M ost of our world is covered in water. Oceans and seas provide more than half of the world’s oxygen, yet they are not merely vast ecosystems that regulate the climate and sustain life; they are also a mysterious world that remains largely unexplored. Perhaps that is why, every time I dive beneath the water, I rediscover not only new creatures but also myself.

My underwater journey began with a snorkel my father gave me when I was seven years old. When I put it on for the first time and looked beneath the water’s surface, the silent, colorful world that greeted me utterly captivated me. But what truly astonished me was something else entirely: I realized that the creatures I had been hesitant and nervous around while on the surface were actually the ones afraid of us and swimming away. Ever since that day, I’ve been following them, and despite the passing years, that curiosity has never waned.

About twenty years ago, I acquired a camera with an underwater housing and began capturing the beauty I saw. Every dive was a discovery. Every new species deepened my admiration a little more. Over time, I had the opportunity to observe the complex relationships these underwater creatures form with one another, their play, their curiosity, and even the interactions some of them shared with me. These experiences showed me that underwater life is far more social than we imagine. In this regard, the story told in the Oscar-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher—which explores a filmmaker’s friendship with an octopus—doesn’t feel foreign to me at all; because sometimes, when an octopus or a curious fish approaches you, it can be one of the purest forms of communication a person can have with nature.

A lthough I rarely scuba dive, I mostly prefer free diving. Snorkeling gives me both greater agility and a more direct sense of contact with nature. To date, I’ve had the chance to dive in the waters of the Mediterranean, the Aegean, the Adriatic, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, the Andaman Sea, Palawan, Thailand, and Indonesia. Each region holds different colors, different creatures, and different stories.

Actually, I’m a kind of hunter myself. But my prey isn’t a living creature— it’s a moment. Without harming any living thing, I “capture” them in my frame within their natural habitats. The most valuable shots, however, often emerge from creatures that approach me of their own accord after I’ve waited patiently for them for a long time.

For me, the underwater world is not just a hobby; it’s a unique form of therapy and a space for deep contemplation. In that world, where silence replaces noise, one comes to understand better the planet we inhabit and feels the flawless balance of creation more intimately. Perhaps that’s why every dive is, for me, a journey of discovering both the Creator and myself.

Technology has transformed this journey as well. Just as smartphones have largely replaced professional cameras, action cameras have brought about a similar transformation underwater. Over time, I’ve adapted to this change; when my old underwater camera wore out, I started using an action camera instead. Still, I miss the sense of creation I felt with the camera I used to adjust the exposure and aperture myself, and with which I could attach and remove manual filters. On the other hand, this shift has a significant advantage: Capturing the underwater world is now much more practical and accessible. That’s why I wholeheartedly recommend that anyone wishing to explore the magical world of the oceans take a look beneath the surface whenever they have the chance, capture the moment, and become a part of that unique world.