THOMAS P. PESCHAK

The february issue of BBC Wildlife magazine features my portfolio on the marine biodiversity of Aldabra. I took the photographs while on a month long Save our Seas Foundation expedition to the remote Indian Ocean atoll in 2008.

I have just returned from a very succesfull 18-day expedition to Djioubti, a small rarely visited country on the Horn of Africa sandwiched between Somalia and Eritrea. The expedition, a collaborative effort between the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles, MEGAPTERA and the Save our Seas Foundation, researched and documented a unique populations of whale sharks. We accomplished a few photographic and scientific world firsts so watch this space for more information.

One of my sardine run photographs is featured as a DPS in a new book titled A CLIMATE FOR LIFE: Meeting the Global Challenge. This seminal work examines the impact of climate change on biodiversity and focuses on the most important challenges currently facing life on our planet.

With a foreword co-authored by eminent Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson and actor Harrison Ford the book examines the enormous impact of climate change on biodiversity and focuses on how nature itself might provide some of the solutions to this challenge. This lavishly produced volume is illustrated with over 175 photographs by esteemed members of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a nonprofit organization that uses the power of photography to help educate the world and to further conservation goals.

The December 2008 issue of Africa Geographic features my cover story on the Save our Seas Foundation Expedition to the remote Indian Ocean atoll of Aldabra. My arrival on the atoll was greeted by a school of 50 blacktip reef sharks and I immediately knew that I have entered a venerable shark paradise. After years wondering what it would have been like to have explored the Caribbean before Columbus or dive California’s kelp forests before overfishing, this assignment made my dreams of exploring and documenting a marine ecosystem untouched by the hand of man come true.

It is with great pleasure that I can announce that I have been elected an associate fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a organization whose aims and ideals so closely match my own. The ILCP mission is to further environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography. It believes that awe-inspiring photography is a powerful force for the environment, especially when paired with the collaboration of committed scientists, politicians, religious leaders and policy makers. It plans to replace environmental indifference with a new culture of stewardship and passion for our beautiful planet.

I have just returned from the Maldives where I spent three weeks working on one of the most exciting stories I have ever come across.  I can't show any images at the moment, so you will have to do with this self portrait of me and my good buddy "cut-tail" the whale shark. .

For the past two years I have spent many weeks every summer documenting an as yet relatively unknown marine wildlife spectacle. When millions of chokka squid assemble to court, mate and lay their eggs in the deep and dark waters of South Africa's eastern cape coast I was there to document their ecology and natural history. The September 2008 issues of BBC Wildlife magazine carries my feature titled "Tango with Tentacles

 

 

I am currently on assignment for the Save our Seas Foundation on a island atoll called Aldabra, situated in a remote and isolated part of the western Indian ocean. I have travelled here to photograph and document the diversity of marine and coastal life that inhabits Aldabra's seas. My primary mission is to photograph the island's shark fauna and document the wide range of habitats (mangroves, coral reefs,seagrass beds and channels) they inhabit.  Aldabra is a world heritage site and having enjoyed protection since the 1970s. The nearshore and inner lagoon waters are teeming with sharks and in a matter of a few days I have already encountered schools of 40+ blacktip reef sharks, large aggregation of Indo Pacific lemon sharks and and grey reef sharks. In addition an abundance of large schools of bohar snappers and incredibly high concentrations of large groupers indicate a  near pristine inshore marine ecosystem. However a initial search of the pelagic realm has yielded no sharks whatsoever and I have also yet to encounter tiger or zambezi (bull) sharks. It is still early days, but I am beginning to wonder if the islands remote location has meant that long-liners and other commercial fishing vessels have been able to overfish the surrounding offshore waters  for many years.

 For a daily expedition blog by Cheryl-Samantha Owen direct from Aldabra please visit:  www.sosfexpeditions.blogspot.com or www.saveourseas.com

A book review by Cape Times chief  photographer Andrew Ingram:

Awesome. Amazing. Inspirational. There are a handful of wildlife photographers on this planet who can really be called masters. David Doubilet and Frans Lanting spring to mind. Both are extremely knowledgeable about their subjects, both artists with their cameras and both live for their work. Thomas Peschak’s name after the release of his latest book Wild Seas Secret Shores takes a well-deserved place alongside these talented photographers. His work is simply awesome, amazing and inspiring.  For anyone who has a love for nature, this book is a must, and for the diving community its compulsory reading.

 

Ocean Geographic magazine has selected and published 5 of my photographs for its Best Images of 2007 feature in the 1st quarter 2008 issue.