Marine conservationist Jean Tresfon talks about his career and shares his favourite shots with us.
Words by: Jean Tresfon.
I work as a marine conservation photographer specialising in underwater and aerial images. My passion lies in showcasing South Africa, and Cape Town in particular, as a superb destination for capturing alluring and unusual wildlife images. My foray into underwater photography was a natural extension of the many years I spent diving and the frustration I experienced trying to explain the wonders of that world to friends and acquaintances on land.
I believe that the lack of protection for many of our underwater ecosystems stems from their very inaccessibility and an ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind’ mentality. Now, I hope that my images will inspire more people to both explore and conserve these beautiful places and their inhabitants.
I am also a pilot and have found that flying and diving allow a different and unusual perspective and viewpoint. I fly weekly, assisting many marine scientists in aerial surveys to photograph and count sharks, whales and fish. Every flight along the Cape coastline is special, but several spectacular memories stand out, including being the first person to document the humpback whale superpod feeding aggregations from the air, seeing vast shoals of yellowtail and tuna on the surface, watching interactions between great white sharks and several species of gamefish, seeing orcas hunting common dolphins and many more.
#WECARE
Projects such the ones Jean Tresfon takes on underpin the Sail+Leisure
‘We Care’ initiative that focuses attention on the plight of our beautiful
oceans and the need to protect them and all that must survive in their Habitat
