About Steve Hanson
Steve has been diving for over two decades. Beginning with a strong desire to travel and experience the sea he joined The Royal Navy and qualified as a navy diver before then going on to become a saturation diver.
Upon leaving the navy various commercial dive activities ensued through the 90’s working in the oil and gas industry. It was during a contract in the Persian Gulf he became painfully aware and disillusioned with the industries damaging impact on the natural world.
Choosing a different path away from commercial diving he went on to become a recreational / technical dive instructor enjoying working for various dive resorts and liveaboard boats based in wonderful locations around the world
In 1998 while working aboard a whale charter in the Silver Banks off the Dominican Republic he was lucky enough to meet 'Pipin' Ferreras and Audrey Mestre and was invited to be part of his dive team acting as safety diver and videographer for their world record 115m 'No Limits' free diving record in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Pipin's dive team, Cabo 1998
It was after being given the opportunity to try out an underwater camera and the resulting images that he was moved to want to become an underwater photographer. And so began a journey learning the craft of film and delving into the art of printmaking seeking the ultimate print quality. He felt it necessary to embrace the whole image making process enjoying both the challenge and reward of realising on paper his own personal vision. The final finished print giving a sense of accomplishment and the feeling that only then does the photograph truly exist having become a real object reflecting the pride and passion of its maker. It can be collected and placed in a frame to adorn a wall and enjoyed daily by the viewer lasting for generations to come.
In August 2002 he photographed Tanya Streeter during her world record ‘No Limits’ 160m dive in the Turks & Caicos islands.
Freediver Tanya Streeter
"I find underwater photography emotionally satisfying. To enter a rich blue world filled with curiosity and wonder constantly watching and waiting ready to welcome the unexpected. To be always pleasantly surprised by what it reveals and with it also comes increasing awareness and concern its a world that desperately needs to be treasured and cared for."
Steve Hanson