———————————

PSA: Be sure to follow the new European Rolex Scholar Facebook page for more regular updates on my adventures and those of future EU scholars. 😀

———————————

WARNING: This post will contain a silly number of photos, many of which may inspire feelings of intense envy. Please don’t hate me.

“Guys….GUYS…quick, get back in, get back in…GET BACK IN THE WATER!” I shouted frantically, trying not to guzzle a mouthful of seawater as I bobbed up and down at the back of the boat. My new diving buddies, still peeling off their dripping wetsuits, turned back to look at me with confusion and concern. “Danny…you okay? What’s the matter?” With my snorkel already in my mouth, I managed to blurt out one final word before shooting below the waves. “DOLPHINS!”

Recently I’ve been taking a short hiatus from my European diving adventures to spend five weeks in Egypt – the land of sand, sun, and silly amounts of shisha. To divers, Egypt is better known as a popular portal to the stunning reefs of the Red Sea. Yet these famously clear and colourful waters have somehow escaped me throughout six years of diving around the world. Well, I thought it was about time I addressed that!

Thanks to the awesome team at Scuba Travel, I was invited to jump on board the MY Whirlwind for two weeks of underwater photography workshops in the north of the Red Sea, ran by world-famous underwater photographer, Dr. Alex Mustard. I have known about Alex and have been following his incredible work for several years. Furthermore, I’d heard about his legendary workshops and how much they’ve helped other underwater photographers advance their skills in big ways. Needless to say, I was beyond keen to spend a fortnight learning from one of the masters of underwater imaging. I was also keen to spend some serious time playing with my new Panasonic GH4, Nauticam housing and INON S2000 strobes, provided by the generous gang at Nauticam USA and Reef Photo & Video. 

Both weeks kicked off with a few days diving and photographing the local wrecks, with a particular focus on the SS Thistlegorm. Being a fish-focused diver, I must admit that I had my initial concerns about spending so much time diving this one wreck. Surely there’s only so many ways to photograph metal? Oh-ho-ho, I couldn’t have been more wrong. The Thistlegorm is a truly special wreck. When it sank, it took with it a monstrous cargo of cars, trucks and bikes, many of which remain in incredible condition despite spending over 70 years sitting on the sea floor. The end result is an underwater playground for photographers that never ends! However, the real value in diving this wreck comes in the form of the challenges it forces upon you as a photographer. Many of the vehicles are nestled away in the wreck’s dark, deep and claustrophobic hulls, which forced us to really think about and plan how we were going to capture certain images on our dives – an exercise I’d never really experienced before.

—————————————————

Mini Photo-Story: The Battle for Ele’s Bike!

—————————————————

The second half of both weeks revolved around the reefs of Ras Mohammed – particularly Shark & Yolanda Reefs, labelled by Jacques Cousteau (and Alex!) as one of the best dive sites in the world. Having dived it over a dozen times in the past few weeks, I can easily see why. No two dives on this site are ever the same! One dive may consist of photographing an enormous and cooperative school of breeding Bohar Snapper whilst fighting an onslaught of current, whilst a dive the following day may involve leisurely swimming between the two pinnacles to take macro photographs of breeding boxfish. An unbelievable dive site unlike any other I’ve ever visited.

 

 

I’d like to thank Alex, Scuba Travel and the Tornado Fleet for an unbelievable two weeks. Photography is an extremely effective way of reconnecting people with our oceans. Great images can convey important information and stories about ocean conservation in a way that stats and scientific papers never could, whilst the most memorable images have the power to shift mindsets, fuel change and inspire the masses. Developing my ability to capture the awesomeness of our oceans is a major objective for my scholarship year and for my future goals. Aside from experiencing some incredible diving (and yes, a once-in-a-lifetime encounter swimming with bottlenose dolphins), the last two weeks have been invaluable. I learnt an enormous amount on this trip, and I believe my technical abilities as an underwater photographer have improved in a way I would never have thought possible. I cannot wait to use my new-found skills to better share my future adventures around the world!