Ben Wallis grew up on and around the ocean. From a very early age his father took him out on his fishing boat, which was the start of his boating career. Ben volunteered much of his time to surf lifesaving as a teenager, successfully achieving the Bronze Medallion Award. Ben also joined the Ocean Rescue Squad in Lakes Entrance, Victoria at the legal induction age of 16. Ben was the youngest full-time member and excelled in his first year, winning many awards. Ben has surfed all his life and sailing has also contributed to his love of the ocean. He participated in his first Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race at age 16 and then went on to compete in the race again 1 year later. Ben started sailing to Antarctica during the southern summer at age 18 on his family’s charter yacht and continued to do this yearly. In addition, Ben completed a degree in Industrial Design at University of Technology in Sydney.

Thru Ben’s sailing experiences, he has had many opportunities to access remote locations around the world, such as Antarctica, the Arctic and everything in between. This has enabled him to capture images under the water, which other people might never see. The main focus of Ben’s photography is capturing ice underwater, as well as other unusual subjects, such as penguins, whales and air bubbles. The main idea behind the underwater photography is to expose a different perspective of the subjects that people view above the water, thru photographing them below the water. Ben takes the ocean images without the assistance of oxygen or surface-fed air, whilst in the water. However, sometimes circumstances, such as the environment, or dangerous wildlife like leopard seals do not allow Ben to take the photos in the water.

Photo: Jay Watson