Sardines in Raja Ampat: Schools of Fish Gallery

Every year across Indonesia, enormous schools of silversided minnows congregate around the reefs to feed on upwellings of plankton. These huge concentrations of baitfish in turn attract larger predator species all the way up to whale sharks - the biggest fish in the sea.

During our twelve-day voyage across Raja Ampat on the Seven Seas, we were lucky to find schools of silversides on many dives. With so much bait in the water, we saw everything from dolphins to mobula mantas drawn in by the feeding frenzy.

Most photos were shot with my wide angle 16-35mm lens and a Canon 5D Mark IV camera body inside a Liquid Eye water housing. I've put together a few of my favorite shots from those incredible dives with the schooling silversides - every time we found them, the underwater activity was totally mesmerizing.

Check out the gallery below to see the photo highlights, or see the all the photo galleries from our Raja Ampat liveaboard dive trip - from scuba diving, to aerial photos, to freediving, to the incredible wildlife and local people living in this amazing place. You can also see galleries from other Seven Seas liveaboard dive trips - my absolute favorite way to explore the awesome natural beauty and unique cultures of Indonesia.


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Tommy Schultz

Photographer, Writer, & Film Maker

Tommy spent years capturing stories from around the world with his camera. He was inspired by the ocean, working with creative people, and sharing what he had learned along the way. If you're curious how / why he made the switch to being a full-time photographer, just click here.