Up Close

Meet Daniel Botelho. He grew up near a beach in Brazil. As a boy, he loved diving and taking pictures of turtles. Now Botelho is an underwater photographer. He takes pictures of marine life for publications × publication a book, magazine, or newspaper (noun) TIME for Kids is my favorite publication. in the U.S. and other countries.

“I want to show the world all kinds of beautiful fish and animals,” he told TIME for Kids. Here, Botelho talks about four of his photographs.

Close Call

Date: August 2015 Location: Gansbaai, South Africa Species: Great white shark

Botelho enjoys swimming with great white sharks. But on this trip, he took pictures from the boat.

“I observed that they were on the hunt that day,” he says. “I needed to respect the sharks’ comfort zone.

A Big Risk

Date: July 2016 Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Species: Portuguese man-of-war

When Botelho saw this Portuguese man-of-war near his home, he ran to grab his camera. But he forgot one thing: gloves. The creature stung his hand. “I was so happy to take the photo,” he says. “I didn’t really care that I got stung.”

Sea Fun

Date: June 2010 Location: San Diego, California Species: Ocean sunfish

It is rare to see an ocean sunfish. The fish spends most of its time in deep waters. It is one of the heaviest bony fishes in the world. It is also shy. So Botelho was surprised when one followed him for an hour. “It was one of the best interactions × interaction MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES a time when living creatures meet and communicate with each other (noun) Jenny and Jeremy had a friendly interaction on the playground. of my life,” he says.

Gone Fishing

Date: June 2015 Location: Mdumbi, South Africa Species: Common dolphin

Sardines gather in what is called a bait ball. They form a mass. Sometimes, it protects them. But a dolphin can trap them. It releases bubbles from its blowhole. The bubbles create a net for the sardines. “It was amazing to see,” Botelho says.