My name is Catherine Hoelzer. I developed my love for the ocean while growing up in Southern California. Snorkelling became a passion when I lived in Hawaii and never considered becoming a scuba diver until we moved to the Philippines. It was in Davao that I became a PADI open water diver. As the years went on, my husband and I continued to take PADI courses and started using a GoPro to capture the underwater life we were enjoying.
After working many years in war zones running health programmes, we moved to Jordan four years ago. And three years ago, we moved closer to the sea to Aqaba. It was here we got certified as Divemasters with Deep Blue Dive Center. We also bought our first underwater cameras and began using them almost every day. Underwater photography is now our job and our passion. We are blessed to use this skill for Deep Blue Dive Center to help promote the beauty of the northernmost tip of the Red Sea.
There is a good variety of fish, natural reefs, and wrecks to photograph in Aqaba, but my favourite place to dive is in Indonesia. I enjoy capturing bright and colourful fish and corals, but even more, I enjoy photographing unusual species as well as the quirky personalities that many fish display.
I love my new dream job of diving most days and photographing the beautiful underwater world. I hope that when people see my photos, they will become more ecology-minded and take better care of the sea and our earth.
Clownfish in green anemone, Aqaba
Blue devil scorpionfish, Aqaba
Pyjama nudibranch on sea floor, Aqaba
Glassfish and cages, Hurghada, Egypt
Fire coral, Egypt
Grouper and eels, Aqaba
Seahorse, Aqaba
Crocodilefish in the barge, Egypt
Eel and cleaner shrimp, Aqaba
Juvenile pufferfish, Aqaba
Octopus in an old pipe, Aqaba
Nudibranch, Aqaba
Cuttlefish under jetty, Aqaba
Eel, Aqaba
Banerfish at an underwater military museum, Aqaba
Find more from Catherine on her Instagram @catherine_anne_uw_photography
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