Photo Credit - Jann Stoeckl

A Magical Quest and Capture at The Edge of the World

BY JANN STOECKL

Jann Stoeckl is a pro freelance photographer who has captured exotic images across the planet spanning from South and Southeast Asia onward through the Indo-Pacific. See more of Jann’s work at http://jannstoecklphotography.com

Jann Stoeckl wants to be your superhero. This is why he dives deep, exploring the Indo- Pacific Oceans for over 25 years and facing many challenges to get to exotic and remote locations. Every one of Jann’s shots gives us a perfect and brilliant glimpse into the amazing biodiversity found in these oceans. Here are Jann’s words of advice for how to start his hero’s call:

Jann Stoeckl’s top tips on what it entails and what he has learned on his quest to capture world-class images at “The Edge of the World”:

Ambition, determination, and a relentless willingness to face the unknown. These are the tough questions. Have you researched and planned out your locations thoroughly? In my case, not always. I was diving these locations 20 years ago without the internet and access to information and pristine locations.
Be tolerant of other cultures, religions, languages, food, currencies, topographical habitats, and political ideals. This is a vital and integral part of whether one can take risks and adventure into the unknown.
Trials and tribulations will evolve, so you have to start thinking about how to resolve problems and issues. Either euphoria or the agony of defeat await you.
Perseverance, a desire to excel, and a Never-Give-Up attitude are my mottos!
Encouraging other nations and cultures and educating them in preserving their fragile and spectacular marine environments is paramount. This challenge is the key to their success in eco–tourism, fishing industries, oil refineries, petroleum exploration, and the welfare of their societies.
Pollution must be eradicated! Stop throwing garbage in the ocean! As long as mankind continues to pollute oceans, photographs of magnificent marine animals and creatures like these shall be no more, lost forever to time and extinction.
Global warming, cyclones and typhoons smash eco-systems, yet exquisite marine animals have this instinct and the resilience to retreat, hide, survive, mate, and persevere. However, pollution threatens our planet and these fantastic species every day.
Grab your scuba diving gear, passport and underwater camera equipment and see “The World.” Do everything in your power to preserve it. Strive for brilliancy and perfection. Jann knows humans cannot always be picture perfect. However, he also believes if we keep our eyes open to the truths that can be found in the details, in the precious bits; if we look with all our senses open and listen with all our heart, our actions will shift to those of care and preservation. He directs his lens towards perfect moments that coexist within the messy and vital world he travels to find them. As our awareness of all that beauty, of the hidden and pulsing worlds around us, as those realities come into focus, so then will our sense of self and how we are connected to these oceans and the populations they sustain.

Photography - Jann Stoeckl, computer analysis - Jesse Thompson, logistical analysis - Trent Burkholder

Diving Locations: Maldives, Burma, Thailand, Fiji, Philippines, Australia, Indonesia (Sumatra – Sulawesi- Irian Jaya), Papua New Guinea.

www.reefrenewalbonaire.org

WRU JOURNAL

WRU JOURNAL

A Magical Quest and Capture at The Edge of the World