Ryo Minemizu Illuminates the Incredible Diversity of Plankton Off the Coast of Japan

For Japanese marine photographer Ryo Minemizu, some of the world’s tiniest creatures prove to be the most awe-inspiring. Capturing the vibrant hues and otherworldly features of plankton (previously), he scouts locations to do nighttime dives around Japan and other Pacific regions in search of never-before-seen specimens and behaviors.

“Although I only dive to depths of around 25 meters at most, each dive now presents an opportunity to encounter juvenile deep-sea fish and jellyfish in forms that most of humanity has never seen before,” Minemizu tells Colossal. “I have been fortunate to report some of these remarkable discoveries in collaboration with researchers each year.”

an underwater photograph of a tiny blue plankton with frilly purple fins — Larval spiderfish

Recent finds include new species of Hydrozoa, which are related to jellyfish and corals, and a phenomenon in which parasitic larvae cooperate to build swimming colonies, luring hosts. Minemizu increasingly encounters unwelcome material, too, in the form of trash—especially plastics—that impacts marine life far out at sea.

“We now regularly dive in ocean areas where humans have never ventured, and yet even in such remote regions, we are finding plastic waste carried there by human activity,” Minemizu says. “I am deeply concerned about the very real and significant impact this is having on the lives of these creatures.”

Minemizu is currently featured in an exhibition on view in the Blue Ocean Dome, presented by ZERI JAPAN, at EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan. “I speak about the current relationship between marine life and plastic pollution, sharing my photographs and footage,” he says. “I sincerely hope that visitors to the expo will take the time to view it.”

Minemizu also runs Black Water Dive, an ongoing series of brief chartered expeditions that invite participants to dive during both day and night—in “blue” and “black” dives—to encounter rarely seen or entirely new underwater creatures. Find more on his website and Instagram.

an underwater photograph of tiny fish in a plastic waste fragment — Larval blenny on plastic bag fragments

an underwater photograph of a tiny plankton with long tendrils on its fins — Peristediidae

an underwater photograph of a gymnapogon, a type of plankton, with yellow, frilly fins — Gymnapogon

an underwater photograph of a tiny jellyfish-like creature — Cupid zoea

an underwater photograph of a gibberfish with long, petal-like fins — Gibberfish

an underwater photograph of larval octopi on a fragment of plastic waste — Larval octopus on packaging fragments

an underwater photograph of a jellyfish — Timoides agassizii

an underwater photograph of a blue plankton with a long antenna-like tendril on the front of its head — Arnoglossus yamanakai

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