Though sharks may seem scary or dangerous, most are extremely unlikely to even approach humans.
Whitetip reef sharks, for example, tend to swim away when swimmers or divers approach. Here, a diver quietly observes a whitetip reef shark at French Frigate Shoals in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
(Photo: James Watt/NOAA)
Turtle recovery: on a recent research expedition, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management give a lift to some rehabilitated turtles.
Here, Monitor archaeologist Joe Hoyt holds Coletta, an adolescent loggerhead, before she was released back into the wild. Many thanks to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for rehabbing sea turtles like this one!
(Photo: Will Sassorossi/NOAA)