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.

OM: What came first, photography or shark conservation?

TH: I became involved in shark conservation before I ever knew I was going to pick up a camera. I was horrified when I found out about shark finning, and how so many shark species are on the verge of extinction. For a couple years I did what I could, whether it was supporting shark conservation organisations, writing letters to lawmakers, and even running a marathon to raise money for shark conservation efforts. But I still felt like I could do more. So I decided to take pictures of sharks to hopefully inspire the public to care about them more. The only problem was that I didn’t know anything about photography when I bought my camera in 2014. I tried to learn as much as I could as quickly as I could. I took my first shark picture in September 2014, and everything progressed quite rapidly after that, although there was a lot of hard work I was putting in to become the kind of photographer I wanted to be. In the summer of 2015, I left my office job behind to concentrate full time on underwater photography and conservation. And since then, the goal of my photography has always been the same – to motivate people to care for and want to protect the animals and environments I photograph.

OM: What is it about sharks that you find so enchanting?

TH: There are so many things I find enchanting about sharks, but most of all, quite simply, I think they are strikingly beautiful. That might be a word most people don’t associate with sharks, but when you watch them gracefully and effortlessly glide through the water with their glistening skin and piercing cat-like eyes, and I don’t know how it’s possible to not think these animals have an inherent beauty. I am also struck by the dichotomy of how robust and powerful sharks look, yet in reality they are incredibly fragile. With tens of millions of sharks being killed by humans every year, this poor creature doesn’t stand a chance unless we change our attitudes and value them for their critical role in the marine ecosystem as apex predators. I feel very protective of sharks, which motivates me to do whatever I can to save them.

OM: Do you think attitudes towards, and fear of sharks is dissipating?

TH: I do think that the public’s perception of sharks is changing for the better, but we still have such a long way to go. It’s a constant struggle to have to dispel all of the misconceptions often propagated by the media about sharks. For instance, when I speak in public, my audience is usually surprised to hear just how few people are killed by sharks every year worldwide (the average number being six fatalities). While each of those is a terrible tragedy, it really puts things in perspective when I tell them that humans kill over 70 million sharks every year. There have been many times where I actually seen the facial expressions in the audience change to that of compassion and sympathy for sharks. And once someone forms that emotional connection, they usually want to know what they can do to help.