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Editor’s Note: In Part 2 of our adventure essay series, underwater wildlife photographer and Atomic Aquatics ambassador Martin Strmiska conveys his passion for the world’s shark population. His new project, Ocean’s Rockstars, aims to raise awareness about shark finning and overfishing. If you’d like to support his cause, visit his website, Oceansrockstars.com and buy a T-shirt. He’ll donate 15% of the proceeds to protecting shark populations worldwide. Below, read in his own words why he’s so passionate about the cause and what drives him to protect these oft-maligned creatures.
At the pier of Sorido Bay Resort in northern Raja Ampat I meet the conservationist Shawn Heinrichs. He and his film crew are here creating an episode about the abundant biosphere in the West Papua region.
He enjoys watching the idyllic morning activity at the reef, right in front of the resort. In the shallows, a dozen black-tip reef sharks patrol. Shawn tells me how depleted the reefs in this corner of Indonesia were 10 years ago, about the number of reefs devastated by dynamite fishing, about the poaching practices all over the place decimating the shark and manta-ray population. Back then, there was no sign of living sharks to see. Each fishing boat used to carry dynamite, shark fins and/or turtle shells. The fish markets were full of shark carcasses without fins and manta-rays without gills.
Back in the day, Shawn used to be an underwater photographer and journalist, just like me. Now with a smile on his face, he watches the result of his years-long effort. Based on his conservation activity and his work with Indonesian government, the shark sanctuary has been set up in their region. Most of the former shark finners and dynamite fishermen have found jobs in the tourism and diving industry, enabling the shark population to recover. The lesson? Nature comes back to life if we give it a chance.
Why Me?
Since I started my journey as a full-time underwater photographer for UNTERWASSER Magazine back in 2005, my photography goals have changed several times. Looking up at the legends like Paul Nicklen or Brian Skerry, who have reached the “Olympics” of underwater wildlife photography, my initial goal was making my images equally powerful and striking. While spending lots of time observing marine life behavior, fish and other sea creatures have become my closest friends.
Encounters with Oceanic white-tip sharks in the Red Sea have changed my way of understanding the sharks and shark species have become my favorite creatures to spend time with. To me, the image of sharks as killing machines—hunting and feeding on everything that moves, including people— has drastically changed. Although they are apex predators with unique physical characteristics which help them to hunt and kill effectively, they are also worthy of our respect and love at the same time.
I got fascinated by the graceful swimming of hammerheads, the roughness of the skin of tigers, the elegance of threshers—but most of all, behind those sharp teeth, I have discovered their peaceful personalities. Personalities that have fear for humans, yet still want to live with people side by side, in peace.
Some of my most memorable underwater moments are related to sharks. In order to capture and pass my feeling onto the audience, I had to improve my wildlife photography skills and understand their behavior so I could show them to be as beautiful as other animals, but with a less threatening image.
Often, when I returned to those wonderful places to greet my friends, many of them were nowhere to be found. They disappeared. The marine life began to fade in front of my eyes, and in front of my camera. I have witnessed heartbreaking sights of sea turtles with shells cut from the boat propeller, sharks with hooks in their mouths, reefs devastated by dynamite fishing and dead shark bodies stowed in fish markets like garbage. But sadness does not help. Instead, I have continued taking pictures to convey this devastation to my audience. My passion has become a mission.
Ocean’s Rockstars
It’s never been my goal to show sharks as killers with sharp teeth. But by bringing the motifs close to the edge between beauty and predation, I try to charge my images with an appropriate dose of power. Without understanding, there is no love. Absence of love has brought almost all shark species to the border of extinction.
I have become a shark lover with a strong passion for showcasing these threatened animals in the correct way. It’s my goal to capture the beauty represented by the untouched work of nature. The oceans, with all of its inhabitants—including sharks—contain the most beautiful works of art I know of. Oceans are the place where I find peace and where my mind doesn’t think about tomorrow. Oceans and sharks – their guardians, have been providing me with an enormous portion of positive vibes for a long time. While many activists say that we need sharks in order to keep our oceans healthy so humanity can survive, I call for healthy oceans with plenty of sharks for a simple reason. I want to live on a beautiful planet, next to the sharks, and respect them like my neighbors.
Without love, one doesn’t feel the need to help. Yet, love alone is not enough today. We have gone so far in using the ocean’s resources that the sharks need our love as well as active help. They need people involved and tangible actions taken. There is nobody else saving this planet other than us and there is nobody else out there saving our sharks, but us—the diving community.
While I want to continue showing the beauty and richness of our oceans, even more, I want to actively participate in shark conservation. With my photographs, I want to establish a communication channel between people willing to contribute and organizations that transform that into action. Sharks are the animals that make my blood run warm and my heart beat strong.
If you have similar feelings, help me to protect them by buying an Ocean’s Rockstars T-shirt at www.OceansRockstars.com and help spread the good vibes all across the Earth! From GROSS payments I donate 15% to the following shark conservation organizations:
Thank you all in advance for helping to do your part and I look forward to seeing you in the water!