Diving Back In: The Start of My Underwater Photography Journey

If you’re reading this, welcome — and thanks for being here at the beginning of something I’ve been quietly building toward for most of my life.

My fascination with the underwater world started long before I ever put on a tank. As a kid, I was glued to the TV whenever a James Bond movie featured those dramatic underwater scenes. Something about the silence, the mystery, the sense of another world just below the surface — it stuck with me.

Years later, diving became part of my professional life. It wasn’t glamorous, and it certainly wasn’t recreational, but it opened my eyes to something unexpected: the way light behaves underwater, the way colour disappears, the way a moment can vanish in an instant if you’re not ready to capture it. That’s where the spark for underwater photography first took hold.

Life has a way of pulling you in different directions, and for a long time, recreational diving took a back seat. But then I met my wife — and with her came a return to the water, this time on my own terms. What started as “let’s go for a dive on vacation” quickly turned into “how soon can I get back underwater again?” The more I dove, the more obsessed I became with capturing the beauty, the scale, and the personality of the ocean’s wildlife.

The octopus has a special place with me. In many cultures they symbolize adaptability, transformation, and regeneration across cultures, often representing a deep connection to the ocean and spiritual mysteries.

The Gear That Helps Me Tell These Stories

Today, I shoot with a Sony a7R IV inside a Seafrogs housing, paired with a 230mm dome port and a selection of lenses that let me work everything from wide‑angle reef scenes to fast‑moving sharks and turtles. Two strobes help bring back the colour the ocean steals at depth, and I’ve spent countless hours refining a workflow that keeps the images natural, vibrant, and true to the moment.

It’s a setup that has grown with me — and will continue to evolve as I push myself further.

Building a Small Business for the Next Chapter

As I look ahead to retirement in the coming years, I’ve been laying the groundwork for a small business built around this passion. I want to spend more time in the water, more time creating, and more time sharing the underwater world with people who may never get the chance to see it themselves.

This blog will be the home for that journey. Here, I’ll share:

• Stories from my dives

• Behind‑the‑scenes looks at my photography

• Gear insights and lessons learned

• My evolving plans for the business

• Future trips, projects, and ideas I’m chasing

I’m excited about what’s ahead — not just the images I’ll create, but the experiences, the learning, and the chance to build something meaningful in this next stage of life.

Thanks for joining me at the start. There’s a lot more to come, and I’m looking forward to taking you along for the ride.