MIKE JONES
“I try with my photos to capture simple beauty in its details.”
Mike Jones @mikejonesdive, first picked up an underwater camera in his teens and has been an active photographer ever since.
Having grown up in the waters around Sydney and NSW’s Central Coast, Mike is very familiar with the headlands, harbours and off-shore reefs of Sydney – one of his favourite places to dive.
Getting to know the creatures
There is something very special that emerges when you dive consistently the same local dive sites over and over.
You don't just 'see' but come to 'know' the site and the creatures that live there. And when you get to that state of familiarity that's when you really start to see the details and the unique behaviours and the extraordinary complexity of the ecosystem.
Documenting the details
Mike says he most hopes his imagery draws awareness toward the details of life on the Great Southern Reef.
“It's easy to care about large things, harder to engage people with the small and seemingly insignificant - a particular fish, a type of sponge, a small crab, a cuttlefish.”
“My photos aren’t trying to be showy; they’re about the details of what is there, just as I find it. I try with my photos to capture simple beauty in its details.”
“I keep a detailed database of every dive, every photo, every creature”
Along the sheer enjoyment of being in the ocean, immersed in the spectacular underwater scenery and surrounded by the extraordinary marine life, he also relishes the citizen-scientist aspect involved in his photography.
“I keep a detailed database of every dive, every photo, every creature - all meticulously collated with details about when, where and what.”
Pregnant predators
In recent times it has been a great to see grey nurse shark groups appearing in new locations.
“Where just a few years ago there was just 1 or 2 sites they could be regularly seen now there are 3 or 4. And most of these often have juveniles and pregnant females present.”
Realising resilience
“The bad weather events caused sudden habitat changes and sadly a lot of marine life suffered from pollution run off from the floods. But it's inspiring to see the resilience of the GSR and how its health can recover if given time and protection. “
“Sea Dragons with fresh broods of eggs, kelp beds slowly regrowing, and especially the sponge gardens coming back to colourful life.”
Superb sponges
“In fact, I’ve become a little obsessed with Sea Sponges lately! The GSR has such incredible variety, making them difficult to properly ID, but the complex formations constructed by such simple creatures is extraordinary. I can easily spend a whole dive peering around a small patch of sponge garden at all the tiny, delicate, fascinating creatures than so many divers swim right past.”
Rigorous records
In the coming year, Mike is really looking forward to concentrating on a few key dive sites, diving every week, and keeping detailed records of the marine life he finds - photographing and sharing the GSR with the world.
Learn about more passionate photographers and artists inspired by the Great Southern Reef.
