Mission Blue II
Thomas Peschak: Dive into an ocean photographer's world
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Somersaulting manta rays, dashing dolphins, swarming schools of fish and munching sharks inhabit a world beneath the ocean's surface that few get a chance to see. Conservation photographer Thomas Peschak visits incredible seascapes around the world, and his photos reveal these hidden ecosystems. "You can't love something and become a champion for it if you don't know it exists," he says. Join Peschak in a new, immersive TED Talk format as he shares his stunning work and his dream for a future of respectful coexistence with the ocean.
Thomas Peschak - Conservation photographer
Thomas Peschak strives to merge photojournalism and cutting edge science to create powerful media projects that tackle critical marine conservation issues. Full bio
Thomas Peschak strives to merge photojournalism and cutting edge science to create powerful media projects that tackle critical marine conservation issues. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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As a kid, I used to dream about the ocean.
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It was this wild place
full of color and life,
full of color and life,
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home to these alien-looking,
fantastical creatures.
fantastical creatures.
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I pictured big sharks
ruling the food chain
ruling the food chain
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and saw graceful sea turtles
dancing across coral reefs.
dancing across coral reefs.
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As a marine biologist turned photographer,
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I've spent most of my career
looking for places
looking for places
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as magical as those I used
to dream about when I was little.
to dream about when I was little.
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As you can see,
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I began exploring bodies of water
at a fairly young age.
at a fairly young age.
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But the first time
I truly went underwater,
I truly went underwater,
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I was about 10 years old.
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And I can still vividly remember
furiously finning
furiously finning
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to reach this old, encrusted
cannon on a shallow coral reef.
cannon on a shallow coral reef.
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And when I finally managed
to grab hold of it,
to grab hold of it,
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I looked up, and I was instantly
surrounded by fish
surrounded by fish
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in all colors of the rainbow.
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That was the day
I fell in love with the ocean.
I fell in love with the ocean.
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01:00
Thomas Peschak
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Conservation Photographer
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In my 40 years on this planet,
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I've had the great privilege to explore
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some of its most incredible seascapes
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for National Geographic Magazine
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and the Save Our Seas Foundation.
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I've photographed everything
from really, really big sharks
from really, really big sharks
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to dainty ones that fit
in the palm of your hand.
in the palm of your hand.
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I've smelled the fishy, fishy breath
of humpback whales
of humpback whales
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feeding just feet away from me
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in the cold seas off Canada's
Great Bear Rainforest.
Great Bear Rainforest.
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And I've been privy to the mating rituals
of green sea turtles
of green sea turtles
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in the Mozambique Channel.
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Everyone on this planet affects
and is affected by the ocean.
and is affected by the ocean.
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And the pristine seas
I used to dream of as a child
I used to dream of as a child
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are becoming harder and harder to find.
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They are becoming more compressed
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and more threatened.
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As we humans continue to maintain our role
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as the leading predator on earth,
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I've witnessed and photographed
many of these ripple effects firsthand.
many of these ripple effects firsthand.
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For a long time, I thought
I had to shock my audience
I had to shock my audience
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out of their indifference
with disturbing images.
with disturbing images.
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And while this approach has merits,
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I have come full circle.
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I believe that the best way
for me to effect change
for me to effect change
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is to sell love.
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I guess I'm a matchmaker of sorts
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and as a photographer,
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I have the rare opportunity
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to reveal animals and entire ecosystems
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that lie hidden beneath
the ocean's surface.
the ocean's surface.
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You can't love something
and become a champion for it
and become a champion for it
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if you don't know it exists.
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Uncovering this -- that is the power
of conservation photography.
of conservation photography.
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(Music)
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I've visited hundreds of marine locations,
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but there are a handful of seascapes
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that have touched me incredibly deeply.
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The first time I experienced
that kind of high
that kind of high
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was about 10 years ago,
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off South Africa's rugged, wild coast.
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And every June and July,
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enormous shoals of sardines
travel northwards
travel northwards
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in a mass migration
we call the Sardine Run.
we call the Sardine Run.
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And boy, do those fish
have good reason to run.
have good reason to run.
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In hot pursuit are hoards
of hungry and agile predators.
of hungry and agile predators.
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Common dolphins hunt together
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and they can separate some
of the sardines from the main shoal
of the sardines from the main shoal
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and they create bait balls.
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They drive and trap the fish upward
against the ocean surface
against the ocean surface
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and then they rush in to dine
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on this pulsating and movable feast.
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Close behind are sharks.
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Now, most people believe
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that sharks and dolphins
are these mortal enemies,
are these mortal enemies,
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but during the Sardine Run,
they actually coexist.
they actually coexist.
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In fact, dolphins actually
help sharks feed more effectively.
help sharks feed more effectively.
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Without dolphins, the bait balls
are more dispersed
are more dispersed
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and sharks often end up
with what I call a sardine donut,
with what I call a sardine donut,
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or a mouth full of water.
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Now, while I've had a few spicy moments
with sharks on the sardine run,
with sharks on the sardine run,
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I know they don't see me as prey.
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However, I get bumped and tail-slapped
just like any other guest
just like any other guest
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at this rowdy, rowdy banquet.
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From the shores of Africa we travel east,
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across the vastness
that is the Indian Ocean
that is the Indian Ocean
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to the Maldives, an archipelago
of coral islands.
of coral islands.
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And during the stormy southwest monsoon,
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manta rays from all across the archipelago
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travel to a tiny speck
in Baa Atoll called Hanifaru.
in Baa Atoll called Hanifaru.
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Armies of crustaceans,
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most no bigger than the size
of your pupils,
of your pupils,
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are the mainstay of the manta ray's diet.
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When plankton concentrations
become patchy,
become patchy,
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manta rays feed alone
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and they somersault themselves
backwards again and again,
backwards again and again,
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very much like a puppy
chasing its own tail.
chasing its own tail.
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(Music)
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However, when plankton densities increase,
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the mantas line up head-to-tail
to form these long feeding chains,
to form these long feeding chains,
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and any tasty morsel that escapes
the first or second manta in line
the first or second manta in line
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is surely to be gobbled up
by the next or the one after.
by the next or the one after.
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As plankton levels peak in the bay,
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the mantas swim closer and closer together
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in a unique behavior
we call cyclone feeding.
we call cyclone feeding.
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And as they swirl in tight formation,
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this multi-step column of mantas
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creates its own vortex, sucking in
and delivering the plankton
and delivering the plankton
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right into the mantas' cavernous mouths.
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The experience of diving
amongst such masses of hundreds of rays
amongst such masses of hundreds of rays
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is truly unforgettable.
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(Music)
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When I first photographed Hanifaru,
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the site enjoyed no protection
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and was threatened by development.
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And working with NGOs
like the Manta Trust,
like the Manta Trust,
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my images eventually helped Hanifaru
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become a marine-protected area.
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Now, fisherman from neighboring islands,
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they once hunted these manta rays
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to make traditional drums
from their skins.
from their skins.
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Today, they are the most ardent
conservation champions
conservation champions
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and manta rays earn the Maldivian economy
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in excess of 8 million dollars
every single year.
every single year.
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I have always wanted
to travel back in time
to travel back in time
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to an era where maps were mostly blank
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or they read, "There be dragons."
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And today, the closest I've come
is visiting remote atolls
is visiting remote atolls
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in the western Indian Ocean.
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Far, far away from shipping lanes
and fishing fleets,
and fishing fleets,
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diving into these waters
is a poignant reminder
is a poignant reminder
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of what our oceans once looked like.
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Very few people have heard
of Bassas da India,
of Bassas da India,
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a tiny speck of coral
in the Mozambique Channel.
in the Mozambique Channel.
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Its reef forms a protective outer barrier
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and the inner lagoon is a nursery ground
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for Galapagos sharks.
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These sharks are anything but shy,
even during the day.
even during the day.
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I had a bit of a hunch
that they'd be even bolder
that they'd be even bolder
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and more abundant at night.
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(Music)
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Never before have I encountered
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so many sharks on a single coral outcrop.
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Capturing and sharing moments like this --
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that reminds me why I chose my path.
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Earlier this year, I was on assignment
for National Geographic Magazine
for National Geographic Magazine
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in Baja California.
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And about halfway down the peninsula
on the Pacific side
on the Pacific side
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lies San Ignacio Lagoon,
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a critical calving ground for gray whales.
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For 100 years, this coast was the scene
of a wholesale slaughter,
of a wholesale slaughter,
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where more than 20,000
gray whales were killed,
gray whales were killed,
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leaving only a few hundred survivors.
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Today the descendents of these same whales
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nudge their youngsters to the surface
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to play and even interact with us.
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(Music)
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This species truly has made
a remarkable comeback.
a remarkable comeback.
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Now, on the other side
of the peninsula lies Cabo Pulmo,
of the peninsula lies Cabo Pulmo,
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a sleepy fishing village.
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Decades of overfishing
had brought them close to collapse.
had brought them close to collapse.
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In 1995, local fisherman
convinced the authorities
convinced the authorities
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to proclaim their waters a marine reserve.
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But what happened next
was nothing short of miraculous.
was nothing short of miraculous.
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In 2005, after only
a single decade of protection,
a single decade of protection,
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scientists measured the largest
recovery of fish ever recorded.
recovery of fish ever recorded.
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But don't take my word
for it -- come with me.
for it -- come with me.
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On a single breath, swim with me in deep,
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into one of the largest
and densest schools of fish
and densest schools of fish
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I have ever encountered.
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(Music)
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We all have the ability
to be creators of hope.
to be creators of hope.
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And through my photography,
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I want to pass on the message
that it is not too late for our oceans.
that it is not too late for our oceans.
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And particularly, I want to focus
on nature's resilience
on nature's resilience
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in the face of 7.3 billion people.
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My hope is that in the future,
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I will have to search much, much harder
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to make photographs like this,
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while creating images that showcase
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our respectful coexistence with the ocean.
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Those will hopefully become
an everyday occurrence for me.
an everyday occurrence for me.
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To thrive and survive in my profession,
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you really have to be a hopeless optimist.
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And I always operate on the assumption
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that the next great picture
that will effect change
that will effect change
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is right around the corner,
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behind the next coral head,
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inside the next lagoon
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or possibly, in the one after it.
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(Music)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Thomas Peschak - Conservation photographerThomas Peschak strives to merge photojournalism and cutting edge science to create powerful media projects that tackle critical marine conservation issues.
Why you should listen
Thomas P. Peschak is an assignment photographer for National Geographic Magazine and the Director of Conservation for the Save our Seas Foundation (SOSF). He is a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and has been named as one of the 40 most influential nature photographers in the world.
Originally trained as a marine biologist, he retired from science fieldwork in 2004. He became an environmental photojournalist after realizing that he could have a greater conservation impact with photographs than statistics. Yet he remains rooted in marine science through his roles as Director of Conservation for SOSF and Founding/Associate Director of the Manta Trust.
Thomas has written and photographed five books: Currents of Contrast, Great White Shark, Wild Seas Secret Shores and Lost World. His latest book, Sharks and People, was released in 2013 and chronicles the relationship between people and sharks around the world.
He is a multiple winner in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards and in 2011 and 2013 he received World Press Photo Awards for his work.
Thomas Peschak | Speaker | TED.com