A pair of scuba divers have captured amazing footage of marine life by leaving their GoPro on the ocean floor unmanned.
Brittany Ziegler, 34, and her best friend Bettina Aelley, 38, have been live-streaming their dives on social media for two years.
The pair started experimenting with leaving a camera on the ocean floor a year ago and have been able to capture how marine animals behave when no humans are around.
They have captured amazing footage of sea turtles, sharks, stingrays, and the sounds of whales.
Brittany, from Maui, Hawaii, said: "When we put the GoPro down for the first time, we couldn't believe how much more curious and interactive the wildlife became."
"It's a completely different perspective. "
"We see the ocean in real-time when we dive but the camera reveals what happens when we're not there."
The duo carefully select their filming locations by choosing diving sites they know well to ensure they can retrieve the camera .
They leave the GoPro for up to 80 minutes at a time and vacate the area, which allows them to capture the true interactions of marine creatures.
Brittany said: "We've had people try to steal it and free divers pick it up and bring it back to us, thinking it's lost."
"More often, though, it's the animals that mess with it."
"Sea turtles have picked it up and carried it away and fish have even guarded' it, treating it like their own territory."
Despite these challenges, the footage has revealed incredible moments.
One of their most incredible captures was a rare Hawaiian monk seal, one of fewer than 1,500 left in the wild.
Brittany said: "It was crazy. There's so few of them and to get one on camera so close was just amazing."
"We were screaming when we saw the footage."
They have also captured rare footage of endangered Hawaiian green sea turtles interacting with each other as well as large stingrays, sharks and the eerie sounds of humpback whales.
She said: "It's so peaceful down there."
"People think the ocean is this scary, dramatic place but the animals all just coexist so beautifully."
"It's incredible to see them in their natural state."
"We've never left the camera down and not caught something amazing."
"It just shows how much is going on down there that we never even realise."
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