Annie Guttridge is an underwater photographer and conservationist with a passion for freediving, education, and marine research. She has over 14 years of shark research experience and over 20 years diving. She is an author, television presenter and co-founder of Saving the Blue, a nonprofit dedicated to field research and public education aimed at protecting threatened shark species across the Atlantic and Caribbean.  Her fieldwork has taken her around the globe including extensive work in The Bahamas, the United States,...

Country of residence: Hawaiʻi, USADiving since: ChildhoodLevel/Agency of Certification: 20+ year PADI Divemaster , Captain, Professional level, Freediver PB 175ft. Static: 5:45 Juan Oliphant is an underwater photographer, filmmaker, and PADI Divemaster who grew up surfing and snorkeling on Oahu's North Shore, where the ocean became the foundation of everything that followed. After a near-fatal zip-line accident that broke his back, femur, and foot and left him temporarily paralyzed, he returned to the ocean as part of his rehabilitation and encountered...

Country of residence: USADiving since: 1999Level/agency of certification: DivemasterTristan Guttridge is a marine scientist and conservationist whose research has focused on shark and ray behavior, ecology, and conservation for more than two decades. He is the co-founder of Saving the Blue, a nonprofit dedicated to field research and public education aimed at protecting threatened shark species across the Atlantic and Caribbean, with projects targeting hammerhead sharks, silky sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, and the critically endangered smalltooth sawfish. His fieldwork has...

Country of residence: Hawaiʻi, USADiving since: Childhood (professionally for over two decades)Level/agency of certification: PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT), 20+ instructor specialties, freediving instructor, and tech diving experience Ocean Ramsey is a marine biologist, shark researcher, freediving and scuba instructor, and conservationist who has spent more than two decades studying sharks in the wild. A PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer with more than 20 instructor specialties, she is best known for freediving with great white sharks without a cage...

Country of residence: Maui, Hawaii, United StatesDiving since: 1996Level/agency of certification: PADI Master Instructor Andrew Raak is a Maui-based underwater photographer, videographer, and professional boat captain whose life revolves around the ocean. Spending hundreds of days on the water each year has given him a unique perspective on marine wildlife and the ability to capture authentic moments with humpback whales, sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, and other ocean life. Andrew has led international underwater photography workshops and expeditions, including Frame and...

Country of residence: EcuadorDiving since: 2014Level/agency of certification: PADI Divemaster Roberto Ochoa is a marine wildlife videographer and PADI Divemaster based in Guayaquil, Ecuador, whose work documenting the underwater world has taken him across the Pacific and to Antarctica, the Maldives, French Polynesia, and beyond. He has collaborated with National Geographic, PADI, Galapagos Sky, and the Cousteau Divers, and served as a correspondent for the Ecuadorian Government on a National Geographic Pristine Seas expedition to the Galapagos National Park. His photography...

Country of residence: Hawaii, USAFreediving since: 2013 Asia Brynne lives on the beautiful island of Oahu, where she was born and raised. She picked up her first disposable film camera at the age of 8, graduated to a little point-and-shoot digital camera that was handed down by an Aunty, and has never stopped shooting since.  Once she began freediving in 2013, she began a journey of documenting wildlife and people beneath the surface. Now she incorporates water elements into her...

Country of residence: MexicoDiving since: 1999Level/agency of certification: PADI, TDI, SDI, IANTD, SNSI, SSI, CMAS Leo Morales is a professional technical, cave, and cavern diving instructor based in Riviera Maya, Mexico, and the founder of A Mar Abierto Scuba. Through his operation, he guides divers through some of the most demanding and visually stunning aquatic environments on the planet, from the passages of the Yucatan's cenote systems to the reefs of the Caribbean. What began as a simple curiosity underwater evolved...

Country of residence: Cancun, MexicoDiving since: 2021Level/agency of certification: PADI AOWFor over 10 years, Paola Gargari has turned her lifelong passion for the ocean into a driving force for change in the Mexican Caribbean. Born and raised in Cancún, Paola’s deep connection to the sea led her to environmental and social activism at just 15 years old. In 2022, she took her commitment to the next level by founding Corazón de Mar, a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean conservation, local...

Country of residence: CanadaDiving since: 1991Level/agency of certification: PADI Master Diver Dr. Neil Hammerschlag is a marine ecologist, shark researcher, and one of the leading public voices in shark science and conservation. Based in Canada, he is the founder and executive director of the Shark Research Foundation, which advances shark conservation through research, education, and public outreach, and the president of Atlantic Shark Expeditions, a Nova Scotia-based operation that brings the public into direct contact with sharks through cage diving and...

Country of residence: USADiving since: Kayleigh 2012; Cameron 2015Level/agency of certification: Kayleigh PADI Divemaster; Cameron PADI AOW Kayleigh Grant is a freediver, shark conservationist, USCG-licensed captain, and PADI Divemaster who has spent more than a decade working with sharks on the North Shore of Oahu. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Ecotourism and completed the Marine Option Program at the University of Hawaii, as well as a shark specialty certification through Cornell University and Queensland University.  Together with her...

Country of residence: United StatesDiving since: 2018Level/agency of certification: Advanced Open Water Scuba Certified/Level 2 Freediver Certified Alyssa Blake is a full-time content creator and aquatic adventurer who travels the world in search of unforgettable ocean experiences, sharing them with more than 1 million followers across platforms. Known as the “Paddleboard and Shark Girl,” she first went viral for her paddleboarding encounters with manatees in the Florida Keys, with one video accumulating more than 30 million views.  Since then she...

Country of residence: United StatesDiving since: 9 years old Level/agency of certification: PADI AOW Jordan Manning is an underwater filmmaker, photographer, and ocean conservation advocate based in Southern California. Having first learned to free dive at just 9 years old, Jordan has spent much of his life exploring and documenting the underwater world, from the rugged coastline of Northern California to the kelp forests of Laguna Beach, Catalina Island, and the Channel Islands. Through his filmmaking, Jordan works to bring...

Country of residence: USADiving since: 2012Level/agency of certification: FII Level 2 Natalie Parra is a conservationist and freediver dedicated to inspiring collective action for the ocean. She has worked on the front lines of marine protection, leading impact campaigns for conservation initiatives, legislative action, and, most recently, environmental documentaries, helping turn compelling stories into lasting advocacy and tangible action.  As a Cressi ambassador and avid freediver, Natalie uses her time beneath the surface to document and share the visible impacts...

Country of residence: United KingdomDiving since: 2018Level/agency of certification: PADI IDC Staff instructorEmmy Williams is a PADI IDC Staff Instructor, underwater photographer, and content creator originally from Cornwall, UK, who has spent the past six years teaching diving across four continents. Raised in southern Spain, she has worked as an instructor in Spain, Oman, New Zealand, and Honduras, and has collaborated with PADI, Girls That Scuba, and several dive brands along the way.  Her social media content focuses on the...

Country of residence: ColombiaDiving since: 2016Level/agency of certification: PADI InstructorJose Soto is a Colombian diver, PADI Instructor, nature and underwater photographer, and entrepreneur. He’s the founder and CEO of DivingLife, a company focused on creating diving and nature expeditions around the world. Over time, his passion for diving evolved into a bigger purpose: using photography, storytelling, and travel to help people connect with marine life and understand the importance of protecting our oceans. He’s also the founder of DivingLife Studios,...

Country of residence: United StatesDiving since: 2001Level/agency of certification: PADI DivemasterForrest Galante is a wildlife biologist and television personality who hosted Extinct or Alive and Mysterious Creatures with Forrest Galante on Animal Planet, traveling to some of the world’s most remote locations to search for species thought to be extinct or on the brink of disappearing.  Raised in Zimbabwe on his family's safari operation, he has worked with wildlife since childhood, and that hands-on background shapes everything about how he approaches...

Country of residence: USADiving since: 1997Level/agency of certification: PADI Divemaster; SSI Level 1 FreediverWilliam Drumm is a Denver-based underwater photographer, filmmaker, and ocean ambassador whose work reaches a monthly audience of millions. He is the photographer behind the album cover for Billie Eilish's album Hit Me Hard and Soft, the official Citizen Watch Promaster Sea Ambassador, and a long-term visual partner with Scuba Diving International. His fine art prints, brand campaigns, and documentary-style productions have appeared across major media outlets...

Country of residence: USADiving since: 2010Level/agency of certification: PADI Open Water Garrett and Jessica Gee sold everything they owned in 2015 to travel the world full-time with their young family and haven’t looked back. Over the past 11 years, the Bucket List Family has visited 100 countries, built a following of more than 3 million on Instagram and 1.5 million on YouTube, and published a National Geographic family travel guide.  Named “Travel Influencer of the Year” two years running by...

Country of residence: USADiving since: June 2014Level/agency of certification: PADI-MSDT Scuba Instructor United States Marine Corps veteran, Master Scuba Diver Trainer, travel photographer, and Guinness World Record holder Barrington Scott grew up in the Bronx and discovered diving on a trip to the Cayman Islands in 2014. In December 2024, he set the record for the fastest time to scuba dive on all seven continents, completing the feat in 19 days, 19 hours, and 40 minutes.  Beyond setting the record,...

Country of residence: USADiving since: 1998Level/agency of certification: PADI AOW/nitroxDr. Craig O'Connell is a shark biologist, marine conservationist, an award-winning inventor, and television host whose research has taken him all over the world to study sharks and other wildlife. He is the founder of O'Seas Conservation Foundation, a nonprofit that combines cutting-edge shark research with hands-on youth education through the Montauk Shark Lab.  His work focuses on identifying critical shark nursery areas, developing novel shark protection methods, and connecting the next...