Mating Greens

Hi Wetpixel,

I'm new to wetpixel and wanted to share some images with you guys. My backyard is N. Palm Beach County, FL, where I dive regularly. On Memorial Day, I had a 20 minute encounter with these mating greens. Mating season is peaking about now for several sea turtle species here.

Normally, big greens around here are very skittish. But I even had to push these guys off in order to photograph them. One week earlier, while waiting for the boat on the surface, one turtle even bit me in the backside!

I'm only posting 1 image here due to space, but anyone interested can check them out in my image database @ www.mpostock.com, under the link "image database." Go to the sea turtle category and you'll see all the green mating shots, made on film, N90s, 16mm, 2 Inons 220 and Velvia.

Early summer brings many loggerheads, greens, hawksbills and the odd leatherback to this corner of Florida - certainly not a bad place to dive a few times per week.

Regards & enjoy,

Michael Patrick O'Neill

www.mpostock.com (stock photos)

www.batfishbooks.com (book publishing)

Sweet capture, thanks for sharing. Turtle bit you in the butt? Try explaining that one to the wife!

Is it just me or does that not look like a Loggerhead mounting that Green??

Welcome to wetpixel.

Very nice collection you have there. I especially like #5820.

Many thanks!

It's two greens. This male is a little bit smaller and darker than the female. That's a little bit unusual around here since the male greens here are normally very big and pale, almost white.

It was a female loggerhead that bit in me in the arse. Happy it was a "love bite" and not a serious bite; otherwise...

mpo

Hi Michael,

Welcome to Wetpixel. I checked out your site and you have some excellent photos. I personally prefer some of the other mating photos more, but that's personal taste. I think 5816 is my favorite because I like the blue water background.

Thanks for sharing and we're looking fwd to seeing more of you around here.

Cheers

James

PS, that tiger-shark riding picture is nutz!

Mike:

Great turtle mating shots. I especially like the prints you were showing us on Jim Abernethy's boat a couple of weekends ago. I'm diving with them again this weekend. Any chance you'll be there?

Doug

www.debersole.com

Thanks James and Doug,

Wetpixel is an excellent resource, for digital and film users, and I hope I can add value here.

FYI Doug - looking forward to diving again with you this weekend but I've been checking and the water's very dirty due to all the rain and dumping from lake O. I heard the viz is around 10-20ft. I would call before coming down.

I heard from one of the boats that the clean, blue water only started at 400ft yesterday - that's way out there. I hope things improve!

Best regards,

mpo

Mike:

Thanks for the heads up on the viz. Congrats again on the excellent images. I'm still working on getting your "Fishy Friends" into my kid's school. Hope to see you soon!

Doug

Great pic, it's good to have been there just in that moment to catch the mating scene.

I enjoy shark pics at your website, and you have beautiful turle mating scenes, with an excellent blue!

Congratulations, thanks for sharing