TITLE: Glowing

Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus). Photo taken in Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua. I joined an expedition to West Papua, hoping to dive with whale sharks gathering around fishing platforms. After 4 plane trips and a night at sea, we finally arrived. We were all excited and could not wait. I always love that moment when I am about to slide in the water without knowing exactly what is under the surface. And I didn’t get disappointed as we saw many whale sharks during that trip. Being the biggest fish in the world, they are impressive by their size. They are also very beautiful creatures and are truly gentle giants. In this shot a whaleshark glides through the sunrays. They are listed as endangered on the IUCN red list.

AUTHOR: vanessa Mignon (Australia)

I have always been fascinated and captivated by the natural world and its wildlife.
I have a special affinity with the oceans. I was born in Brittany, in the West of France, and spent most of my childhood on the beaches of that wild coast. And, with my 2 grandfathers in the navy, I grew up listening to amazing travelling tales who captured my imagination.
I got my first SLR camera at the end of 2009 and a few months later bought an underwater housing. Since then I have been very fortunate to travel to remote locations and witness amazing wildlife spectacles including the Manta feeding vortex in the Maldives, Whale sharks feeding frenzy in West Papua or Humpback whales courting behaviour in the Kingdom of Tonga.
During those trips I met passionate people committed to protect those creatures and their environments. Their devotion was inspiring. I became very keen and focused on sharing the beauty of the world around us and hopefully playing a part in protecting it. I hope that my photography and experience sharing can inspire others and increase people awareness of how diverse and beautiful nature is, and how essential it is to protect it. There is so much at stake, and we all play a part in protecting the world we live in.