Articles

A dancing humpback whale in Tonga
 

This week we are featuring the work of underwater photographer and water sports enthusiast Beau Pilgrim. Beau specialises in photography and filmmaking in, on and around water and is an accomplished kitesurfer, skydiver and waterskier. When he’s not taking part in these activities, he can be found in the water capturing images of surfers, breaking waves, and epic marine life.

His work takes him all over the world to shoot various sporting events and his images have been featured and used by many reputable brands and international publications including National Geographic, Red Bull, Corona, World Surf League, and Fiji Airways, among many others. He has photographed surfers at famous point breaks in Fiji, filmed freediving mermaids in Australia, and runs yearly trips to snorkel with humpback whales in Tonga. It seems that as long as he is working close to the ocean with his camera or drone in hand, Beau is a happy man!

I particularly love Beau’s underwater shots of waves breaking over coral reefs and sandbanks. Creating the feeling of movement in a still image can be a difficult thing to achieve, but Beau’s work effectively shows water or marine life in motion, and is very appealing as a result. His love of action shots on the surface has definitely spilled over into his underwater photography, and my favorite marine life image of this collection is a shot of a humpback whale splashing with such force that it has a vortex of bubbles trailing behind its giant pectoral fin. Every year, during humpback whale season, my social media pages are flooded with photos from Tonga, but this might just be the best image of an individual whale I have ever seen, and it captures the experience of swimming with these gentle giants perfectly.

In the rare moments that Beau is not at sea, he uses his photography to partner with leading manufacturers to create custom fine art installations, so if you are interested in creating something unique for your commercial or home living space then hit him up with your wild ideas and he will help turn them into reality!
 

Gray nurse sharks gather among schooling fish at Broughton Island, New South Wales, Australia
 

A large whale shark approaching head on in Mexican waters
 

A snorkeller explores the caves of Vava'u, Tonga
 

Sharks gather below off the island of Kauai, Hawaii
 

Beautiful surface textures at Broughton Island, New South Wales, Australia
 

Crashing waves look stunning from just below the action, Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea
 

A perfect barrel breaks over shallow water at Namotu Island, Fiji
 

Mermaid Gretta Kruesi dances among the sunbeams at Namotu Island, Fiji
 

A banded sea krait comes up for air at Namotu Island, Fiji
 

Swimming among a school of jacks at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
 

Fish flying as one off Broughton Island, New South Wales, Australia
 

A flying wild dolphin puts on a show at Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea
 

Beau in his element—literally
 

Keep an eye out for this adventure-loving Aussie and check out more of his work on his website, www.beaupilgrim.com, or his fabulous Instagram page.