Kaindy Lake (Kazakh: Қайыңды көлі, Qayındı köli) is a 400 metre long lake in Kazakhstan that reaches depths near 30 metres in some areas. It is located 129 km ESE of the city of Almaty and is 2,000 metres above sea level.

It was created by the result of an enormous limestone landslide, triggered by the 1911 Kebin earthquake. The track to Kaindy lake has many scenic views to the Saty Gorge, the Chilik River valley and the Kaindy Gorge. Dried-out trunks of submerged Picea schrenkiana trees rise above the surface. Read more

More than 700 underwater images were submitted for the 2012 Annual Underwater Photography Contest, hosted by the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. These 14 pictures were judged the best of the bunch. Ximena Olds shot this “Best Overall” photograph in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and entered it in the Macro category. The photo depicts a vibrant orange headshield sea slug on a brilliant background of green seagrass. (Photo by Ximena Olds) Read more

The aquarium is a part of the Ocean Expo Commemorative National Government Park located in Motobu, Okinawa. The aquarium is made up of four floors, with tanks containing deep sea creatures, sharks, coral and tropical fish. The aquarium is set on 19,000 m² of land, with a total of 77 tanks containing 10,000 m³ of water. Water for the saltwater exhibits is pumped into the aquarium from a source 350m offshore, 24 hours a day.

The main tank, called the Kuroshio Sea, holds 7,500 cubic metres (1,981,000 USgal) of water and features an acrylic glass panel measuring 8.2 by 22.5 metres (27 by 74 ft) with a thickness of 60 centimetres (24 in), the largest such panel in the world when the aquarium was opened. Whale sharks and manta rays are kept alongside many other fish species in the main tank. The first manta ray birth at the aquarium was in 2007. As of July 2010, there have been a total of four manta rays born in the aquarium.

Read more

Yueyaquan is a crescent-shaped lake in an oasis, 6 km south of the city of Dunhuang in Gansu Province, China. It was named Yueyaquan in the Qing Dynasty.

According to measurements made in 1960, the average depth of the lake was 4 to 5 meters, with a maximum depth of 7.5 metres In the following 40 years, the depth of the lake continually declined. In the early 1990s, its area had shrunk to only 5,500 m2 with an average depth of 0.9 meter (maximum 1.3 meter). In 2006, the local government with help of the central government started to fill the lake and restore its depth; its depth and size have been growing yearly since then. The lake and the surrounding deserts are very popular with tourists, who are offered camel and 4×4 rides. Read more

Amazingly every wave produces different textures from the last – from powerful blasts rushing over calmer water to gentle waves splashing together.

Photographer Bryce Groark, 37, is no stranger to the fascinating waves having lived on the island for 13 years and becoming inspired by other photographers snapping the water.

But ironically after trying it for himself, he was drawn to those images where he missed the crest of the wave and instead preferred the ones where the wave had already crashed. Read more