A glimpse of the wonders underwater

THE mysterious world beneath the waves is a continuing source of fascination which, through the use of ever-improving technology, is giving up more of its secrets.

It is through photography that those of us who choose to remain above water can really get a glimpse of the wonders of the deep.

As well as being informative, many TV documentaries are often dramatic and the fruit of imaginative camera work. But, still photographs have a different type of appeal — spectacular, moody, haunting and telling a lot while still conveying a sense of mystery.

Award-winning photographer and writer John Collins has put together a portrait of a little explored part of our ocean world — the end result of 20 years of diving in the seas around Ireland, Scotland, Canada, South Africa and Tasmania.

There’s a common misconception that the cool waters between the tropics and polar regions are barren and forbidding.

But, Collins, based in Kinsale, takes us on an adventure within the oceans that lap many of our most populated shores, from the north Atlantic around western Europe, to the Pacific of North America and south to Africa.

Growing up in Limerick, John Collins discovered photography as a teenager and a life-long passion for the still image. Later, while studying at Trinity College Dublin, he learned to scuba-dive, going on to gain experience both in Ireland and abroad, eventually becoming an instructor in 1991. He also studied at the New York Institute of Photography.

Cool Waters, Emerald Seas: Diving Temperate Waters (ISBN 095353538X, Hardback, 250 x 250mm 200 pp, €29.95, £19.95), published by Cork University Press.