Cristina ‘Mitty’ Mittermeier has spent much of her life working to protect the world’s oceans – but the creatures that live beneath the waves don’t always appreciate her efforts. She talks to Graeme Green about close calls with nature’s giants, her new book Hope, and her favourite places in the world to scuba dive.
I used to think that I’m so lucky and that I have a special energy that means animals relax around me. But, no, it’s not true,’ laughs Cristina Mittermeier. ‘I was almost killed by a southern right whale in Australia last year.
A mother got spooked when her baby got too close to me, and she threw her fluke at me. She would have decapitated me, had I not been horizontal. It was a bit of a wake-up call, like, “Okay, the ocean is not necessarily my friend. The creatures are not necessarily in love with me”. Those moments make you realise just how fragile humans are and how out of place we are in the ocean.’
It would have been a bitter irony if Mittermeier had been killed. The Mexican photographer, author, marine biologist and conservationist known to many as Mitty, has dedicated her life to working to protect Planet Earth, including the oceans and their inhabitants.
While it’s illegal for most people to get in the water with endangered southern right whales, Mittermeier had special permission from the Australian government to film them in the Great Australian Bight, off the south coast of Australia, as part of her work with SeaLegacy, a non-profit organisation she co-founded with the National Geographic photographer and film-maker Paul Nicklen.
Together, Mittermeier and Nicklen dedicate their time to producing photography and video, using their ‘visual storytelling’
projects to highlight problems in the world’s oceans, from overfishing to plastic pollution, and to support the work of people on the front line who are working on solutions.
From Arctic Norway to the Bahamas, Mittermeier has shared the water with sharks, whales, turtles, manta rays and other remarkable species. But, she stresses, this is not recreational diving – it’s work, which often brings Mittermeier up close with the harrowing destruction that humans are causing to natural environments and wildlife.
‘Like everything else I do, diving is just a tool I use to get me closer to animals,’ she says. ‘For me, diving is not about the thrill of going deep, nor the meditative state of being underwater. It definitely is not about the gadgets and dive technology. It’s a passport to spend time in the company of animals.
‘What I look for in a dive is the abundance of life and how open that wildlife is to the presence of a stranger.’
Mittermeier is speaking to me from a little cabin on the SeaLegacy 1, the organisation’s 20m-long expedition catamaran, which is currently in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, one of the world’s greatest areas for marine life.
She has a new book just out, Hope, which brings together the various strands of her work – not just underwater photography but also natural landscapes and Indigenous people, ranging from penguins clustered together on icebergs to the tribes of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley.
With widespread deforestation, pollution, mining, overfishing and the unchecked threat of climate change, hope is something that might seem in short supply. Yet Mittermeier rejects ‘apathy, cynicism and fear,’ which often lead to inaction.
‘I think we seldom report on all the good things that are happening,’ she says. ‘There truly is an army of people on the front lines who are holding the fort – resort owners, conservation organisations or communities doing the right thing. It’s incredibly hopeful, and we need to support them more.’
Born in Mexico City in 1966, Mittermeier grew up in Cuernavaca, south of the capital, her love for the ocean coming from reading National Geographic and adventure books by the Italian novelist Emilio Salgari, as well as family trips to Acapulco and the Gulf of Mexico.
She studied biochemical engineering in marine sciences at Mexico’s ITESM University and originally planned to work in the fishing industry, until she witnessed first-hand the scale of death and destruction on Mexico’s industrial fishing vessels, including bycatch hauled up in nets, and harmful fishing practices, such as bottom-trawling.
‘I wanted to be a marine biologist, but all I could study back then was fisheries biology and aquaculture,’ she explains. ‘It was not what I really wanted to do. Industrial fishing has remained one of my biggest concerns. The scale of destruction and extraction is still enormous.’
Mittermeier made the shift into conservation, working for two decades with the international charity Conservation International, during which time she developed a passion for photography, while working with Indigenous peoples in Brazil. She later set up the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP).
Although she’s no longer connected with the ILCP, it’s through this organisation that she met and started working with Nicklen, the pair becoming a couple from 2010.
Nicklen loaned her equipment and mentored her in underwater photography, which, Mittermeier says, requires ‘a very complete set of skills,’ juggling all the complications of photography (f-stops, apertures…) and understanding how light works underwater with challenging conditions, such as strong currents.
‘Underwater photography remains a challenging and humbling activity,’ Mittermeier tells me. ‘Every dive is a learning opportunity, and making images of marine wildlife is becoming harder and harder as our oceans become more and more depleted. We have to work hard to find locations where life is still healthy and abundant.
I struggle to tell an optimistic story about our oceans when so much of what we find is sadness and devastation.’
Mittermeier’s work has featured in global publications, including National Geographic, The Washington Post and The New York Times. She’s also appeared in National Geographic shows, such as actor Will Smith’s series Welcome To Earth.
She believes photography and film are vital communication tools to bring about change, whether that’s supporting Indigenous coastal communities or collaborating with organisations and governments to help establish or expand Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
With a social media reach in the millions (Mittermeier has 1.6 million Instagram followers, Nicklen has 7.2 million), their images and videos can quickly get an international audience to rally around a cause.
‘When it works best is when somebody who has a position in a place of legislation, it could be a minister in the government or the parks authority, asks us for help,’ she says. ‘We can point our followers into a concrete action where people can sign their name or send a letter, or comment, or share.
‘It’s worked incredibly to help expand the conservation area in the Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic recently, to expand the conserved area in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and most recently in South Australia.
‘Thousands of people in South Australia said they wanted the government to expand marine protections, and that’s what government institutions need: public support. That’s where SeaLegacy can best shine.’
Despite the seriousness of the work, Mittermeier has experienced some of the world’s most remarkable underwater locations. ‘Recently, I truly enjoyed diving in New Zealand, where the big currents and cooler waters bring abundant, beautiful fish, like kingfish and bronze whaler sharks,’ she says.
‘I was very sad to learn that New Zealand has one of the worst records for ocean conservation in the world, and it has only protected less than 0.5 per cent of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
‘Given its abundant wildlife, I also love diving in the Gulf of California in Mexico, especially when the large schools of mobula rays return to the Gulf to mate, and when the sea lions or fur seals are out to play. Perhaps, though, my favourite place to dive has been in the Galápagos Islands. During our three-month expedition, we spent lots of time with creatures only found there, like marine iguanas and Galápagos penguins. That was a real treat.’
The SeaLegacy 1 will be in Raja Ampat and the Banda Sea until April 2025. ‘That is the magic of having our own boat, and not being beholden to a liveaboard or a captain – we have the freedom to stay in a place and delve into the stories,’ Mittermeier tells me.
‘We want to document and celebrate the results of conservation efforts by local and international NGOs, like Conservation International and Konservasi Indonesia, and scientists like Dr Mark Erdmann, who has been working here for 30 years, and dive tourism pioneers like Kri Island and Misool Resort, as well as the local communities.
‘Today, Raja Ampat is alive and well because these heroes stepped in to change the paradigm of destructive fishing to a managed dive tourism destination that serves everyone, especially the fish, mantas, sharks and reefs.
‘The other reason we’re here is because of the region’s threat of much warmer waters. Over 70 countries have already reported significant bleaching events, and there’s a concern that the beautiful reefs here might begin bleaching soon.’
Despite Raja Ampat being a scuba diver’s paradise, Mittermeier’s experiences there so far have given her cause for concern. ‘We’re just getting started. We’ve seen a few mantas but not a lot of fish – the water’s too warm, and fish seem to have gone deep. We’ve only seen one shark, so that’s worrying to me. I’m a biologist first and foremost – I’m always looking at the pieces of the ecosystem that should be there.’
With more time, Mittermeier and Nicklen will no doubt discover and share many of the natural wonders found beneath the waves of Raja Ampat. ‘I’ve done thousands of dives, but every time I dive, I look at something and I think ‘What the hell is that? I’ve never seen that before.’
There are creatures that are so diverse, so complex, and so incredibly beautiful. To be a true student of the ocean, it can take you a lifetime.’
HOPE by Cristina Mittermeier, with a foreword
by Robert Redford, is published
by Hemeria (£57):
hemeria.com/products/hope-cristina-mittermeier
For more from Cristina Mittermeier, visit www.cristinamittermeier.com and Instagram @mitty
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