I am an underwaterambassador. You could be too. It is a matter of mindset and courage to follow your heart and protect what we are made of, where we come from and what we are 100% dependant on – THE OCEAN.
My gallery represents photography that I like to think relates to non-divers too. I believe you do not have to be a diver to care for the ocean and make it your priority. I believe the ocean is part of us all. With a purchase from my gallery, you can support ocean awareness projects that has a special place in my heart. My blog will be where you can read the stories of how my images are made, the travelling I do, the learnings I make through my time spent in the water and in nature and of course, I will share with you tips and ideas on how you can be part of the solution towards a healthier ocean in your everyday life.
Dive Instructor - Globetrotter & Nature Lover
I have 13 years of experience from the underwater World. I have taught diving on many levels and travelled more than 40 countries. But who am I as a person? And how is it, that a university graduate suddenly makes the ocean her business?
Not too long ago, I went for a walk with my Mom and we were reflecting a bit on how my life had evolved over the past decades. As a child, I was pretty set on a mission to become an architect, which I also ended up fulfilling. But after only a few years working as an architect, I escaped the whole idea, the master plan and my life in Denmark in order to travel. At this point I had not even begun diving and I wasn’t that aware of conservation as a concept. But today, I believe, it was Nature, that was pulling in me. My need to be closer to my roots.
On the walk, my Mom told me, that as a child I always had a huge aversion for trips to the Zoo, which was pretty frustrating for her, since this is one of the places, that Moms would bring their children regularly. But I hated it, she said. I didn’t want to watch the animals. She thought, it was because of them being locked up, because at the same time, it was obvious to her that I loved being in contact with animals, always sleeping with my cat at the time as a pillow and always walking onto fields wanting to pet horses and cows. I could spend hours looking at ladybirds as well.
So, it was always in me. But my upbringing in modern human society had thrown a filter on the drive that was in me as a natural being. I left Denmark in 2007 with the goal of seeing what would come – and diving came! A whole new World of animals came into my life too. One dive took the other, and before I knew it, I was a PADI dive instructor. My aesthetic background from my years at University and in my job had given me the urge to visualize and share my stories. I did so through my teaching, and since this was before Facebook and Instagram, I kept a diary and I took photos. Digital cameras were luckily already a thing – I am not that old (yet hahaha).
Me guiding a dive in Naama Bay in Egypt. Both divers are very good friends of mine and Lesley (blue fins) one of my students.
I worked as a dive instructor full time for 3 years in Egypt, in Mexico and in the Philippines. Throughout those years, photography was an interest of mine, but I didn’t own my own camera. So, I would rent and borrow different cameras and only slowly develop my skills. But I really liked it. I liked finding compositions and turning my experience into a memory.
This is actually one of my first underwater photos made on my dive #7. Maybe a bit early to start photographing, but my dive instructur was with me, giving me directions.
Another photo from dive #7 in 2007. Not that bad, I must surprisingly admit haha.
Then a photo from 2009 when I was working in the Philippines and lucky enough to borrow a camera of a costumer.
This is my most recent photo of batfish, shot in the Maldives with my DSLR setup in 2019.
Being a dive instructor was a great life, but it also gave me some ethical issues. I wasn’t to happy with the speed with which a course got conducted. Not that people couldn’t dive afterwards, but I missed more in-depth-teaching and I didn’t feel I had the time to feed the new born divers with the mindset, that I had found was very important when entering this underwater World. They would become sufficient in terms of emergency skills and buddy diving, but I wanted the underwater World to consume their minds in a way, that would change their behavior on land. And for this process to ignite, I didn’t always have enough time. In busy seasons, it was one course after the other and I had become a teaching machine.
Becomming Underwaterambassador
The glory of the life as a dive instructor started to fade and I didn’t feel comfortable being the one educating that many divers every week. I felt I needed to stop, while I was still passionate about diving and the animals, and find another way to bring this passion alive in others. And to be honest, I also needed time and dives for myself. I went back to Denmark, obtained a “normal” job and took my chances to travel and dive the World at every opportunity that presented itself. That brought me to many places and gave me many adventures. I got my first underwater camera and started to photograph on all my dives. I would share these on Facebook. I hadn’t found the real goal yet. I was just being. Then Instagram came and after a few years, I took the step to start a profile. I was now on my second camera set-up, a top professional DSLR with external flashes. The full thing. I was slowly building my scene and finding out where my photography should take me and how I could use my passion in the goal towards engaging divers as well as non-divers in a corps of underwateramsabassadors.