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Looking forward to being back in Fij

Heading to Australia for the first time in 15 years, next week. OK, only the airport. But it got me nostalgic for all the amazing marine life I’ve seen there. Here’s a sample.

Blackwater in Cayman. A westerly wind allowed us to try blackwater at East End earlier in the year. It was just a few minutes from Ocean Frontiers, and the BW experts from Don Fosters came down to join us. A few pictures of the mini-beasties that we saw.

I am celebrating 20 years since The Art Of Diving was published (now out of print, but you can find it secondhand), there was a UK edition, a German edition and a hardback US edition). Here are a few of the image heavy spreads.
The book was a valued collaboration with writer Nick Hanna. Nick had written lots of books on diving, but yearned to write one that really celebrated why we love, why we get addicted to going underwater. Nick interviewed everyone he knew in the industry, re-read the classic texts and illustrated his thesis with their words. As John Bantin remarked to me “Everyone is going to be nice about your book, because everyone is in it!”
Nick and I also travelled together, talking about the content that covered the lure of the underwater, to the art of fish watching, the fate of the oceans and more. We also talked about creating a style of inventive images underwater nature and real people enjoying it. My friend Anna (now Dr Hickman) modelled in many of the images, as did other friends Giles, Nick, Kim, Henny, Peter, Claire, Denis, Cindy, and for the freediving chapter, the legendary Kirk Krack.
The Art Of Diving photographic style, that came from long discussions with Nick, has definitely remained part of my photography and I would love to do an updated edition with all the images I’ve taken over the last 20 years in that same style.

One of the biggest treats of visiting Raja Ampat is exploring mangroves with clear water and abundant life. We weren’t so adventurous this time, because another liveaboard reported meeting a saltwater croc in the popular Yanggelo mangroves just a couple of weeks before! Fortunately we had no croc sightings and lots of sunshine for our two visits. Both shots Sony A1 with Canon 8-15mm. Nauticam housing, Zen dome. No flash.

A review of my first batch of 2026 Raja Ampat shots is uploading to YouTube (search for my channel). Check it out for a chat some of the shots from my recent shoot. Including this one. A backlit sea fan at the popular Batu Rufus site (that I like to call Rufus Stone after the New Forest landmark, where William II bought it.
This backlighting was done with a remote strobe on a tripod. Sony A1, Nikonos 13mm fisheye. Nauticam housing, Retra flashes. 1/200th @ f/13, ISO 400.

Raja Ampat is my favourite coral reef location to visit. The variety of spectacle, combined with the incredible abundance of life and record breaking marine biodiversity just astounds in this special corner of Indonesia.
These are just a few images that caught my eye as I try and whip the 14000 pictures I took into some sort of order! Taken with Sony A1, 13mm, 28-60mm with WACP-1 + 100mm and MFO1 and 3 lenses. Nauticam housing + Retra flashes (when used).
However, much I love visiting and seeing the marine life thriving there, there are increasing signs of human impact. I’ve been encouraging people to see it for themselves for 20 years, and we’ve set up some inspiring marine protected areas there, but we need to make sure that we don’t think the job is done. As more people settle and tourism grows, this special area needs continued conservation efforts.

Any insight/ideas about what is happening with this coral?

Jellyfish beneath tropical rain. I’ve visited a few jellyfish lakes in Raja Ampat, but this was my first time in this one. It had a nice population of spotted Mastigias jellies, filled with golden hued zooxanthellae. Not that they were getting much nutrition from their symbiotic algae with dark clouds blocking the sun and tropical rain drumming into the surface. I shot this split image with the tiny dome of my Nikonos 13mm lens.

As you might have already seen, with the photos now popping up in the media around the world, we revealed the winner’s of the Underwater Photographer of the Year @upycontest last night at a celebratory and fun event, hosted by The Crown Estate in London. Many congratulations to all the photographers and thank you everyone for coming from all over and making it such a special night. #UPY2026

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