The mystery of what lies beneath the surface of the sea is eternally fascinating, which goes to show why underwater photography remains so endlessly captivating. Mexican photographer Anuar Patjane is a National Geographic award-winner for his series of stills, Underwater Realm.

Created over five years in the seas off the coast of the Mexico, Cuba, and the Pacific atoll Clipperton Island, the images capture the majesty of the sea in stark black and white.

“I have never seen a colour photograph that can have such an impact on me,” Patjane recently told Wired. “I’m moved emotionally by black & white photography. As Ted Grant said, ‘When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls.’ I could not agree more, and this I believe applies to landscapes, nature, everything.”

Taking a dip into the realm of sharks, whales, stingrays and dolphins, the stunning compositions play with light and movement, and showcase a photographer at the top of his game. Check out Underwater Realm below: