site, Kauai, USA
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A very large 3-4" Fried Egg Nudibranch at Brennecke's Ledge
Brennecke's Ledge, Kauai, USA
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Morays are very nearsighted and use their sense of smell more than their eyes, as demonstrated by this Undulated Moray practically kissing my lens 🐍💋
Brennecke's Ledge, Kauai, USA
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Yellowmargined Moray seeing its reflection in my lens
Brennecke's Ledge, Kauai, USA
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A Devil Scorpionfish, aka "Mr. Grumpy"
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Yellowtail Filefish
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Swirling counter-clockwise ball of Akule or Bigeye Scad
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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This anchor is one of many relics of a bygone era when Koloa Landing was the third largest whaling port in the Hawaiian Islands. Later the landing became Kauai's primary shipping location for the sugar plantations until it was abandoned in 1912.
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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A Lei Triggerfish
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Honu waking from its nap 🐢💤
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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A bluestripe snapper storm at Fish Bowl
Fish Bowl dive site, Kauai, USA
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Honus galore at Fish Bowl
Fish Bowl dive site, Kauai, USA
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Mo' honu, mo' betta
Fish Bowl dive site, Kauai, USA
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There were honu galore at Fish Bowl the other day. I love shooting from below, catching the sun and the surface of the water silhouetting the honu as it climbs 🐢🧗
Fish Bowl dive site, Kauai, USA
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"Hey guys, where're you going? Wait for me!"
Fish Bowl dive site, Kauai, USA
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The egg sac of the Spanish Dancer nudibranch looks like an underwater floral rose 🌹
Plate Lunch dive site, Kauai, USA
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This 🐢 is getting started on his plate lunch. Green sea turtles are herbivores and love nibbling on algae that is nourished by Kauai's nutrient-rich runoff.
Plate Lunch dive site, Kauai, USA
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The jaw on this Yellowmargined Moray looks like he's been in a few too many bar fights 🥊 I love that I also captured the banded coral shrimp hanging out at the top left 🦐
Plate Lunch dive site, Kauai, USA
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Excited to begin shooting with my full-frame Canon EOS R5 DSLR after the previous 7 years using a Panasonic Lumix LX10 plus various add-on wet lenses. It's quite the change in terms of size, weight, and complexity and I only made the investment after becoming familiar with the R5 for a couple of years above the surface. It's quite the learning curve which I'm only at the beginning of, but the results are promising.🤿📸 Fourspot Butterflyfish at the Tortugas dive site
Tortugas dive site, Kauai, USA
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Honu lunch time consists of nibbling on algae stuck to the rocks and coral 🐢😋
Stone House dive site, Kauai, USA
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Honu lunch time consists of nibbling on algae stuck to the rocks and coral 🐢😋
Stone House dive site, Kauai, USA
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Leaf Scorpionfish disguise themselves really well, looking like a leaf (obviously) or to me, more like an unremarkable piece of algae waving in the current. The giveaway tends to be the eyes which glow pink or red when you shine a light on them. This black Leaf Scorpionfish was biding his time at the Stone House dive site 🍃🦂🐟
Stone House dive site, Kauai, USA
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Put a pin in this large red Pin Cushion Star 📍🤩
Stone House dive site, Kauai, USA
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Admittedly not the best photo, but the first one I've managed to capture of an adult Yellowtail Coris who are extremely elusive. What is it about fish that simply won't sit still for their head shot? 🐠
Stone House dive site, Kauai, USA
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The Hawaiian Dascyllus is also known as the Domino Damselfish and is endemic to the Hawaiian islands 🐠🐠🐠
Stone House dive site, Kauai, USA
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The Hawaiian Dascyllus is also known as the Domino Damselfish and is endemic to the Hawaiian islands 🐠🐠🐠
Stone House dive site, Kauai, USA
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Storms above the surface turned out the afternoon lights underwater, which led this Dragon Moray to start exploring 🐉
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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A different member of l'orchestre de poisson brass section, the Cornetfish
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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When it's 3pm in the afternoon and a storm rolls in above the surface, the light disappears and the nocturnal critters get confused and think it's time to come out of their hiding places. This octopus kept popping its head up from its hole to see what was going on. Reminded me of octo-whack-a-mole! 🐙🔨
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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The Orangemouth Lizardfish is not strictly endemic to Hawaii, but it is localized to the central Pacific 🦎🐟
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Mo Honu Mo Betta 🐢🐢🐢
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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I was setting up to take a shot of a large moray when this Devil Scorpionfish 👿🦂🐟 literally photo-bombed me. It swam right into frame and settled down on the rock in front of me. I guess it didn't want the eel stealing its thunder.
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Most sea cucumbers look like a giant 💩, but the Hawaiian Spiky Sea Cucumber lives up to its name 🌊🥒
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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This young Whitemouth Moray simply wouldn't open up and show his chompers
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Hey you, diver guy, get offa my lawn! 😠🐢
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Second day of diving at Koloa Landing and there are even more sea turtles 🐢🐢🐢 No matter which way I pointed the camera, I was bound to get at least 1 or 2 in the frame.
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Resting on the bottom 🐢
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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Second day of diving at Koloa Landing and there are even more sea turtles 🐢🐢🐢 No matter which way I pointed the camera, I was bound to get at least 1 or 2 in the frame.
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA
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This Trumpetfish likes to toot its own horn 🎺🐟
Koloa Landing dive site, Kauai, USA