Denise Tackett

Denise is a professional photographer, presenter, and writer specializing in underwater subjects. Her work appears in numerous books and magazines worldwide. She has contributed to several international and National Geographic television documentaries about the underwater world. Denise has authored three books. The latest one, The Essential Underwater Photography Manual, A Guide to Creative Techniques and Equipment, was published in 2005. Along with her husband, Larry, she leads photography workshops and seminars. She also devotes time to studying pygmy seahorses, and in honor of her work with them, a recently named species, Hippocampus denise, carries her name.

I look for several things in a dive operator: great or unusual dive sites and knowledgeable staff, no overcrowded boats or dive sites, flexibility and the willingness to work with the needs of nature photographers, freedom to reasonably dive within my limits as I choose, and an expert boat captain. Of prime importance to me are sites with prolific and diverse marine life and the ability to return to a site several times.