From a career as a mathematician and military defence analyst to one as an underwater photographer and shark conservationist, Tanya Houppermans is a force to be reckoned with. She’s on the Ocean First Institute board of advisors, an Isotta Housings ambassador and the recipient of numerous awards for her photography, including Underwater Photographer of the Year 2018 (portrait category). We go behind the lens to find out more about her world beneath the waves.

Oceanographic Magazine (OM): You’ve moved from mathematics and military defence analysis to skydiving and underwater photography. Do these worlds collide?

Tanya Houppermans (TH): I’ve always been very analytical and focused, and I think these traits are something I use regularly in all of these endeavours. Being a mathematician and working in military defence requires a great deal of analysis, but so do skydiving and underwater photography. Underwater photography is where I get to combine the analysis and focus with art, and I love using both sides of my brain at the same time to do that. When I’m photographing sharks, I am intently focused on everything going on while in the water such as the sharks’ behaviour, the conditions, the dive plan, my equipment, etc. But I am also analysing those things that will make a compelling image, such as what the light is doing, what angles might work best, what camera settings I should use, what power and position I should set my strobes at, and possible image compositions. It’s all very challenging, but so incredibly rewarding when everything comes together.

OM: What does it mean to you to be able to immerse yourself in the natural world?

TH: Forming a connection with the natural world tends to motivate people to want to protect it, and of course this is vitally important. For me, there is also a very personal reason to immerse myself in nature – it’s where I find my happiness. Whether I am inside of a shipwreck off of North Carolina surrounded by sand tiger sharks, face to face with a crocodile in the mangroves of Cuba, or slowly drifting through kelp beds off the coast of Scotland with a bluefire jellyfish, I am happy. I am in my element. I am focused on that moment, and all of the anxieties I otherwise have on a daily basis are out of my thoughts. We all need somewhere to go to where we can feel unencumbered, and immersing myself in nature, particularly the water, is where I find my peace.

OM: How is the world of adaptive scuba diving for those with disabilities changing?

TH: Adaptive scuba diving has been life changing for people with special needs like my son Richard, who has autism. Richard is 22 now, and he was certified as an Open Water diver through the Handicapped Scuba Association (HSA) when he was 17. He absolutely loves to dive, and my husband Scott and I have taken him diving in Bonaire, Florida, North Carolina, and Mexico. I’m so glad that Richard and others with disabilities have these opportunities now through organisations like HSA and Diveheart. Not too long ago it would have been unheard of for someone with a disability to become a diver. But attitudes are changing, and instead of thinking that someone can’t be a diver, the approach now is to ask what can be done to accommodate each person’s unique situation while allowing them to explore the underwater world as safely as possible. For some, it’s simply a matter of minor gear modifications. For others, it might mean multiple support divers in a more controlled environment. Unfortunately, sometimes there are challenges that are simply too severe to overcome to allow a person to dive safely. But at least now most people who are interested in becoming divers, regardless of their individual circumstances, are provided the opportunity to try.