In the Company of Shrimp
Up close with Maui’s tiniest reef dwellers
photographs by Jenna Szerlag • story by Ariella Nardizzi
The common harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta) are vibrant, voracious predators. They live and hunt in pairs.
Jenna Szerlag appreciates the little things – especially when they’re shrimp no more than one-fifth of an inch long, burrowed 30 feet beneath the surface of the Pacific. The Maui-based photographer specializes in macro photography of Maui Nui’s smallest marine creatures, whose whimsical personalities and vivid colors shine through the lens of her underwater camera.
Born and raised on a New England dairy farm, Szerlag learned to scuba dive at age 22 in Lake Mead near Las Vegas. In 2002, she traveled to Maui for a six-month stay and never left, eventually making her home in Kīhei.
She took her first photography class in 2006, but it took another 10 years of practice before she submerged her full-frame camera to explore life below the surface. Though she’s traveled the globe for her craft, Szerlag finds lasting inspiration on Maui – particularly its easy shore entry at Ulua Beach, calm and sheltered coastline, and the abundance of marine life just offshore.
“Most people go after the big things, but my challenge is the tiny critters that nobody sees,” Szerlag said.
In Hawaiʻi, around 200 species of shrimp inhabit nearshore reef ecosystems – some clinging to hosts, others burrowed in the sand. One of Szerlag’s favorites is the white-banded cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis), known for removing dead tissue and parasites from fish and eels in a mutualistic exchange.
Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta), by contrast, are ruthless hunters: an inch long, yet fierce. They work in pairs to overpower prey like starfish – sometimes three times their size. Another fascinating crustacean, the mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus), is both brainy and brutal. It’s known for its keen vision and a lightning-fast strike strong enough to crack aquarium glass – with force comparable to a .22 caliber bullet.
Imperial shrimp (Zenopontonia rex) have symbiotic relationships with hosts, such as this red egg mass of a nudibranch.
“Shrimp may be small, but they are vibrant creatures full of strange personalities,” said Sara Peyton, head naturalist at Maui Ocean Center. “Different species play a wide variety of roles in the ecosystem – acting as vicious predators, commensal camouflagers or even underwater dentists.”
It’s that sense of personality that draws Szerlag in. When photographing these tiny invertebrates, she must remain perfectly still and avoid disturbing the sand – even the smallest motion can send a subject scurrying.
Shrimp tend to stay in one place for extended periods – sometimes weeks or even months, depending on species and habitat – so Szerlag often revisits the same individuals. “Like a guest in their home,” she says. The shrimp are curious, snapping claws, bouncing in place and peeking out from coral crevices when divers pass by.
She dives early, before fish and people stir. After descending to her chosen spot, she watches the shrimp from a respectful distance, making no sudden moves. “I spend time with them first,” she said. Once they seem at ease, she closes in for the shot.
Hawai‘i is home to about 200 species of shrimp ranging from the rare bumblebee shrimp (Gnathophyllum americanum) (top) to the long arm shrimp (Cuapetes grandis) (middle) and barred wire coral shrimp (Pontonides ankeri) (bottom), which are more common in reef ecosystems. These miniscule creatures also vary from one-fourth inch to a few inches long.
Her full-frame Canon camera is protected by a housing that resembles a small submarine – equipped with macro lens ports and strobes that fire at the precise moment of capture. At 20 to 30 feet underwater, where Szerlag often stays for up to two hours, everything appears blue. The strobes restore the full color spectrum, illuminating the shrimp in bold, true hues. She likens the technical process to night photography – an approach she’s mastered to achieve optimal lighting below the surface.
Szerlag’s underwater skills are entirely self-taught. While she’s taken photography classes on land, her experience underwater comes from repetition and instinct. Her connection with the camera is second nature – a result of countless hours spent below.
Often overlooked, the bignose halimeda shrimp (Latreutes pymoeus) excels at camouflage and blends in well with its sea grass host.
With 95 pounds of gear between her scuba setup and camera rig, each dive is a physical feat. Her subjects are incredibly small – some no bigger than the tip of a sharpened pencil. Over two decades of living on Maui, she’s developed a sharp eye, able to spot even a nudibranch that’s less than one-tenth of an inch long – a soft-bodied sea slug nearly invisible to the untrained eye.
In the quiet of Maui’s underwater world, Szerlag finds a reflection of the island itself – alive in its smallest details and thriving in spaces often overlooked. Among the corals and currents, Maui’s magic lies not only in its grandeur, but in the tiny, interconnected wonders that make it whole.
Despite their tiny stature, Maui’s shrimp have large personalities. The squat anemone shrimp (Thor amboinensis) (top) cleans their anemone host while gaining protection. The green mantis shrimp (Gonodactylellus viridis) (bottom), however, is known for its extraordinary vision and lightning-fast punch.
