It never ceases to amaze me what remarkably deep-water animals divers can encounter during blackwater dives. Deep-water anglerfish, such as the one pictured here, are one such example. This is a whipnose anglerfish, Gigantactis vanhoeffeni, and this particular individual possesses some incredible coloration.

Although adults live at depths ranging from 1,600 to 3,000 feet, the developing larvae drift closer to the surface and can come very shallow at night during the daily diel vertical migration. This particular specimen can be identified as a female due to the presence of a developing lure. Only females possess a bioluminescent lure to attract prey and mates. Males do not have a lure and focus solely on finding a female with which to fuse for reproduction.