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“Against All Odds”: Green sea turtle in a tropical storm, Heron Island, Australia
 

Hannah Le Leu and Mitchell Romanowski are an Australian underwater photographer duo who began scuba diving in 2017 in Adelaide, South Australia, thanks to their shared interest in the ocean and its inhabitants. Soon after becoming certified divers, they decided they wanted to document what they were seeing underwater on every dive, so they both purchased cameras and underwater housings and quickly mastered their new equipment in order to pursue their new passion.

They both saw underwater photography as the best way to share the beauty of the ocean with others, and set out to capture images of Australia’s most iconic marine life to spread awareness about the importance of conserving endangered species and their habitats. Their first dive trip was a liveaboard to the Great Barrier Reef, where they became advanced divers, and since then they have worked together as a team to produce award-winning images of turtles, sea lions, cuttlefish and leafy seadragons.

Both Hannah and Mitchell upgraded their camera kits recently, and plan to continue diving and documenting more of the underwater world and publishing their work. Their images have been internationally recognized, with Hannah’s shot “Against All Odds” being awarded the overall winner of the 2021 Nature Conservancy, the 2021 Youth Ocean Photographer of the Year, first place in the 10 Years of My Nikon Life photo competition, and Best Picture of the Year at the 2021 World Shootout.
 

Australian giant cuttlefish, Whyalla, Australia
 

Blue sea star over-under, Queensland, Australia
 

Leafy seadragon, South Australia
 

Haeckel’s jellyfish, South Australia
 

Australian sea lion, Port Lincoln, Australia
 

Shorthead seahorse, South Australia
 

Leafy seadragon, Edithburgh Jetty, South Australia
 

Epaulette shark, Queensland, Australia
 

Australian giant cuttlefish, Whyalla, Australia
 

Green sea turtle at sunset, Heron Island, Australia
 

Australian giant cuttlefish, Whyalla, Australia
 

Pyjama squid, Edithburgh, South Australia
 

Green sea turtle, Heron Island, Australia
 

To see more of Hannah and Mitchell’s work, check out their excellent Instagram page.