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Blacktip split shot, Moorea, French Polynesia
 

Álvaro Herrero, originally from Spain, has always had a fascination with nature in all of its forms. His grandfather gave him his first pair of fins, mask and snorkel at the tender age of five, and he started experimenting with photography using his father’s old camera when he was just eight years old!

Known in dive circles simply as “Mekan,” Álvaro has now been scuba diving for more than 15 years and more than 11 as a professional diver. He is a diving instructor, commercial diver, boat skipper, and underwater photographer, and is also trained as a technical diver with the JJ-CCR rebreather, and a full cave CCR diver with the Kiss Sidewinder. He has worked as an underwater photographer in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Maldives, Spain, Polynesia and Mexico for various dive centers, resorts and liveaboards. He is currently working in Mexico as a cave photographer.

Álvaro’s work has been published in a number of scuba diving magazines and in various journals, including those of a scientific nature, and he has also collaborated with government environmental organizations. He has been recognized in the prestigious European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, created by the German Society for Nature Photography, in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021; Underwater Photographer of the Year in 2021; and the Aspherico 2021 international photo contest.

As you would expect for someone who has traveled and dived in so many locations, Álvaro’s superb portfolio features both wide-angle and macro images of a variety of iconic subjects, as well as displaying an in-depth understanding of creative techniques and marine life behavior. And as you can see from the quality of his work, there’s a lot to be said for picking up a camera as early as possible!
 

Bobtail squid, Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines
 

Hawksbill turtle biting the dome port, Similan Islands, Thailand
 

Eagle ray couple, Moorea, French Polynesia
 

Backlit frogfish, Gili Trawangan, Indonesia
 

A rebreather diver passing by a very shallow passage in Cenote Xulo, Mexico
 

A reef manta photographed during a night dive in the Maldives
 

Blacktip shark at sunset, Moorea, French Polynesia
 

Clownfish, Panglao, Central Visayas, Philippines
 

Hairy squat lobster, Panglao, Central Visayas, Phlippines
 

Sea lion, La Paz, Baja California, Mexico
 

Three divers descending into “The blue Abyss” in the Cenote Pet Cemetery, Mexico
 

Jellyfish Lake, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
 

A hawksbill turtle swimming in the crystal clear waters of Gili Trawangan, Indonesia
 

Dolphins cruise below during a whale watching tour in Moorea, French Polynesia
 

Álvaro Herrero
 

For more of Álvaro’s stunning work, check out his website, www.mekanphotography.com, or follow his exploits on Facebook and Instagram.