Nadia Aly | Underwater Photographer | Expedition Leader | Ocean Entrepreneur
Underwater photographer, expedition leader, and overall ocean enthusiast Nadia Aly has been infatuated with the ocean her entire life.
Like many people, Nadia’s relationship with the ocean ebbed as her career progressed and she became preoccupied with the societal life. However, a chance trip to Fuji in 2010 reignited the flame within her, and she became truly passionate about protecting and preserving the marine world.
Disappointed with the content available to her, Nadia decided to take matters into her own hands. She claims she “knew she needed to become great at capturing underwater, so she could show people what was going on underneath the surface”. Nadia’s diverse portfolio ensures all marine life get a chance to be seen. She’s passionate about capturing the portraits and personalities of these creatures, educating the world about the different species that are in our oceans by putting ’names to faces’, from the humpback whale to the hairy frog fish.
Having these intimate experiences and encounters with animals of all sizes and species are inspirational to Nadia. “They have a soul when you look them in the eye, when you hang out with them, when you have these long encounters... these animals bring you to another level of love. It melts your heart and makes you feel so connected with another species, another animal. I think it really helps me understand my place in the universe”.
Whilst Nadia’s career is filled with a plethora of awe-inspiring, “divine" moments, she also witnesses first hand legions of environmental destruction. "A great example is with Covid and masks,” she says, "single use masks especially; a big chunk of them are ending up in our oceans... I think that’s a really great example that we have an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ mindset”.
From eradicating poor garbage control, to abolishing shark finning, Nadia is uncertain where to focus her concerns. "What’s gonna hit us first? Is it going to be no fish in the sea? are we going to be consuming plastics from consuming seafood? or is the Earth going to melt? There’s a lot of important things happening and they all need to be looked at and executed to a point where Earth can be sustainable for humans and itself”.
Although Nadia set out on her mission to create incredible content that educated people on the diversity of the ocean, and in tern encourage them to protect it, she “never thought she would be where she is today”. Her photography has become a huge part of her life. Her work has dictated her lifestyle, and her lifestyle dictates her work. "The people that want to get there, will. What will really separate you from the rest of the pack is having that ambition and drive to figure it out”.
WEBSITE: https://nadiaaly.com/
LINKTREE: https://solo.to/nadiaaly
INSTAGRAM: @nadia.aly.photo
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/nadiaaly
