German director Florian Fischer, 40, discovered diving at the age of 18, while on a trip in Egypt. Today, he describes diving as his favorite creative playground. « For me, diving is linked to creativity. I like diving but I’m not the typical diver who enjoys just to be there. I need my camera because I always have some visual ideas. » Florian evolved from being a graphic design working in the advertising world to a documentary filmmaker documenting the civil war in Burma to an independent filmmaker. Guided by his creative instincts, Florian co-founded Behind the Mask six years ago in order to shine a light on the beauty of nature and the ocean. « Dealing with conservation with a clear conservation message is important, but we figured out how we could raise awareness differently, » he explains. « Today, we document the beauty of the ocean to bring people want to save it. »

Behind the Mask’s films and stories are loaded with authenticity. Drawing from his experience as a creative mind in a narrow world that didn’t suit him, Florian believes that nothing beats telling true stories with guts. « It’s not about me, it’s not about a production company, it’s more about a community. At the end of the day, we portray authentic feelings. And there is no other way to do it than actually feel these emotions. » Similar to French freediver Guillaume Néry and underwater & wildlife photographer Greg Lecoeur, Florian is surrounded by a global network of creative nature enthusiasts. This community being the masterpiece of his work.

Avoiding compromises, looking for beauty, the collective constantly dives deep in the seven seas. From Azores to California, from Papua New Guinea to Indonesia, across the fjords of Norway or on a recent trip to Antarctica in -1°C water, Behind the Mask managed to combine what all creatives dream of: the perfect balance between a certain kind of creative freedom, a bunch of transparency, lots of passion and a needed touch of insanity.

Tell us more about you and your background..

I’ve always been working as a freelancer in the creative industry, mostly doing websites and graphic design. I studied filmmaking and worked a lot in the advertising industry. At the same time, I was also working for a big advertising agency in the south of Germany as a documentary filmmaker. I worked a lot in Russia (Siberia) and in Central African Republic. Then I spent most of my time working on the issue of the civil war in Burma (Myanmar). I’ve always seen myself more as a documentary filmmaker rather than a scenic filmmaker where you need a lot of people and need to wait a lot of time until something happens. While documenting the horrible genocide in Burma, I realized how difficult it was to raise awareness on something because it’s hard to find the right way to address people, especially when it comes to human rights or conservation. Everyday, people feel already guilty about a lot of things. So it’s difficult to make a difference. After my studies, I worked as a creative director for a company for a year. And I hated it. Then, I had a company with 18 employees for 4 years. It was an online agency where we developed websites. I was in charge of the design and creative part. After that, I did a lot of filmmaking for advertising companies and fashion brands. And I also hated that. The fashion industry is a very bad place for creative people. I decided to use my passion and do it for my own fun.

That’s when you decided to created Behind The Mask?

Yes, it was 6 years ago. I started Behind the Mask with two friends. Nothing serious at the time. We all had our job but thought maybe we could make a few films about diving, and maybe we could go on diving trips for free! That was the whole idea at first. We were 3 guys at the time, a photographer, the other one was a diver, and me as the filmmaker. We first worked with travel agencies and brands. I live in Germany and I know there’s a lot of people living close to the sea and have way more opportunities than we have. So at the beginning I thought it was not something very promising, just something to do on the side. But eventually, 3 years ago, I quitted my job and sold my shares in the company. I didn’t like working as a CEO for the company and preferred to be fair to my partners. So here I am today, working full time for Behind The Mask.

How did you get introduced to the sea, the ocean or the global water element?

Diving is very much connected with the filmmaking. I’ve not been diving without a camera for many years. I like diving but I’m not the typical diver who enjoys just to be there. I need my camera because I always have some visual ideas and I hate when I feel like I miss something I can’t capture. When I don’t have my camera, most of the time I don’t go in the water. For me, diving is linked to creativity. I started diving at the age of 18, more than 20 years ago, on a trip to Egypt with my girlfriend. We had a camera with plastic bags around, this kind of homemade housing. We had to fix it several times because there was water coming in. Slowly, it became a thing! Today, if you look at the diving community, I don’t relate much to it. I have a very specific opinion regarding the diving industry especially in Germany. When I started diving, I thought it was fun. It meant adventure, excitement, being close nature, it was about discovering new things and, at the same time, diving is something you can share with other people. My vision of diving never included any notion of competition. I’ve always enjoyed diving as a creative playground. I see it as a feeling, as a chemistry. Diving is an easy place to collect all the emotions and feelings, it’s also an abundance of stories, people, species, animal and locations. There’s a million things. Diving is the coolest thing on earth. The diving industry in Germany is far behind this vision. So I thought there was a great opportunity to combine all the things unique about diving.

3 years ago when you sold your shares to the company, what was your precise vision of Behind The Mask?

I have been quite lucky since the very beginning. I could have made decisions not based on business only. I don’t have a lot of money on the bank but thanks to my work, I achieved some creative freedom. I can be both creative on one side and be paid on the other. I don’t have to make compromises. Every creative person dreams about doing what they like to do, grow their creativity, and be valued and respected for it. For me, it was clear. I wanted to invest in something bigger. It’s not about me, it’s not about a production company, it’s more about a community. Most of our collective decisions are taken with a strong eye on community, on bringing people together. For example, for most of the projects, we spend 80% of the global budget on the logistics and on paying people. Most of the time, we bring more people than we need on set and during trips, just because we want to have a good time together, and we want to achieve this together. At the end of the day, we portray authentic emotions and feelings. And there is no other way to do it than actually feel these emotions. So it’s been a journey to find people I enjoy working with, who are also flexible and who want to serve that community. We like to make tutorials in order to share experience and knowledge. In the first place, the idea of Behind the Mask was to be very transparent with everything. I always hated it when I saw a picture about a place where somebody obviously tried to make it even more than it actually is, by not telling where it is, or not telling when it is. So I thought it would be pretty cool to give these infos to the viewer. Transparency means we always disclose everything. What we do, how we do and what equipment we use… We show and share everything as we’re not trying to make ourselves super cool or super special. All of that is only possible because of this sense of community. We have enough clients and projects to allow us to do that today.

Tell us more about this community gathered around Behind the mask…

There’s a lot of people who are considered to be a member. There are 4 to 5 core members involved with mostly everything. Hamdan Chowdhuri is from Bengladesh, Canada and Singapore and he is our Good Vibration Manager. He also shoots a little bit underwater. He’s an amazing person, everybody loves him. Timo Dersch is the project manager, doing the office stuff, planning things, posting things and writing comments. He’s from Germany and comes from the diving industry. He’s been an editor for a magazine and also shoots photos. We also have Maika Grützediek , she worked as the editor-in-chief of a magazine and resigned a couple of years ago. She’s more experienced in life than the rest of us. She communicates with potential partners and sponsors, and knows all the advertising clients. She has a very good standing in the watch industry for example. Dada Li comes from China, she is a freediver and Padi ambassador. She’s also a very successful blogger in China, she helps us in the Chinese market and is also part of our production works. She is definitely a smart brain. We have Marta from Spain, the newest member of our team. Marta won a competition on Facebook to join us on the project. She is now part of the team. Vanessa comes from Germany and is doing all the tutorial videos about underwater images, she does motion graphic. Peter is also a new member and works as a filmmaker. These are people I communicate regularly the most. Everybody is doing his or her own stuff so that it’s a loose network, but when you look at how much we spent time together last year, it’s maybe more than with our own family. Mario Medarevic is in charge of Dive World Canada, he’s been on a project in the Bahamas with us recently. Whenever we have technical issues, we can relate to him. Then, there are a lot of freelance friends, ready to go on a trip whenever it’s possible but they’re not involved in decision making. Greg Lecoeur is one of the photographers we regularly work with. We’ve been to Antarctica in February and March along with Guillaume Néry…

Tell us more about this recent trip to Antarctica with french photographer Greg Lecoeur and freediving champion Guillaume Néry…

It was a project of 3 different personalities. Guillaume Néry is a freediver and more of a creative mind. He’s also a writer and a multitool creative. Greg Lecoeur is an outstanding National Geographic photographer, and I’m a filmmaker. We thought that doing a project together, we could, from different angles, raise interest of the same place. It was also an experiment to do something together and see how we relate to this special place of Antarctica. None of us has ever been there. Guillaume is wiring about it, I’m doing a film about it and Greg made pictures. We’re thinking of doing an exhibition, a book and a multi series-documentary. The trip was more challenging than expected because of the weather and because we didn’t have enough time. So we’re thinking of going back there and doing it again. It was an interesting experience because it worked well with the 3 of us. We became even closer friends. Now, we’re currently releasing a few videos about this trip.

There was an ecological aspect as well, wasn’t it?

We partnered with Parley and took water samples to see whether scientists can find micro plastics in Antarctica, which is an inhabited continent. It would be interesting to see the human influence on such a continent regarding plastic pollution, but we don’t have any result yet. We took 75 different water samples on different locations that scientists will have a closer look on. The samples are still in Ushuaia, Argentina, as we need to figure out how to send the samples to the US-based scientists. Antarctica is an interesting place with a challenging environment. Swimming in -1°C water in a wetsuit was a thing! We learned a lot about ourselves.

Most of Behind the Mask’s projects seem very challenging indeed. What was the idea behind your « Life is an Ocean » project made in collaboration with Boot?

Behind the Mask is the official ambassador of the Boot show, so we work together with the show as an umbrella company to support what we do. We promote the show because we think they’re doing great. Boot is one of our partners. Life is an Ocean is basically a summary of our four last years. It shows the viewer how we feel about what we do. Life is an Ocean relates to all the emotions that you have, you can mirror those emotions in the ocean. It’s a bit of a philosophical narration. We want to inspire people and get them interested in this world they might not know much about. At the same time, we also want to inspire people who are already divers or content creators. At the end of every year, we create a video that sums up our year’s projects and this video campaign is a common platform your can relate to.

In one of these summary videos, you said « We believe that more people should feel the ocean magic so that we can save it. » Is Behind The Mask a way for your to raise awareness of the ocean?

Well, we’re not there yet as we didn’t find the tool we can use to really promote conservation ever more aggressively. For now, the goal is not to point at negative things. We try not to push people to change their life while providing content that people can make this conclusion by themselves. In the beginning, I thought the idea was a bit weak, NGOs would do differently, but I don’t feel confortable doing that. We’re not scientists and we don’t want to end up in the same box as everybody else. Dealing with conservation with a clear conservation message is important, but we figured out how we could raise awareness differently. Today, we document the beauty of the ocean to bring people want to save it. Everybody relates to the beauty of the ocean and we need to protect it. It gives us more satisfaction and confidence and it acts better than we thought.

What do you like the most in your job today?

I have the freedom and capability of bringing together people, and involving different kinds of people. I like to collaborate with creative minds and like to support and assist people in what they want to do. I also try to include this under Behind The Mask. The biggest challenge is to deal with teams and people, and to give people enough room to grow and do their own things. How I envision Behind The mask in the future? I see it as a lot of different things. We’d like to release masterclass tutorials for underwater imaging for free, so people can learn how to technically do it. We’d like to create a community, giving them the possibility to be part of something. Now that we have a lot of dedicated people united under the same philosophy, I personally need to give some things away. The freedom of creating projects not based on how much money it makes is probably what I enjoy most, as well as the trust from collaborators and clients. For example, we never make storyboards. The way we work is very creative and free. We always keep for ourselves the option to change things. When we go somewhere and realize the conditions are bad, we change our plans. We have a deal with our clients: They don’t have to pay anything if they dont like it, and won’t be able to use it. 

Do you have funny stories to tell about projects that didn’t work out well?

We had a few funny catastrophes where things didn’t work out! We had a project for Mercedes, a story about a small girl and sharks in Scotland. We drove there with two cars, it took us 2 days. We had 12 people around. Greg Lecoeur was there, there was all the logistics planned for 2 weeks of shooting on an island. But the weather was so bad that we couldn’t do anything so we needed to rearrange and move everything to the other side of the UK. We reshot the video about the girl with great seals, which, in the end, the client loved very much. But it’s the perfect example of what challenge means! In the end of the day, this is what make the best memories. I enjoy to collaborate with interesting people like Fred Buyle, amazing freediver and underwater photographer. We stayed in his house in Azores for two weeks and became friends. Stuff like that is the coolest. I love to plan new projects and involve creative people.

What are the new projects coming up for Behind the Mask and its team of creatives?

There’re so many different things going on. Next week, we’re going to Italy, we do an interesting collaboration with a glass artist who is shaping glass, statues and objects out of glass and water. Then, we stay a week in Egypt with our community, a group of 24 people, diving all together. We fly to Philippines a week later for a Chinese customer. After that, we stay in Indonesia for 3 weeks. Then we’re heading to cover the Sardines Run, making a film about this great adventure. Then back to Indonesia, Komodo National Park, as part of our community trip. Then, we work with the Tourism Agency of Papua New Guinea. We have a 7 weeks project there. Then, heading to French Polynesia with Guillaume Néry, one in October then in December. We might be in Norway for the orcas. Then, it will be Christmas and we have to prepare the Boat Show. This year, we gonna have a live studio over 9 days, interview people from the image community and broadcast it live on the internet. Then, April 2020, we have a nice project with a group of handicapped divers in the Bahamas. Our schedule is pretty much busy until June 2020!

Learn more about Behind the Mask on their website.

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Working as a deckhand in Alaska since more than two decades, Corey spent seven years aboard a Bering Sea crabbing vessel. Today, he is the captain of a wild sockeye salmon fishing operation based out of an abandoned cannery complex called Graveyard Point.

Earlier last year, renowned photographer and commercial fisherman by trade Corey Arnold  went to the icy archipelago of Svalbard, meeting those people lucky enough to live at 77° N. From March 21 – April 27, 2019, he will present his latest body of work, entitled »Hornsund«, from his arctic expedition in Svalbard, halfway between Norway and the North pole. His solo exhibition will take place at Charles A. Hartman Fine Art in Portland. 

Words by Corey Arnold: »In 2013, I landed by ship at the Polish Polar Station, an outpost maintained by Polish scientists located on the remote Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard in a fjord named Hornsund. At 77˚N latitude, the station is a rare human outpost in the far North, on an island with few year-round inhabitants aside from native polar bears, arctic foxes, and an abundance of tiny reindeer. In early September the sky never grows dark, and I spent long days trekking across chossy valleys and crumbling mountains, exploring the many glaciers that rest and rumble within a 24-hour walk.

Some days I’d join a glaciologist on their mission across vast glacial landscapes to check their field instruments and on other days, I would walk alone hauling a heavy backpack of camera equipment with an old WWII rifle strapped to my back for protection from white bears.«

More infos on Corey Arnold’s website.

Read our interview with Corey Arnold.

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Officially launched in Norway in 2018, Future of Fjords is an electric catamaran constructed from carbon fibre composite able to welcome 400 passengers. It’s been a year now that the electric ferry has been sailing between the spectacular Norway’s UNESCO heritage sites setting new standards for environmentally responsible passenger transport.

Described as the first vessel of its kind to offer completely emission free transport, the vessel sails along the World Heritage listed fjord on the 90-minute trip from Flåm to Gudvangen, through Western Norwegian landscape. »Future of The Fjords does just that, minimising its impact on the environment while maximising the experience of passengers who can now glide silently over the water and come closer to nature than ever before,« says Rolf A. Sandvik, CEO of shipowner The Fjords. »We’re entering into a zero-emission future.«

Born two hours from the fjords, the cruise ship captain of the newly launched ferry Future of the Fjords had completely changed life working here. »I used to work on a chemical tanker,a 200-meter long and 35-meters wide vessel. Not very environmental friendly! (laughs) Deep see trade, all over the world. We used 45 metric tons fuel a day. So that represents a big difference in my life today,« he says. »I remember a lot of guys told the company when they started that the Future of Fjords won’t work out. But it worked from day 1. Technically, we have almost no problem with this vessel. It’s not so complicated because we use electrical engines. They have built electrical engines for hundreds of years. The new thing here is to have a battery as the power source. The boat receives power from a battery pack of 1800 kWh, representing about 40 times the capacity of a typical electric car. I’ve been on this vessel for a few months and am surprised how well it works,«  he says. »The manufacture will take care of the change of battery and will recycle the battery, in 9 years from now. I suppose when we are going to change our battery, they’ll be half the size and twice the battery of today’s. You can compare it to mobile phone development. 15 years ago, we had this huge battery, now you cannot even see the mobile phone battery.«

Powered by two electric engines of 585 horsepower each. The installation makes it possible for the vessel to reach 16 knots (almost 30 kph) during operation for a range of 55 km, before the boat must be recharged. Thanks to a unique floating charging solution called the PowerDock, the environmentally responsible vessel ushers in a new breed of clean, green and spectacular passenger transport. »Here we have a solution that any form of electric transport can simply plug into without exerting strain on the grid. The dock also stores consumables, fuel for sister vessels, and allows black water to be offloaded for treatment on land. This makes Future of The Fjords the only passenger vessel not to discharge sewage directly into the fjords.«

As the world’s first all-electric carbon fiber vessel, Future of Fjords make waves right across the globe since the all-electric passenger vessel Future of The Fjords has won the Ship of the Year 2018 award at SMM. Rolf A. Sandvik, CEO of shipowner The Fjords defines the vessel as »the greenest passenger vessel in Norway [and] helping us preserve the integrity of our beautiful fjords«. 

The innovative 42-meters long vessel is part of Norway’s program to create the first zero-emissions zone on water. The parliament has accepted a resolution which would see emissions banned in the world heritage fjords “as soon as technically possible and no later than 2026”. 

Photos Inside boat: Elisa Routa (35mm)

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Known as a scientist, an expert in acoustics and a nature lover, Jorg Rychen managed to combine his passion for science and for nature. Working as a researcher and a lifeguard, Jorg is definitely not your typical scientist. He focused his work on neurophysiology research on freely behaving animals and managed to spend his spare time in wilderness, both as a freediver, a ballooner and farmer.

In last December, he joined our Panthalassa crew members on our latest expedition up to Tromsø, Norway. The expedition was above all about the journey of a group of adventurers meant to record and understand the secret language of the Orca Killer Whales, described as the most intelligent creatures on earth. We spent a few days with Jorg on a small size boat under below-freezing temperatures, sharing one of the most spectacular visions which is witnessing orcas in their natural environment. 

Hi Jorg, can you tell us a bit about your background?

I studied experimental physics, I obtained my PhD at the ETH Zurich for studies of quantum phenomena in semiconductors. Then, I founded a company that provides scanning probe microscopes all around the world. I sold the company in 2008 because, even though it’s very interesting, everybody in physics is a little bit of a nerd and it remains an all-male environment. To be honest, it’s socially boring. Today, I split my time between my lab and the shore of a lake since I’m also a lifeguard during summer in Zurich. As a lifeguard, you’re in the sun, you feel the wind, you see the clouds, you have a lot of friends and people around you. This job is basically at the very opposite of being a lab technician. I’m also employed at the Institute of Neuroinformatics where I work as as Prof. Hahnloser research group. My interest is to solve automation, measurement, and instrumentation problems arising both in neurophysiology research on freely behaving animals and in anatomy work using high-throughout electron microscopy. I work with a lot of mathematicians, physicians, and biologists used to do a lot of experiments with song birds. Working with them, I would record all the songbirds. Songbirds are a model for basic research and provide ideal signals for study and experiments. Birds are a model animal in neuroresearchs, as process happen in the brain. Only birds, bats and dolphins can do that That’s why it would be interesting to learn more about orcas.

Where does your fascination for the orcas and, more widely, for freediving come from?

I’d probably need to tell you the full story. My father was a mountain guide in Switzerland. When I was a kid, we did a lot of adventures in the mountains. And I remember that, even as a child, I could hold my breathe longer than anyone else. I guess it’s just something that’s given to you somehow. So, since a young age, I’ve been very good at freediving. I remember being on holidays and seeing Russian girls with wetsuits diving down deep in the water. They told me « this is freediving, it’s an old sport . » It was around 1999, and I was hooked. However, freediving is all about numbers. It’s all about how deep you can go, how far you can swim, and how long you can hold your breathe. I’ve never been very interested in this competitive side of freediving. For me, freediving is more about freedom. I like the fact that you don’t need a lot of equipment; just your mouth, the mask, and fins. It’s the same with climbing. I prefer bouldering these days because what you need is just a pair of shoes. This is everything I love. Going back to freediving, when you dive down, you’re overwhelmed by this really strong silence. I think it also has to do with the ears, it makes this feeling of complete silence. You can also hear the orcas from far away. It’s just a beautiful sound. I first met Jacques (De Vos) a few years ago, he was my freediving instructor. I remember the first time I saw an orca. I was standing on a stand up paddle and the orca just went close to me. The dorsal fin was about 2 meters high, so taller than me. The orca itself was 3-4 times bigger than its fin. Orcas are really big, especially when they come close to you. It was very impressive so, at that time, what I had in mind was to study the orcas the same way I study songbirds. One experimental method to decode the ‘neural algorithms’ underlying song learning is to record the song of a bird with a microphone and interact with the bird via a loudspeaker.

The December expedition aimed at decoding the secret orcas communication. From your scientific point of you, why is it so interesting and so important?

There are several aspects. One aspect is the scientific side of the expedition which is basically the information approach. Obviously, orcas are able to exchange some information and perform conversations. For example, when orcas hunt, they agree on a hunting strategy beforehand. During the hunt, orcas remain silent. It means every individual agreed and organized their hunt before. They are somehow able to discuss what to do together. I wouldn’t call it a language yet – in the terms of a subject, verb, and complement – but it’s interesting to see how orcas are sharing information. Orcas’ ears are their primary sense, while for human, it’s the eye. Orcas rely on sound production and also see with the ear, using their sonar. They use the vocalization to see, but they also use the vocalization to communicate. For us, the two are separate, we have the eye and the ear. Orcas navigate by echolocation, and the clicks and whistles are part of the orca’ sonar. I think it’s an interesting thing to study.

How did you proceed to try to start decoding orcas language?

It’s always a bit of a problem because we’re used to make just small announcement. We put the hydrophones underwater and recorded the orcas. The most challenging part was to separate individual vocalizations from the background noise and from the other orcas. This is a difficult part because, at the end, we want to come up with one single track of a single orca. Orcas are known to have three kind of vocalizations: clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls. So the idea is to analyze the single track and see which orcas is responding to which one. The collected data creates statistics. Analysing data, we’ll be able to understand who is talking to who. The objective is to study whistles in order to make a catalog of whistles and analyze how often they are repeated. Doing so, we’ll be able to make a vocabulary, a kind of protocole, and learn how they discuss. For example, science have studied bats for a long time. Because of their near blindness, bats use vocal signals – echolocation – to communicate, they are easier to study. As sound goes everywhere, they somehow steal the echo of another bat and use sound wave for communication. They echolocate within specific frequency ranges, and I think it’s the same for the orcas. The questions is « what kind of frequency do orcas have? » Last year, I made some recordings and it was interesting to see that they recently found a frequency. Orcas can basically tickle another orcas remotely. It means there’s maybe a physical interaction over a long distance.

What do you expect from the data collected during The Sound of Intelligence expedition? 

We’ll gonna analyze it in order to create a vocabulary and statistics. We’ll start classifying the produced sound and test in playback experiments. It’s a good idea to try to create interactions with them. For example, we’ll maybe find out that orcas have a signature call, like a name! If we have a collection of signature whistles, we can maybe compose another new signature whistle, then restart playing back and then the orca can recognize the sound. That would be awesome!  

The December expedition took place in a remote fjord north Norway, above the arctic circle. What was the most challenging part of it all?

What I found out is that the most challenging part is always to handle the materials, for many reasons. It is very cold, you are in a wetsuit, everything is wet, cold and dark, and you wear gloves. So everything is tough and you need to be sure it works. I tried the same experiment last year so I gained a lot of insights regarding the handling of products. For this expedition, I built up a container to put the records, and did a test in the lake of Zurich.

When you’re not in your labo, what do you do exactly? 

I’m also a balloon pilot. Since I’m a child, I have this passion for airships. I’ve always wanted to build an airship but to do so, you first have to have a licence for ballooning. So I started ballooning a few years ago. My goal is still to own a human-power airship, that looks exactly like an orca by the way! I’m a member of a ballooning club and we co-own two balloons. I also have a small farm in the mountain in Switzerland where I grow herbs and spices. You have to climb up there, it’s a very steep region but I like that. I like to have a cool project in mind, something that gives me a focus.

Portraits : Pierre David 

Orcas photos : Jacques De Vos 

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Quiet. « Qui-et ». Say it slowly in a low voice and you’ll get the general feeling of what it’s like to enter the fjords of Western Norway. During Oceana’s first North Sea expedition, the Panthalassa Society took a couple of days to discover one of Unesco fjord’s heritage and treasures of nature. French photographer Sarah Arnould was part of the crew and came back with stunning shots of this unique journey and frozen retreat out north.

Divers, scientists, boat crew, oceanographers, ambassadors, and engineers keep busy aboard Neptune, the icelandic vessel sailing the dark waters of the North Sea. Despite the cold and tumultuous sea, they’re here for one same goal: Collect precious data on species and habitats and make a positive change during this unprecedented at-sea study. « Leaving to Norway, and being able to capture passionate and committed scientists sailing the seas and oceans to fight against overfishing, has been a very enriching experience » says photographer Arnould. « I’d never been in the open sea before. For days, we had to withstand heavy rains and tumultuous currents. Working in these conditions was not an easy task but the beauty of the landscape, and the environment all around, helped us forget those small details. To witness the greatness of such a magnificent sea, makes you feel small and spiritually impressed.»

On their way to the region of the fjords, the crew stopped by a small village stuck between giants of land. Waterfalls cascading down mountainsides, spectacular glaciers and breath-taking viewpoints. Western Norway is home of « Jostedal Glacier », the largest glacier on mainland Europe, covering an area of 487 square kilometers. In that region, the red barns run alongside the peaceful river, boats are parked like cars in a garage, and green is in vogue. « We met a fisherman in the freshness of a Norwegian fjord. He carried us aboard his boat to make us discover the fjord that shelters the village where he lives. Far from big fishing boats sailing the North Sea, this fjord was of a spectacular beauty and teemed with life. I felt that was a place that allowed humans and animals to live in total harmony. » The crew ended up fishing herrings, sharing some blinis and a good coffee in the cabin of his wooden boat. « Under the rain showers of the Norwegian summer, we had that feeling that time stopped, » explains the French photographer. « This experience taught me a lot on my photography skills and concerning my personal commitment as well. This is the kind of adventure that helps us realize the seriousness of the situation. Being able to see these people’s commitment towards the environment gave me new hope, but it doesn’t depend only on them. »

Discover more of Sarah Arnould’s work on her website.

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Jacques De Vos describes himself as a certified freediving instructor, underwater photographer and cameraman. In other words, he spends most of his time paddling in the deep blue world’s oceans looking for orcas, these incredible creatures he fell in love with as a kid.

«I’m originally from a coastal town near Cape Town called Fish Hoek. As a kid, I always had an interest in the ocean. I wanted to become a marine biologist but I ended up working as a Chemical Engineer. I also worked in the oilfield for a few years before shifting my attention completely to all things ocean and underwater related. Few years ago, I started scuba diving, » explains South-African freediver who have always loved being underwater. « As a child I spent more time underwater than at the surface of the pool. I eventually did a formal freediving course in 2010 which is where it became a bit more serious. » His different careers have one thing in common; they are fields of artistic expressions for his fascination for the ocean. « It is impossible for me to imagine my life without the ocean. When I’m not in or near it, I’m doing something somehow related to it. It can be editing or making plans for expeditions. So I’d say it’s quite an intimate relationship I have with the ocean today. »

When Jacques De Vos was young, he developed an obsession with dolphins. « Then, in 1989 my aunt gave me a book as a gift called ‘Whales, Dolphin and Seals and Their Kin’ which had an entry on orcas. This was the first image I saw of one and it immediately struck a chord. The idea of seeing one in a while from shore is something I never imagined would happen. So to see them underwater is just the further thing I ever imagined would actually happened to me. »

Today, photographer De Vos is known as the man who freedives with orcas and became an expert in finding these beautiful creatures in the ocean around the world. « No two places are alike. When diving in False Bay, Cape Town, I can be at the bottom of a lush kelp forest which is visually more stunning than any forest on land – colours, life and the unknown – or in Dahab, Egypt, where the visibility is so clear that it feels like you are flying. The ocean can be unforgiving, but as long as you respect it, even though unfamiliar, anytime spent underwater is a pleasant experience. »

On a recent expedition, Jacques De Vos spent few months in the Arctic, braving near-zero temperatures in and out of the water of the frigid fjords. « My partners (Boreal Yachting) and I run seasonal expeditions near Tromsø in northern Norway where we take guests to experience orcas and humpback whales in and underwater during the winter herring aggregation. It’s a unique way to see these stunning animals in their natural environment in one of the most beautiful places one earth. Despite the extreme temperatures, with the right equipment you can be completely oblivious to the temperatures. »

Trying to  describe his first encounters with orcas in the Arctic, Jacques De Vos evokes a mix of euphoric excitement and nervousness. « It ’s different each time. They can be completely uninterested in us while feeding and won’t even give you a second glace and, in other instances, you might be the only interesting thing in the water and they will circle you while having a closer look, even being playful. Either way, it’s always a very humbling experience which never gets old, »  he explains. « The first thing I do is I dive down and wait for them. Basically, you see the shapes and the shadows long before you see any fine detail. As they come closer, and I look up, you can see that, in this moment, they’re aware of me. It’s really humbling to have an animal that big, stop, turn and look at you before moving on. That’s not just an animal which is seeing something in the water and trying to avoid it, that’s genuine curiosity. That’s really something special to experience. »

Specialized in underwater photography, Jacques De Vos also listens for clicks, whistles and the multiple underwater sounds of the countless orcas through a hydrophone. « Using a hydrophone taught me that our way of vocal communication is baby noises compared to the complexity and range of orcas and whales. It’s amazing how little we still know and understand of how these animals communicate. And even more so when you realize we can not even hear or capture the majority of the frequency ranges these animals communicate it. »

In the summer 2017, Jacques De Vos and his partners will be exploring the coast around Svalbard. « We will hopefully encounter some more large marine life there as well. We hope to see some whales – blue whales, beluga, minke whales – and, of course, some Polar Bears! »

Find more infos about Jacques De Vos on his website.

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»Here, I have to fight against wind, snow, cold and ice. During winter, I risk my life when I go shopping. But I never felt so alive.« Those words were the motivating factor for French photographer Lorenzö to undertake his 3 months-journey to Nervei, Norway.

Born in Paris 37 years ago, Lorenzo works as a photographer and vegan chef in Helsinki. He likes the fact of expressing himself throughout food and is a deep lover of his adopted country, especially »the environment, people, space, the scents and skies.« He stresses this point: »Living in Finland is a choice, not a exile.«

In 2012, the French photographer went to explore some parts of Finnmark county in northern Norway. »We went without an agenda, with open hearts and sincere eyes. We met a lot of people and heard lots of stories. But that’s a specific encounter in Gamvik that gave me the sparkle that eventually became “Way North”.«

It took Lorenzo two full years to make this project come to life. »I did a recognition trip in November 2014 with Arve, a guy I met in Finnmark two years before. I chose to go to Nervei with cameras and equipment I could trust. There was about 150 kilos of gear, food supplies and all the ingredients to make caffenol. Taking a plane was out of question so I drove my campervan there with my girlfriend Jaana. We started from Helsinki to Oulu, Muonio, Karasjok, Gamvik and finally made it to Sjkånes. Jaana went back to Helsinki and I parked the camper in Skjånes. After having checked at least 9 times if the handbrake was on, I loaded the equipment on a boat and sailed to Nervei.«

Situated along the Barents sea, near the Norwegian Sea, Nervei is described as as small village in Eastern Finnmark where the main industries remain sea harvesting and farming. Still today, as there’s no official road leading into Nervei, commuting is mainly done by boat. Lorenzö explains: »At first, choosing to stay in such a place beaten by the winds, where it’s cold and totally dark six months per year seems to be a bit weird, if not crazy. There is no shop and no bar in the village. In winter, if you need something, either you ask your neighbor, you take the boat or you take your snowmobile and drive half an hour through the mountain to reach the place where you parked your car. Then, you drive your car if the main road is open or you wait for the convey if the road is closed. It may sounds like a huge hassle but that’s the beauty of it. If you stay long enough in Nervei, you’ll start to understand the deep meaning of being in such a place.« That’s what Lorenzö did. He stayed there during three months. He got used to a certain kind of loneliness and rushed into a deliberate isolation. »In Nervei, I discovered the benefits of daily routines. I was waking up as early as I could, made coffee, checked the Yr.fi website for the weather, checked Marine traffic to see what was happening at sea and how many boats were out. Then I would go out. Nervei taught me to get rid of the unnecessary and, above all, taught me patience.« 

Before spending few weeks in this remote part of Norway, Lorenzö had this urban-neoromantic vision of the relationship between men and nature. »But reality was slightly different« he adds. »People in Nervei see Nature as a resource: Although you respect it, you deal with it and have to exploit it everyday. For the inhabitants of Nervei, Nature is a source of revenues and, somehow, a source of food. But it’s also an obstacle that you have to know well in order to get over it. In Nervei, you cannot avoid Nature and you cannot tame it. So you have to live with it. Life is entirely shaped around nature. If the sea is too bad, you can’t fish. If the wind is too strong, it can cut the electricity. If there is a storm, internet falls down. Having a mobile phone in Nervei isn’t very useful : there is no network coverage there…« 

Located along the shore of Langfjorden, an arm of Tanafjorden, Nervei’s main exports are cod, dried fish and king crabs. The residents consider the sea as their main natural resources. »Sea is literally everywhere. Although Nervei is not an island, being there, especially in winter, gives the feeling that you are not on dry land anymore. Nervei has the highest fishing boat concentration per capita in the whole Finnmark. Sea remains the main source of money for the village but it is also a way of transportation and a link with the “outside world”. In Nervei, almost everything and everyone comes and goes by the sea. The main “kaia” (meaning »quay« in Norwegian) is a social hub and an exchange platform where people gather twice a day and when the ferry comes.« Far from the romantic stereotypes, the relationship that men hold with the sea cannot be reduced as ‘coming back to the true essence of life’. Lorenzö explains: »People in Nervei are also used to some modern aspects of life. They are not hermits hating the idea of modernity and progress, or neo-hippies rejecting our society. Most of them really enjoy the modern comfort and try to make their life as comfortable as possible. The village has public lightning, people have big screens in their living rooms and brand new snowmobiles. I guess this is how people get used to the raw environment : by trying to make their life easier.« 

The French traveler knows how to describe the raw and genuine close links that connect men to nature. In a small description of his work, he writes: The wind, hesitates, seems to choose his direction, making shrubs and small trees lean in respect. Then he changes his mind and suddenly decides to calm down, just to surprise everyone by turning into a gale that shakes and rattles the moaning houses. Men definitely seem to be at the elements’ mercy. »You cannot tame nature. In winter, when there is a storm, you stay home. If the storm cuts the electric line, you light the candles and start a fire. In Nervei, planning a journey is quite hard cause your schedule entirely depends on the weather. Of course, with the snowmobile, people are more autonomous and, to some extent, less dependent on the weather. But when you have 27m/s winds and when the visibility is close to zero, even with the best snowmobile, you cannot go anywhere. So you learn to be patient and wait.« 

»Way North, Chronicles of Nervei” will be exhibited at the Northern Photographic Center in Oulu, Northern Finland, in September 2016.

All Photos @ Lorenzö

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