The Aquatic World of Russell Blackwood

2012-02-28T10:52:00.001-05:00

Rock-boring Sea Urchin

Location - Pea Island Inshore Shipwreck Water Depth - 20'ft.
Image Depth - 8'ft.
Rock-boring Urchin (Echinometra lucunter)

2012-02-25T14:57:00.000-05:00

Sheepshead

Location - Frisco - Water Depth 12'ft.
Image Depth - 8'ft.
Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)

2012-02-24T20:19:00.001-05:00

Black Sea Bass

Location - Hatteras Inlet - Styron Hill Wreck - Water Depth - 20'ft.
Image Depth - 20'ft.
Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata)

2012-02-07T17:07:00.000-05:00

Striped Mullet

Location - Rodanthe Shipwreck - Water Depth 15-20' ft.
Image Depth - 10' ft.
Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus)

2011-11-20T08:24:00.000-05:00

Amberjacks

Location - Semi-secret shipwreck uncovered on Diamond Shoals - Water Depth 50'ft.
Image Depth - 30'ft.
Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili)

2011-11-17T14:31:00.000-05:00

Juvenile Flounder

Location - Cape Point - Water Depth 6'ft.
Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma)
This 6" inch Flounder blends into the shell fragments on the bottom of the sandbar.

2011-11-01T08:36:00.000-04:00

Cutlassfish

Location - Hatteras Inlet - Water Depth 20'ft.
Image Depth - 8'ft.
Cutlassfish (Trichiurus lepturus)

2011-10-27T12:13:00.001-04:00

Spadefish

Location - Lighthouse Jetties - Water Depth 10'ft.
Image Depth - 6'ft.
Spadefish ((Chaetodipterus faher)
Inshore clear water is a rare thing. Early morning revealed crystal-blue conditions with a golden sunrise. This was quickly gone with increasing morning side-shore winds.

2011-10-13T17:39:00.001-04:00

Loggerhead Turtle

Location - Diamond Shoals
Image Depth - 15'ft.
Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)
Sea turtles of every species use underwater structure for removing growth off their shell. They also wedge themselves under wrecks for sleeping purposes.This turtle is rubbing barnacles off using an ancient oak tree. This hundreds of years-old tree was found with others on the Shoals after being uncovered by storms.

2011-09-29T17:17:00.001-04:00

Nurse Shark

Location - Lighthouse Jetties
Image Depth - 10'ft.
Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)

2011-09-23T05:31:00.002-04:00

Barracuda & Spadefish

Location - 'Proteus' Shipwreck - Depth of water - 120'ft.
Image Depth - 25'ft.

2011-09-11T14:41:00.002-04:00

Southern Flounder

Location - South Side Oregon Inlet -
Image Depth - 10' ft.
Southern Flounder - (Paralichthys lehostigma)
Flounder enjoy hiding themselves under the sand, sometimes in large numbers. For both feeding and safety purposes. There are (4) laying on the bottom in this image, with only their eyes and mouth visible.

2011-08-18T08:46:00.000-04:00

Spot

Location - Cape Point - Water Depth 6-15'ft.
Image Depth - 10'ft.
Spot (Leiostomus xanthurus)
Spot are opportunistic feeders primarily consuming worms, mollusks and small crustations. Also known for the croaking or drumming sound made by resonating their large swim bladder.

2011-08-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

Spanish Mackerel

Location - 'F.W.Abrams' Wreck - 85'ft. of water
Image Depth - 30'ft.
Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus)

2011-08-11T07:37:00.000-04:00

Cannonball Jellyfish & Spider Crab

Location - Diamond Shoals
Image Depth - 5'ft.
Cannonball Jellyfish (Stomolophus meleagris)
Spider Crab (Libinia emarginata)

2011-08-07T16:05:00.001-04:00

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Location - 'Manuela' Wreck - 155'ft. of water
Image Depth - 45'ft.
Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)
In the summer months when the water warms, sea turtles frequent the offshore wrecks. Green, Kemp-Ridley, Leatherback and Loggerheads. This one turtle was huge! Well over 5'ft. long and maybe topping 300 lbs. When freediving, they must be approached slowly without making any sudden movements. They can live to be over 60 years old.

2011-08-05T11:39:00.000-04:00

Great Barracuda

Location - 'British Splendour' Wreck - Depth 120'ft. - 24 miles from Hatteras Inlet
Image Depth - 25'ft.
Great Barracuda (Sphyaena barracuda)
These fish visit the offshore wrecks of the Outer Banks when the water warms up. Large Barracuda are usually solitary and smaller ones will congregate in large schools.

2011-07-25T12:45:00.000-04:00

Tautog

Location - 'Hesperides' Wreck - 35-40'ft. of water - 3 miles from Cape Point
Image Depth - 15'ft.
Tautog (Tautoga onitis)

2011-07-12T20:17:00.002-04:00

Florida Pompano

Location - Frisco - Depth of water - 15'ft.
Image Depth - 8'ft.
Florida Pompano (Trachinotus carolinus)

2011-07-02T09:10:00.002-04:00

Loggerhead Sea Turtle Swimming Over 1802 Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Remains

Location - Cape Hatteras Lighthouse - Water Depth 12'ft.
Image Depth - 6'ft.
Loggerhead Turtle
Some years the winter and spring storms move sand that expose many things that have long been buried.
One year the 1802 Lighthouse was uncovered for the entire summer. It became an artifical reef that attracted many species of marine life.

2011-07-01T17:29:00.002-04:00

Juvenile & Adult Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

Location -'British Splendour'Shipwreck - 130ft. of water - 24 miles from Hatteras Inlet
Depth of image - 6'ft.
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Stenella plagiodon)
Rare open-ocean encounter. This pod of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins allowed me to swim with them for over 40 minutes. After a while we drifted off the wreck and the pod circled me at the surface. This juvenile and adult stayed near by the entire time.
In the background of the image is a Alpha Adult Dolphin staring very hard as the pair approaches with-in camera-range. Seconds after releasing the shutter, the LARGE dolphin was inches from my mask shaking it's head in all directions. It circled around me 3 times before I knew what was going on, and then hit me on the head with it's tail. Not enough to knock me out, but enough to get my attention that maybe I was too close and should back off some.

2011-06-30T13:12:00.002-04:00

Sand Tiger Sharks

Location - 'Dixie Arrow' Shipwreck - 95'ft. of water - 16 miles from Hatteras Inlet
Depth Of Image - 60'ft.
Sand Tiger Shark (Carcharias taurus)
On this dive there were more than 100 Sand Tiger Sharks on this wreck.
They are the only known shark to surface for gulps of air. They store the air in their stomachs which allows them to float motionless in the water.

2011-06-22T16:49:00.000-04:00

Triggerfish

Location - 35 miles off Cape Hatteras - 400'ft. of water
Image Depth - 3'ft.
Triggerfish (Balistes vetula)
A wooden pallet discarded from a passing ship serves as an oceanic refuge for many species of marinelife.

2011-06-16T17:32:00.000-04:00

Dusky Shark

Location - 'British Splendour' shipwreck - 120'ft. of water
Image Depth - 40'ft.
Dusky Shark (Carcharhinus obscurus)
The summer of 2010 saw many different species of sharks on the offshore wrecks of Cape Hatteras. Dusky, Silky, Bull, Blacktip, Grey, Reef, all these species of shark look very similar underwater. Especially when they are swimming at a high rate of speed.

2011-06-15T19:33:00.001-04:00

Juvenile Filefish Hiding With Jellyfish

Location - Diamond Shoals - 15-20'ft. of water
Image Depth - 8'ft.
Filefish and Sea Nettle
Juvenile fish of many species use any floating object for cover.

2011-06-15T16:39:00.000-04:00

Cobia & Southern Stingray

Location - Hatteras - 15' ft. of water
Image Depth - 15'ft.
Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) Southern Stingray (Dasyatis americanus)
These two species have a symbiotic relationship where they work together searching for food. It is quite common to observe many large Cobia swimming with rays.

2011-06-15T13:58:00.000-04:00

Juvenile Filefish In Sargassum Weed

Location - 20+ miles off Cape Hatteras - 100+ft. of water
Image Depth - 1'ft.
Orange Filefish (Aluterus schoepfi)
One of the largest filefishes. It feeds on algae and sea grasses. Juveniles are found the surface of the open ocean in rafts of Sargassum.

2011-06-15T10:41:00.000-04:00

White Perch

Location - Inshore wreck - Rodanthe - 15-18' ft. of water.
Image Depth - 12'ft.
White Perch (Morone americanus)
This unknown inshore shipwreck is uncovered from the sand by storms every few years and becomes a refuge for marinelife not long after.

2011-06-15T06:33:00.001-04:00

Amberjacks

Location -'F.W.Abrams' shipwreck - 90'ft. of water
Image Depth - 30 ft.
Amberjacks (Seriola dumerils)

2011-06-14T22:18:00.001-04:00

Bluefin Tuna

Location - 30 miles off Cape Hatteras - 400-500'ft. of water
Image Depth - 10'ft..
Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus)
Video framegrab from a television show I filmed for. While these 150-200 lb. Bluefins were hooked and fighting in the water, dozens of Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks were underneath them trying to get in on the action.

2011-06-14T19:46:00.001-04:00

Sea Robin

Location - Cape Point - Buxton
Image Depth - 3-4 ft.
Sea Robin (Prionotus ophryas)

2011-06-14T18:06:00.001-04:00

Flounder

Location - Oregon Inlet
Image Depth - 5 ft.
Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)

2011-06-14T16:53:00.001-04:00

Atlantic Spadefish

Location - Inshore Shipwreck - Ocracoke
Image Depth - 15 ft.
Atlantic Spadefish

2011-06-14T15:26:00.001-04:00

Gray Trout / Weakfish

Location - Ocracoke Inlet
Image Depth - 15-20 ft.
Gray Trout -(Cynoscion regalis)

2011-06-14T14:38:00.002-04:00

Sand Tiger Sharks

Location - 'Dixie Arrow' shipwreck - 95 ft. of water - 16 miles from Hatteras Inlet
Image Depth - 40-50 ft.
Sand Tiger Sharks
Water temps on the bottom where in the 60's and the surface was around 80. The sharks and other marinelife did not like this, causing them to hang mid-water. The baitfish vortexing around are Cigar Minnows.

2011-06-14T13:53:00.004-04:00

Man-of-War

Location - Edge of the Gulfstream - 50+ miles off Hatteras Island - 2500'ft. of water
Image Depth - 5 ft.
Portuguese Man-of-War (Physalia physalis)
This siphonophore floats on the surface by means of a gas-filled float that changes shape to catch the wind. It's tentacles are HIGHLY TOXIC and can inflict serious pain even when the animal is dead. These tentacles can be hair-like thin and trail behind 10-20 ft.

2011-06-14T13:23:00.004-04:00

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

Location - 'British Splendour' shipwreck - 120' ft. of water - 24 miles from Hatteras Inlet
Image Depth - 10 ft.
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Stenella plagiodon)
Four 800+ lb. Alpha Adult Guardians who are giving me a complete underwater body scan to ensure there is no threat to their pod.

2011-06-14T12:21:00.003-04:00

Southern Stingray

Location - Pea Island
Image Depth - 10-12 ft.
Southern Stingray ( Dasyatis americana)
These stingrays lie partly buried in the sand with only the eyes, spiracle, and tail exposed.

2011-06-14T08:51:00.002-04:00

Lookdown

Location - Lighthouse Jetties - Buxton
Image Depth - 5-8 ft..
Lookdown (Selene vomer)

2011-06-14T07:30:00.002-04:00

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Location - Diamond Shoals
Image Depth - 10-12 ft.
While surveying the shoals from a canoe, what I thought was an uncovered shipwreck turned out to be some large ancient oak trees. This turtle was using them to remove barnacles from it's shell.