Simon Hilbourne | Marine Biologist | Ocean Conservationist & Underwater Photographer

The underwater world has fascinated Simon from a young age. His passion for the ocean stems from watching his parents scuba dive in Sri Lanka whilst he floated above on his bodyboard. Simon took up scuba diving and carried that passion through to work as a scuba instructor for a time in Australia, Cyprus and Honduras.

Enrolling at the University of Southampton in the UK, Simon studied marine biology. His Masters dissertation focused on whale shark seasonality in Mexico. Upon graduating, Simon continued to work with whale sharks, this time in the Philippines, before swapping over to study manta rays in the Maldives. He has been working with the Manta Trust for three years, starting as a volunteer, then taking over as research officer for the MMRP, and is now leading the Maldives Oceanic Manta Ray Project as well as the role of Digital Media and Communications Manager.

Simon is also an avid underwater photographer and loves to try and convey the beauty of the natural world and the conservation issues it faces through his photography. In order to do this he co-founded Scubography a platform through which to share his passion and experiences in the underwater world.

Website - www.scubography.com

Instagram - @s.hilbourne