This diver almost got sucked into the mouth of a massive whale shark as it feeds on plankton. But far from staring into the jaws of death – the shark, which are the sea's largest fish, is actually vegetarian. The relieved diver escaped from the encounter unscathed and continued to enjoy the presence of the incredibly docile animals. The stunning photograph, by Mauricio Handler, was taken during a feeding session where more than 600 of the huge creatures gathered to feed on tuna spawn. (Photo by Mauricio Handler/Daily Mail/Solent)

Herring worth millions in exports float dead in Kolgrafafjordur, a small fjord on the northern part of Snaefellsnes peninsula, west Iceland, for the second time in two months. Between 25,000 and 30,000 tons of fish died in December and more now, due to lack of oxygen in the fjord thought to have been caused by a landfill and bridge constructed across the fjord in December 2004. The current export value of the estimated 10,000 tons of herring amounts to $ 9.8 million, according to the newspaper “Morgunbladid”. (Photo by Brynjar Gauti/Associated Press)

A flood affected family moves on a banana raft past a fishing net in Morigaon district, east of Gauhati, northeastern Assam state, India, Sunday, July 31, 2016. A week of heavy rain has killed dozens of people and uprooted tens of thousands of others from their homes. Floods are an annual occurrence in Assam and many parts of India during the June-September monsoon season. (Photo by Anupam Nath/AP Photo)

“Secrets of the Whales”. Skerry’s photographs celebrate the lives and culture of whales, illuminating recent research and their diverse behaviours. His latest work focuses on four key species: sperm whales, humpbacks, orca and beluga whales. Humpback whales bubble-net feeding off the coast of Alaska. They work cooperatively to feed on herring by blowing a perfect ring of bubbles underwater to form a net encircling the fish. The whales then swim up through the centre of the bubble net with their mouths open. (Photo by Brian Skerry/National Geographic Photo/Visa pour l'Image)

A fisherman carries a silver carp during a traditional fish haul at the Horusicky pond near the town of Veseli nad Luznici, Czech Republic, Tuesday, October 24, 2017. Each autumn, Czech fishermen get to serious business of a century-long tradition of catching carp for Christmas markets. Southern Bohemia, where the Horusicky pond is located, with its elaborate network of ponds is at the center of the local carp universe. (Photo by Petr David Josek/AP Photo)

Wildlife agency rangers rescue a Malayan tapir, an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, after it fell into a villager's fish pond in Pekanbaru, Riau on April 20, 2021. (Photo by Wahyudi/AFP Photo)

A white-throated kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) sits over a tree in a field in Lahore, Pakistan, 26 March 2021. The most familiar Kingfisher species can be observed perched on branches or walls while on the lookout for grubs, insects and even fish in streams or garden ponds. (Photo by Rahat Dar/EPA/EFE)

Teeming with images of spectacular underwater scenes from around the world, Call of the Blue is the culmination of a five-year project by the photographer and ocean conservationist Philip Hamilton. This groundbreaking book includes contributions from acclaimed scientists and ocean “guardians”, who reveal what drove them to answer the call of the blue. (Photo by Philip Hamilton/The Guardian)