The Descent

Collage of close-up photos showing transparent mantis shrimp larvae from about 2m depth near the surface at Rasfannu Male' House Reef, Maldives. The tiny, glass-like larvae—each about 20 mm long—flutter through clouds of plankton, their delicate limbs and eyes faintly visible against the blue water. These nearly invisible creatures form the foundation of the reef food web, feeding corals, fish, and even whale sharks.

Plankton

Suspended in the sunlit shallows, clouds of plankton drift unseen — the ocean’s smallest yet most vital inhabitants. Among them, transparent mantis shrimp larvae flutter like glass insects, barely visible until they brush against a diver’s hand or wetsuit. These minute creatures form the foundation of the food web, feeding countless reef organisms from corals to whale sharks. As baseleader Ibrahim Jilwaz observed, “These guys were all round us on the dive, even on the surface and one got stuck inside my wetsuit. And yes they are totally transparent underwater.”

Common Name: Mantis Shrimp Larvae, Depth: 2m, Size: 20mm

📸 Photo: Ibrahim Jilwaz

📍 Dive Site: Rasfannu Male’ House-Reef