NATURE
As well as taking memorable pictures of the Royal Family, photographer Matt Porteous also produces captivating underwater photography. Here we dive into some of his incredible work
Returning to the ocean surface after a scuba dive in the Maldives, photographer Matt Porteous had a memorable encounter. ‘A four-metre long tiger shark swam right over my head,’ he tells me. ‘It felt amazing. I came up from that experience and said, “That’s it – my life has changed. I need to have more of these encounters”.’
On the same day, back in 2021, he found himself in the water with 20 more tiger sharks off the coast of the Maldivian island of Fuvahmulah. For some people, that might sound like the stuff of nightmares. But many ocean lovers, Matt included, relish being in the water with these remarkable, often misunderstood creatures. ‘There were sharks all around us,’ he recalls, excitedly. ‘The beautiful thing about being in the ocean is you can get so close to wildlife – within inches. There’s a mutual respect. There’s so much bad publicity around sharks, but I’ve dived more than 100 times with sharks and I’ve never felt threatened.’
Despite films like Jaws propagating the idea that they’re out to get us, sharks have far more reason to fear humans than the other way around. Populations of sharks and rays have declined by more than 70% since 1970 due to the global trade in shark fins, meat and other threats, with devastating impacts on ocean ecosystems.
It’s these kinds of issues that Matt, who has also photographed the Prince and Princess of Wales and their family and is a celebrated wedding photographer, works to highlight with his marine photography. He lives in Fuvahmulah, where he founded a dive school in 2016, but he also travels the world, swimming with and capturing the beauty of some of the most remarkable underwater creatures.
‘Diving with manta rays off the coast of Bali during a full moon is an experience that’s hard to describe,’ he tells me, picking out one of his favourite moments. Swimming with a group of playful sperm whales in the Indian ocean was another memorable experience for him. But gathering pictures underwater isn’t without its dangers. Matt recalls one moment when he was diving off the coast of Mexico and found himself swimming among around 40 marlins – the giant fis
