My name is Sylvain. I’m native to Madagascar; yet, I grew up in Belgium, where I spent a considerable part of my life. I’ve dedicated the last couple of years to traveling the world and diving several oceans. I come from  a management background, but I decided to swap my suit for a wetsuit when I got the opportunity to start my career in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef as an underwater photographer.

The real story on my passion for photography started actually 6 years ago in Asia where I lived for some years. There, solo travelling helped me discover myself and develop my photography skills on land (street photography, wildlife and culture).  Since I had already been working in the scuba diving industry for years, I decided I could merge photography and the underwater world with the aim of sharing the emotions I experience while diving, facing the beauty of oceans.

That’s when life has enlightened my path and brought me the opportunity to take part in a professional underwater training. I took the chance and after days of learning, I was absolutely hooked on marine photography. I was dreaming about learning more and more and telling story through my pictures. Since then I never left this world and kept learning and extending my skills towards new technics, new equipments and oceans.

After those years of adventure, I finally found home in the tropics and joined Innoceana and the MCEC, here in Costa Rica. It was for me a key moment because it was the accomplishment of a long journey to discover myself, the world and —last but not least— merging my 2 passions: diving and photography together.

This 7-day underwater photography and marine conservation expedition in September represents for me the possibility and excitement to teach and share my knowledge with like-minded people.