Payal Sharma

10/03/2026

🍂🦈

As the seasons change above the surface, the ocean changes below it too. 🌊💙

From autumn into winter, hammerheads may shift their movements as they follow warmer waters and respond to changing ocean conditions.

The sea is never truly still—and neither are the incredible animals that call it home. Every movement, migration, and seasonal change tells us something about the hidden world beneath the waves. 🌊🦈

Here’s to a new month and another reminder to protect the blue! 💙

10/03/2026

The recent capture of an estimated 2.5-meter shortfin mako off Livorno, Italy, has attracted considerable attention from the Italian media. 🦈🇮🇹

As often happens, some reports have added a dramatic angle to the story in an effort to capture public attention. However, there is much more to understand about the presence of shortfin makos and other shark species in Italian waters.

A big thank you to Silvia Bolognini of the Italian online newspaper Metropolitano for reaching out to me for an interview and for the opportunity to discuss these fascinating animals and their role in the Mediterranean.

The full interview, in Italian, is available at the link below. 👇

10/02/2026

09/29/2026

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to send me birthday wishes this week! 🎉❤️

I’m truly grateful for all the kind messages, thoughtful words, and warm wishes. They made my birthday even more special! 🙏

To share just a little of that happiness with you, I’m posting one of my favorite photographs—a smiling Great White Shark! 🦈📸

Sometimes, even a shark can say exactly how happy I feel! 😄

Thank you all for the love and support! ❤️

09/29/2026

🐠 Finally making a post about Moorish Idols! 🌊📸

Here are some of the photos I’ve taken of these incredible fish around Maui and the Big Island. There’s so much to say about Moorish Idols that I’ll try to keep this informative without turning it into a novel! 😆

Here are a few things I find especially interesting:

🔹 They don’t live very long. Moorish Idols typically live around 5–7 years, which is surprisingly short.

🔹 They’re incredibly alert. These fish seem to have a high level of awareness of their surroundings. Sometimes they’ll dart away so quickly that getting a photo is nearly impossible! Other times, you can swim surprisingly close to them. I think their reaction often depends on how much interaction they’ve had with people.

🔹 They are NOT angelfish! This is one of my favorite facts. Moorish Idols may look somewhat similar to angelfish, but they aren’t closely related. In fact, they are the only living species in their entire family, Zanclidae! A family with just ONE species is pretty unusual in the fish world.

🔹 Groups can be easy to miss. I often hear people say they’ve never seen Moorish Idols in groups. But during my snorkeling adventures, I regularly see them in groups of 10 or more. Sometimes I’ll ask someone, “Did you see that group of 15 Moorish Idols?” and they’ll say, “WHAT group?” 😂

Maybe it’s simply the locations I visit, but I see groups on many of my snorkels. At the same time, I also encounter plenty of solitary Moorish Idols.

Either way, they’re such a fascinating fish, and I never get tired of seeing them in the wild. 🐠💙

Have you ever seen a Moorish Idol? And have you seen them alone or in groups? 👇

09/28/2026

Photography