Laz Ruda Collaboration

The new Diamond Squid design and shirts are finally here!

Inspired by the incredible blackwater photography of Laz Ruda, this release emphasizes black fabrics to reflect the darkness of the surrounding ocean, with special Limited Editions featuring sky blue and light orange ink to reflect the squid's colors in his original photograph.

This release also introduces our first-ever black UV performance shirts, available as Limited Editions in men's and women's styles!

There are eight new shirt and hoodie options, with the Limited Editions available for just a few days. Shop the collection here.

 

 

Here's a close-up of part of my new Diamond Squid design, inspired by the underwater photography of Laz Ruda.

It often takes a while for me to envision how an animal might translate into the Shark Zen style, but with Laz's photograph, it was immediate.

What drew me in was the nearly perfect symmetry of the squid's position, its sharp, flowing lines, and the striking contrast of its colors against the darkness of the surrounding ocean.

Knowing how rare it is to capture an encounter like this only added to my inspiration to do it justice. Laz's story of the encounter (described below) is amazing.

I'm looking forward to revealing the complete design and new shirts soon!

 

 

This is the original photograph by underwater photographer Laz Ruda that inspired my next Shark Zen design.

While Laz occasionally encounters diamondback squid on his dives, most are less than 2 inches long. Finding them at this later stage of their lives, when they have developed their distinctive diamond-shaped bodies and are often found in mated pairs, was something he had been hoping to experience for more than nine years.

His perseverance finally paid off one night when, upon entering the water, he caught a glimpse of a pair near the surface. At approximately 6 inches long, these squid were still tiny compared to the giants they would eventually become. Diamondback squid can grow to more than 3 feet in mantle length alone and weigh as much as 66 pounds.

After spending some time enjoying their presence from a distance, Laz attempted to move closer—within just a few feet—to photograph them. That’s when the squid presented him with a challenge.

Slowly, they began sinking into the abyss, and Laz cautiously followed for just over a minute, until the limits of the oxygen mix in his breathing gas forced him to stop. A glance at his dive computer revealed that he had reached 110 feet. With no such limitations, these beautiful deep-sea squid continued their descent until they vanished into the darkness.

The search for these elusive creatures is one of the reasons Laz continues to explore the ocean after more than 35 years of diving. Every descent holds the promise of a new discovery, and every dive is a surprise waiting to happen.

Explore more of Laz's incredible underwater photography and the original image on his website Ocean Wildlife Photography.

 

I'm excited to be collaborating with an underwater photographer for the first time on a new Shark Zen design.

I came across the work of Lazaro “Laz” Ruda, and as I explored his underwater photography, one of his blackwater images in particular caught my attention. That photograph is the inspiration for the next Shark Zen design.

Laz has spent much of his life exploring the waters of South Florida and the Bahamas, capturing extraordinary images of marine life along the way. His photography offers a remarkable look into a world most of us rarely get to see.

I'm excited to share more about the photograph and the artwork it's inspiring in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I encourage you to explore Laz's beautiful underwater photography at Ocean Wildlife Photography.