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Finalist Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year

Henley Spiers The Maldives

3°55'04.7"N 73°28'11.2"E

Marine biologist Kaia Ali tends to the coral restoration project at COMO Cocoa. “The Maldives, the flattest country in the world with an average altitude of only just above 1 metre, deserves praise for the efforts it has made to conserve its ocean patrimony,” says Spiers. “Industrial fishing with nets is banned and the country created one of the world’s first national shark sanctuaries. However, the Maldives have suffered greatly at the hands of environmental changes which transcend their borders and strong El Niño events have killed 80 to 90% of all the shallow hard corals. Hope for the future lies in part with efforts to regrow the reef through coral gardening. I visited these structures and can only cross my fingers that they can be part of the solution.”

BEHIND THE LENS

Ocean Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year 2024, HENSPI4

Henley Spiers United Kingdom (UK)

ABOUT THE IMAGE

  • Hot and sunny
  • Taken just before sunset
  • Coastal walk-in
  • Taken while scuba diving

Henley Spiers is an award-winning underwater photographer, storyteller, and expedition leader, widely recognised as one of the leading voices in contemporary ocean photojournalism. Henley combines technical skill with a storyteller’s eye to create images that reflect both the wonder and vulnerability of the natural world. In recognition of his narrative approach, he was named the first-ever Storyteller in Residence for Oceanographic Magazine. He was named Ocean Fine Art Photographer of the Year (2024) and awarded the Grand Prize at HIPA (2022). His portfolio also includes major honours from the Nature Photographer of the Year, Environmental Photography Award, European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, as well as the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year. His photography has been widely published, including in National Geographic, The Sunday Times, Der Spiegel, The Economist, BBC Wildlife Magazine, and The Guardian.

MORE IMAGES BY Henley Spiers