A photographer marries the worlds above and below the water in a single frame

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A fisherman sails with his son in an outrigger. They live in a village on the Willaumez Peninsula on New Britain Island, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea.

David Doubilet

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David Doubilet

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A lion’s mane jellyfish drifts in the shallow bays of Bonne Bay Fjord in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland Canada. They’re one of the largest species of jellyfish and live in cold waters. Their sting causes a burning sensation but is rarely fatal.

David Doubilet

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David Doubilet

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David Doubilet book Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea.

Phaidon

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Phaidon

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Dramatic clouds overlook southern stingrays as they soar through the waters of North Sound Grand Cayman Island.

David Doubilet

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David Doubilet

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Coral Reef in Tumon Bay, Guam, 2005.

David Doubilet

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David Doubilet

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A coral reef in Tumon Bay, Guam, 2017. Doubilet says these underwater constructions are like «weightless architecture if an architect didn’t have to worry about gravity.»

David Doubilet

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David Doubilet

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Gentoo and chinstrap penguins — two closely related species of the powerful underwater swimmers — on an ice floe near Danko Island, Antarctica.

David Doubilet

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David Doubilet

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A coral reef at South Pass, Fakarava Atoll in French Polynesia.

David Doubilet

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David Doubilet

A coral reef at South Pass, Fakarava Atoll in French Polynesia.

David Doubilet

You’ve called natural history photographers like yourself the frontline reporters of the world.

The greatest story on earth is the earth itself. It’s all we have. There is no Plan B.

Cathy Newman is a former editor at large at National Geographic whose work has appeared in The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and Science. Follow her on twitter @wordcat12.

Zayrha Rodriguez photo edited and produced this piece. Follow her Instagram @

• underwater photography
• David Doubilet
• coral reefs
• ocean
• photography
• climate change