If you walked a path through photographer Miqui Rosa’s memory, you would undoubtedly end up walking straight into the sea.

Born in Barcelona, Spain, Rosa developed his appreciation for the ocean at a very young age.

"First it was [freediving] to which I devoted much of my childhood and adolescence," he says. "Shortly after I replaced it with diving … that gave me less freedom but more permanence in the depths to observe everything that was around me."

What started as a childhood pastime blossomed into a career when he started photographing marine life just five years ago.

"Perhaps it was an inevitable progression in this journey of discovery," he says. "To me, the sea has become a need. The older I get, the more I need it."

Image: Paracentrotus lividus, the 'edible urchin'.

Rosa enjoys the sea in all of its immensity, but photographing tiny organisms that often go unnoticed is his passion. 

"To me, all of the colours are concentrated there [amongst the small things]," he says. "You can spend an entire diving session in one certain place ... still, motionless, and thoughtfully observing."

Image: Periclimenes aegylios, a shrimp found in the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas.

What looks like an abstract painting or stunning landscape is actually the iridescent eye of an undulate ray (Raja undulata).

"There's one word that summarises what I feel when I dive," Rosa says. "Peace." 

Image: Pelagia noctiluca jellyfish. Its species name appropriately means 'night light'.

Though photography has taken Rosa around the world, to this day one of his favorite places to dive is right where he started, near his home in Spain. 

"You can tell I'm 'obsessed' with certain animals," he says. "I'm so fond of diving Cap de Creus, in Catalonia. It's one of the wildest zones in the country – but harsh weather makes it hard to dive ... maybe that's why it attracts me so much." 

Image: Unidentified species of anemone.

"My goal is not to leave this deep feeling towards the sea," Rosa says. "I understand this is a way to preserve it and lead people to know more about it."

Image: A tiger shrimp (species unknown).

In order to photograph miniature marine life, Rosa has to jump one hurdle – finding it.

This tiny pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti) is not only perfectly camouflaged against the surrounding fan coral, but it also typically measures less than two centimetres in length (0.79 inches).

Tunicates like these Ascidia clavelina are sac-like animals, invertebrate filter feeders that absorb nutrients by pumping water through their translucent bodies.

A trip to Lembeh, Indonesia put Rosa face to face with this flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi). 

Rosa describes the underwater forms he sees as 'nature's architecture'. He hopes that in continuing to photograph them, he will inspire conservation efforts and spread the appreciation that he feels. 

"I wish we lived in a world where human beings weren't so nocive [harmful] to the seas," he says.