WDHOF Associate Christine Regent West: Documenting life beneath the surface of the water in polar regions as an expedition diver, conservation photographer and videographer has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Creatures that can thrive in nearly freezing water are fascinating, surprising and important, but their stories have been hidden in extreme environments until recently. The frigid pictures in this series were created for viewers to make connections with polar life underwater. They include a variety of wild spaces and life, including smaller Arctic marine life like delicate tube worms and brightly colored sea anemones which bravely extend themselves out into the water column to feed on drifting tiny planktonic life. There are limpets gathering together and spawning in the green, shallow water below a penguin colony. The images also include playful Antarctic fur seals and determined king penguins, animals that depend on squid and krill, small crustacean-like creatures, in order to survive. Because our polar environments are warming and changing faster than any other area on earth, I feel inspired to teach more people about these special creatures and places and what we can all do better to help protect them in the future. https://www.christine-regent-west.com/
