New Book Chronicles National Geographic Photographer’s Long Career of Split-View Ocean Images

Father and Son, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, 2013. © David Doubilet
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What’s just below the ocean’s surface? In the wondrous images by National Geographic photographer David Doubilet, we get a glimpse into the world beneath the water. Known as the “Audubon of the sea,” Doubilet captures vivid sights that are a split view, simultaneously showing what’s happening atop the water as well as within it.

The results are fascinating; a magenta jellyfish, for instance, blooms in the foreground, punctuated with a backdrop of tall pine trees. A fuzzy baby seal rests on a seemingly shallow piece of ice with no idea that it’s a much larger glacier below. This unique format supports the bigger idea behind Doubilet's work. “I want to create a window into the sea,” he explains, “that invites people to see how their world connects to another life-sustaining world hidden from their view.”

Doubilet’s incredible underwater photography has been compiled into a new book published by Phaidon. Titled Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea, it features a bevy of images taken throughout his career, published just as he is celebrating his 50th anniversary as a National Geographic photographer. The above-below images feature places including the frigid Atlantic ocean and the tropical Great Barrier Reef. Each reveals the beauty of air and sea while offering a powerful reminder for us to do all we can to protect our world amid climate change.

Two Worlds: Above and Below the Sea will be available on November 3, 2021, through Phaidon’s website. It is also currently available for pre-order on Amazon.

Photographer David Doubilet captures a stunning split view of the ocean.

Lion’s Mane Jellyfish, Bonne Bay Fjord, Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, Canada, 2012. © David Doubilet

Harp Seal Pup, Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada, 2011. © David Doubilet

Grounded Iceberg, Blanley Bay, Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada, 2018. © David Doubilet

Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins, Danco Island, Antarctica, 2011. © David Doubilet

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New Book Chronicles National Geographic Photographer’s Long Career of Split-View Ocean Images