Articles

The ocean’s most venomous cephalopod, the blue-ringed octopus, Malapascua, Philippines
 

Hailing from Essen, Germany, Chris Wortmann is an underwater photographer and dive professional who balances his life as a teacher with a deep passion for the world’s oceans. While his everyday work takes place in the classroom, his breaks are spent almost exclusively underwater, exploring marine environments across the globe.

Chris’s connection to the underwater world began early. He was first introduced to diving at the age of 10, when his father took him beneath the surface for the first time—an experience that would shape his lifelong relationship with the ocean. Over the years, this early fascination developed into a professional path, and Chris is now a certified Divemaster.

His journey into underwater photography started in 2022 with the humble and ever-popular Olympus TG-6. What began as a way to document his dives quickly evolved into a focused creative pursuit. Today, Chris shoots with the OM System OM-1, using it to explore the intricate details of the underwater macro world. It was the moment he truly began to concentrate on macro photography that everything clicked for him—he became captivated by the intense colors, unusual creatures, and rich textures that often go unnoticed by the casual observer.

Chris is particularly drawn to macro photography with dark, minimalist backgrounds, a style that allows small subjects to stand out with striking clarity, and you’ll see his feature here is filled with such images. He feels most at home diving in the world’s famous muck destinations, such as Lembeh and Alor, where patience and a trained eye are rewarded with extraordinary encounters. A major milestone in his photographic journey came when his image “Face to Face with a Pipefish” won the Jury Prize in a Tauchen magazine photo competition. This recognition marked a turning point, giving Chris the confidence to share his work more openly and pursue his photographic voice with greater conviction.
 

A snooted image of the fantastic face of a stargazer, Malapascua, Philippines
 

An emperor shrimp hitching a ride on a sea cucumber, Malapascua, Philippines
 

A shy looking mototi octopus, a relative of the blue-ring, Dauin, Philippines
 

Good thing skeletons shrimps are miniscule, or they'd be terrifying! Dauin, Philippines
 

A comical portrait of a pink-eared mantis, Dauin, Philippines
 

Tauchen magazine Jury Prize winner: “Face to face with a pipefish,” capture in the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A nudibranch munching away on some unfortunate sea squirts, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

The Lembeh seadragon resembles a piece of flotsam with eyes! Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A pair of Pikachu nudibranchs prepare to mate, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
 

A fangblenny peers out from its green hiding place, Alor, Indonesia
 

A stunning halfbeak shrimp, Alor, Indonesia
 

A spectacular variation of the much-loved Shawn the Sheep slug, Dauin, Philippines
 

To see more of Chris’s work, please give him a follow on Instagram.