How To Get Close To Marine Animals

As a freediving instructor and an underwater photographer, I understand the temptation for intimate encounters with wildlife. However, as with anything, mutual consent is essential. I have provided a few tips that I found to be helpful in establishing a stress‑free and positive interaction between most marine animals and myself. I hope you find them useful, happy diving!

Slow Is Key

Imagine you are just walking along, chill as a cucumber minding your own business, and someone suddenly moves toward you very fast while starring at you, wouldn’t you find that intimidating or the behavior aggressive? Well, newsflash, this is exactly how I observe most people approach an animal they want to get close to, and no wonder why most or all of them swim away. Start by practicing your duck dive so your entry underwater is smooth as butter and without a splash, then work on gentle and soft kicks, and with slow and purposeful movement. Most animals react negatively to a pair of eyes starring at them, so limit direct eye contact with most prey animals.

Respect Boundaries

Yes, we must respect everyone and everything! If a living creature (including humans) keeps swimming away from you… get the hint. It’s doesn’t want to be around you and no bad feelings, just let it go. Plus, they move a lot faster anyways so no point in chasing.

Be Quiet

Sound travels through water faster and appears louder, so if you are splashing about or kicking/swimming frantically, you most likely have already lost your chance to get close. Aim to move around like a water ninja, not to creep up on animals (even though it can be done, they will swim away in lightening speed once they get spooked) but to annoy them less, as well as to other divers around you. Most of us go to the ocean for peace and quiet, not to listen to other people.

Get There First

This one is a little harder and takes more experience and observational skills. Once you have mastered being slow and quiet, next up is anticipating where the animal is going and you want to get there first. This allows plenty of space between you and hopefully the animal traveling towards you. It will allow the animal to see you first and choose either to continue the same direction or change direction away from you without much stress. If you are there first, calm & quiet, often times they will cruise right by you for you to nail the best close up shots.

Relax

When we relax, both our body and mind, we consume less oxygen thus further our time underwater. Also, the animals can sense a much mellow vibe and more likely to hang around. I like to constantly scan my body for any parts holding tension (sometimes swimming around big animals can be very exhilarating) and remind my mind to be chill.

Know Your Audience

The more you learn about the particular animal you want to get close to the higher the chance you will have to get close. From feeding habits to migratory movements, the more you learn the better!

Give Back

Encounters with marine animals are moments of awe that stays with us forever. They deeply enrich our soul and help reconnect us to nature. As this incredible biodiversity faces increasing threat from human development, we have the responsibility to do our best to ensure their preservation. Whether it’s picking up trash on your way back from the beach, donating time or money to organisations with a cause, or become politically active, finding a way to give back is something that we all should and can do.