Why are you diving? How is it?

These may be the questions most of the people ask after having watched one of my slide-shows. How do you explain this feeling? Are we looking for something? It’s not easy to put words on this special sensation.

In some way we are like gold seekers in the old times. They travelled the whole country to the unknown lands and felt like adventurers. They scanned every single river, they dreamt all night to find the precious metal. They looked below every stone, examining every sand-corn until their eyes got blurred. Even on their way back home in the evenings, their minds were filled with golden sparks. And finally when they held a tiny precious piece in their hands, the world around them stopped. Nothing had any importance anymore. Their eyes were fixed by a magic glimpse of gold.

I often travel through unknown lands before I get to a dive spot. My eyes and mind are filled with sparks. I open up to all these new sounds, lights and smells. But the underwater world is the largest unknown place on earth. And it depends on us.

“La bibliothèque de la vie brûle et nous ne connaissons même pas les titres des livres” (Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian politician)

Life’s library is burning and we don’t even know the titles of the books .

Most people don’t care about things they don’t know. That’s why I always take my time to answer questions. We as divers are very privileged people. Everyday new species are discovered. We get face to face to some of the most awesome creatures. We also see the damages done to the reef, the shrinking number of some species like sharks. And sometimes we even see fellow divers damaging the reef. Is an underwater picture worth damaging the reef or harassing the wildlife? Never! As underwater photographers we are examples for the people close to us or even on a wider board. We should use this to protect our seas. To raise awareness.

“Il ne sert à rien à l’homme de gagner la lune, s’il venait de perdre la terre.” (Francois Mauriac)

It doesn’t help to gain the moon if we would loose earth