Articles

A creatively-lit painted frogfish resting on a rope, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

Born in France and raised in Spain along the Mediterranean coast, Charly Clerisse took years before deciding to try scuba diving due to a fear of sharks. It was during a university exchange program in the Canary Islands that he experienced diving for the first time, and it was a moment that completely changed the course of his life. Fascinated by the underwater world but without family members who dived, he picked up a GoPro in 2015 to capture what he was seeing beneath the surface and share it with them.

Over the years, Charly became a dive professional, beginning his career in Utila, Honduras, before traveling the world to explore the diversity and beauty of different seas and oceans. In the years since, he has worked in Spain, Thailand, Greece, and most extensively in the Maldives and Indonesia, where he currently manages the dive center at the renowned Lembeh Resort on the shores of the famed Lembeh Strait.

His underwater photography journey evolved alongside his diving career—from a GoPro in 2015, to an Olympus TG-4 in 2017, to a Sony a6500 in 2020, and finally to a Sony a7R Mark IV, his setup since 2024.

While Charly enjoys encounters with large marine life—sharks included!—and dramatic underwater landscapes, his true passion lies in macro photography. It is a passion that ultimately led him to Lembeh. Years of working as a dive guide have given him a deep understanding of underwater critters, including where and how to find them, while also making him an exceptionally confident and comfortable diver.
 

A common octopus reaches out to inspect the camera, Tenerife, Spain
 

A pygmy seahorse stands tall and proud on a sea fan, Bali, Indonesia
 

A Berry’s bobtail squid prepares to bury itself in the sand, Bali, Indonesia
 

A hawksbill turtle prepares to chomp the dome port, Maldives
 

A young female paper nautilus rides a jellyfish during a blackwater dive, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A Pikachu nudibranch hanging on a branch of coral, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A young whale shark feeding near the surface at night, Maldives
 

A diver cruises through sunbeams in Cenote El Pit, Mexico
 

A playful sea lion checks its reflection in the dome port, Baja, Mexico
 

The flashiest cuttlefish in the sea, the flamboyant! Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A bottled coconut octopus lit with snoot and colored filter, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A diver explores stunning structures in Dreamgate Cenote, Mexico
 

One of the world’s most beautiful and venomous animals, the blue-ringed octopus, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A larval wonderpus drifts through the deep on a blackwater dive, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

To see more of Charly’s fantastic underwater work from around the world, please give him a follow on Instagram.