Articles

In an ocean full of great faces, the wolf eel has one of the greatest, Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada
 

Our latest Photographer of the Week, Matt Hutch, has worked in the dive industry for over 16 years, most of which was spent without a camera but with the dream of one day capturing the special moments he experienced underwater. While traveling the globe and working as a dive instructor, Matt spent time in Fiji, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, and Europe, before moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he finally bought his first underwater housing. There, he spent hours beneath the waves of Howe Sound, practicing his newfound passion while often being frustrated by poor visibility, murky backscatter, and pesky sea lions disturbing his macro shots.

What Matt loves most about underwater photography is the ability to merge the natural world with creativity and vision. The result is a unique form of art that can be shared with the world, allowing those who don’t dive to understand what’s down there, why we need to protect it, and inspiring them to see it for themselves.

Matt now travels extensively in search of new and exciting photo subjects, taking everyone along for the ride. Three years ago, he founded Sea Beneath, a dive travel, training, and photography company based in Vancouver. It’s the culmination of everything Matt has learned during his years in the global dive industry. Sea Beneath is a community of like-minded people who gather weekly, monthly, or annually to dive, explore, adventure, and share their stories. It’s a safe, welcoming space to expand the sense of adventure we all possess!
 

A friendly Stellar’s sea lion comes up to inspect the camera, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
 

The wisdomous eye of a giant Pacific octopus, Barkley Sound, British Columbia, Canada
 

An opalescent nudibranch chows down on an unfortunate anemone, British Columbia, Canada
 

A peacock puffer sporting a starry night sky aesthetic, Sea of Cortez, Baja, Mexico
 

A rare roughjaw frogfish looks shocked to have been spotted, Sea of Cortez, Baja, Mexico
 

A hooded nudibranch extends its oral feeding hood, scooping up plankton from the current, God’s Pocket, British Columbia, Canada
 

A spectacularly patterned little pufferfish, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
 

A grumpy looking thorny seahorse moving across black sand, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

The planet’s flashiest and most toxic cuttlefish, the flamboyant, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
 

A beautiful nudibranch, riding a kelp leaf, rears up before chowing down on a hydroid, British Columbia, Canada
 

A diminutive stumpy-spined cuttlefish clinging to a sponge, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
 

To see more of Matt’s lovely work, please give him a follow on Instagram or visit his website, www.seabeneath.ca. Alternatively, join him on a trip!