For Japanese marine photographer Ryo Minemizu, a few of the world’s tiniest creatures show to be probably the most awe-inspiring. Capturing the colourful hues and otherworldly options of plankton (beforehand), he scouts places to do nighttime dives round Japan and different Pacific areas in quest of never-before-seen specimens and behaviors.
“Although I only dive to depths of around 25 meters at most, each dive now presents an opportunity to encounter juvenile deep-sea fish and jellyfish in forms that most of humanity has never seen before,” Minemizu tells Colossal. “I have been fortunate to report some of these remarkable discoveries in collaboration with researchers each year.”
Current finds embrace new species of Hydrozoa, that are associated to jellyfish and corals, and a phenomenon through which parasitic larvae cooperate to construct swimming colonies, luring hosts. Minemizu more and more encounters unwelcome materials, too, within the type of trash—particularly plastics—that impacts marine life far out at sea.
“We now regularly dive in ocean areas where humans have never ventured, and yet even in such remote regions, we are finding plastic waste carried there by human activity,” Minemizu says. “I am deeply concerned about the very real and significant impact this is having on the lives of these creatures.”
Minemizu is at the moment featured in an exhibition on view within the Blue Ocean Dome, introduced by ZERI JAPAN, at EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan. “I speak about the current relationship between marine life and plastic pollution, sharing my photographs and footage,” he says. “I sincerely hope that visitors to the expo will take the time to view it.”
Minemizu additionally runs Black Water Dive, an ongoing collection of temporary chartered expeditions that invite members to dive throughout each day and evening—in “blue” and “black” dives—to come across hardly ever seen or completely new underwater creatures. Discover extra on his web site and Instagram.
