BIO OF SHARK PHOTOGRAPHER

ANDY MURCH

Andy Murch is a freelance Photojournalist specializing in sharks and rays. He is the Creator of the Elasmodiver Shark and Ray Field Guide,  Staff Photographer at Shark Diver magazine and a Submersible Pilot for Seamagine Hydrospace.

A Brief History

Having escaped from the UK in the 1980's Andy wandered the planet in search of adventure. Over a 20 year span he has traveled through more than 70 countries collecting experiences and images.

In the mid 90's Andy worked as a Dive Master in the Bay Islands of Honduras which gave him the foundation for later opportunities in the diving world. In early 2000 he joined SEAmagine Hydrospace Corporation as a Submersible Pilot. After training in the Kelp forests of California's Catalina Island Andy became Operations Manager with Cayman Submariners and presently works as a Consultant Pilot and Instructor for SEAmagine when he is not looking for sharks. His love affair with sharks and rays started shortly after he learned to dive. The more species he encountered on his travels the more he wanted to document them in pictures for others to share. As he learned of new obscure elasmobranch species Andy became frustrated with the vague information available for locating and diving with them. In 2002 he created Elasmodiver.com to share the information that he had personally gathered. Elasmodiver eventually grew into the most comprehensive resource about sharks and rays on the internet. It now contains a Shark Picture Database with more than 5000 images.

In mid 2004 Andy started writing and shooting for Shark Diver Magazine. His images and articles have appeared in all subsequent issues and he is now Shark Diver Magazine's Staff Photographer.  His shark photographs have also appeared in most widely read scuba diving magazines, hundreds of books and a huge variety of other publications ranging from the journal Zoology to FHM. His images have also been used by many multi media organizations including Discovery Channel and National Geographic.

Andy's Mission

Recognizing the need to publicize the fragile position of many lesser known sharks, Andy now spends his free time tracking down endangered sharks that have not yet been photographed. With around 300 species of sharks yet to be recorded, he is entrenched in a daunting mission which often involves costly expeditions to look for elusive species. Some of the conservation organizations that have utilized Andy's unique images include: WWF, IUCN, Shark Alliance, Ocean Conservancy, Shark Trust, Smithsonian, Pew Institute and many other NGOs and government bodies.

Other than his sons Aron and Luke, Andy's passion is still the pursuit of critically endangered sharks and rays.

Covers by Andy Murch:

Andy with a

SEAmagine Hydrospace

Ocean Pearl Submersible

Andy shooting Greenland sharks in Baie Comeau.

Image courtesy of Maris Kazmers

All rights reserved

"Everybody has their heroes.

This is me shooting Porbeagle Sharks in the Bay of Fundy with Doug Perrine.

Doug has shot more species of sharks that anyone I know - but I'm catching up!".

Photography Courses

To help finance his shark conservation expeditions Andy teaches an in-depth Digital SLR photography course that he designed to improve the skills of underwater photographers who have recently made the leap from point and shoot to the DSLR level.

Underwater Photography Workshop Course Outline.

A list of articles by Andy Murch

Read Andy's Elasmoblog

A message from Andy Murch

Underwater photographers are more than just image takers. Like all divers, marine biologists and even fishermen, we are ambassadors for the ocean and the stories and pictures that we share with the world in some small way help to shape our collective understanding of the ocean and the plight of its inhabitants.

I began shooting sharks and rays in the 1990s. After building a predictable portfolio of easily encountered species I became fascinated by the more unusual elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) that divers rarely encounter. I started Elasmodiver.com to share my stories and to shine a light on this incredibly diverse and critically important group of animals.

Shooting rare sharks gets me into some unusual situations. I hope that you enjoy the images and articles and that one day we will get to dive together or simply sit down and talk sharks. I try not to take myself too seriously but while I’ve got your attention…

Not all shark species are in trouble but many are on the brink of extinction. At least 30 million sharks are killed each year to supply the Asian shark fin market. The actual figure may be well over 100 million. Because sharks mature slowly and have few offspring their numbers are falling at an alarming rate.

Sharks help to keep our oceans healthy by keeping other species of fish and invertebrates in check and preying on sick animals that would otherwise weaken the gene pool. Only sharks can do this effectively because among ocean predators, sharks are the only group with a low enough reproductive rate to avoid becoming a problem in of themselves. If we lose a single species of shark to over fishing, what a tragic loss that would be.

This is not somebody else’s problem so please help however you can:

• Educate those around you (kids and adults) to the plight of sharks – keep it simple but spread the word.

• Loudly boycott establishments that sell shark fin products. This sends an important message.

• Petition your local, state/provincial and federal governments to take notice and create legislation.

• Encourage recreational fishermen that you know or meet to practice catch and release. Be friendly – you’ll get further.

• Join and support conservation organizations like Shark Safe, Shark Savers, The Shark Trust, Sea Shepherd etc.

For the sharks,

Andy Murch