Òscar Montferrer | Journalist | Scuba Diver | Underwater Photographer | Spain
Òscar Montferrer is a journalist, scuba diver, and underwater photographer from Catalonia whose graphic work aims to raise awareness about the need to preserve aquatic life.
As seen in Australian Geographic, Òscar is particularly talented at capturing macro life, boasting epic captures of the many species of nudibranchs that live in the ocean.
When did you first start your storytelling journey?
I have been taking underwater pictures all of my life as a scuba diver but, in truth, the idea/project of letting them be known only takes place when social media begins to become the powerful tools that they are now.
What are the fondest memories from your upbringing that you feel impacted your life choices and lifestyle today?
Catalonia, my country, is sea bathed. It was normal and it still is for a great lot of people (including myself as a child) to spend a considerable amount of time, typically during the summertime, at the beach and in the sea. So, for me, the sea is a constant companion.
Besides that, I won't be telling all of the truth if I didn't mention that I am one of the "Cousteau's children" that daydreamed whenever we saw his documentaries while secretly or openly wishing to be a part of the Calypso team...
Miamira alleni; picture taken in Anilao, LUzon Island, Philippines
What path did you choose after leaving school?
No mystery at all: When I was still at college and university, I began working as a journalist.
Who/what currently inspires you?
Life and nature themselves... Too great a wonder to grasp by a single human being... Go scuba diving and you'll find peace and quiet.
Octopus vulgaris; picture taken in La Herradura, Granada, Andalucía
What would you most like to change in the world/environment today?
I do not believe that so many needed changes can be made on a great scale... So much work to do and so many opposed interests...
But, as a TV character said on the Catalonian public TV many years ago, "small changes are powerful". So I go with that. I believe that in the end, the good health of nature - home to all and those that will live in it after we are gone, rest in everyone's hands.
We all know what to do so it's just a matter of doing it... I firmly believe it's not that hard or difficult...
Are there any books/documentaries that have guided your thinking, and that you'd like to recommend to other ocean lovers?
BBC’s Blue Planet
Cousteau's documentaries
What current stories/projects are you currently working on?
Right now, and from some time ago, humbly, I've devoted my Instagram account to "promote" the little sea creatures...
The big ones -sharks, turtles, whales, dolphins...- have well-deserved PR teams; that's alright, of course, but the little ones also deserve to be known if they are to be loved and, most importantly, to be taken care of... It's a very small water drop in an immense ocean but, in the end, everything counts...
Phyllidia varicosa; picture taken in Dauin, Negros Oriental Island, Philippines
What legacy do you hope to leave?
That hat’s too big for me! I do not think like that, so I really do not have an answer to that question... However, that being said, I try to do no to harm mother nature in my everyday life and, whenever it's possible, give her a helping hand...
What advice would you give to anyone looking to follow their dreams as an Ocean Storyteller?
If you believe in it, do it no matter what.
INSTAGRAM: @oscarmontferrer
