When I first started diving, I was a bit of a skeptic.  I only learned because my “then husband” wanted to be a diver and I didn’t want to be left on the beach waving him away on a boat to have a magnificent dive day. I didn’t want to miss out.  So I slowly got over my fear of drowning and got PADI certified …

I did at first have a fear of sharks, but after witnessing a school of Eagle Rays passing in front of me and boundless colourful tropical fish in rainbow colours in front of my eyes, all my fears vanished. I now long to swim with hundreds of sharks of all varieties and in every ocean I splash in.

I had the privilege of diving for a week with the great cinematographer, Stan Waterman in Fiji a few years ago, and Wendy Benchley the wife of famed “Jaws” author, Peter Benchley, was also on the liveaboard.  While scuba diving, Stan was the first person who put an underwater camera in my hands.  From that moment onward, I was “hooked”.

Mother Ocean is extremely beautiful below the waves — a rainbow of vivid colours and rare magnificent marine life not often seen by human beings.

I was determined to hone my artistic abilities with my natural diving skills to be one of those visionaries who could express both my love for the ocean and and the importance of conserving this gift bestowed upon us on Planet Earth.

Each unique moment is captured in one frame, time stops and the significance of the beauty in front of my eyes is etched forever.  This is a most precious experience.

Christina Hepburn

Dec 18 2022