The IlluminOcean Story
Juliette Myers, Founder
Image by Kevin Deacon, Dive 2000
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 1982 - it all began on a Friday morning dive at 29 Palms Beach.
There weren't any palm trees at all, in fact there was no beach either. The edge of the Arabian Peninsula just stopped abruptly and there was nothing around.
Underwater, however, was an entirely different story - a treasure-trove in fact, a world so rich in colour, movement and marine life, the contrast above and below the surface of the pristine Saudi side of the Red Sea was almost unbelievable.
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Fast forward many years and a career in international tourism saw me land a job at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. What I didn't realise at the time was that my subsequent Disney years would instill in me the power and reach of good story-telling.
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A while later, a year living in the Solomon Islands introduced me to the joy and frustrations (mainly) of underwater photography. There and then I developed the utmost respect for underwater explorers - the photo journalists, film makers and scientists, who against the odds in just about every way, bring us stories, footage and images of another world.
Were it not for their curiosity and daring, how would we know anything about what lies beneath the surface of the sea?
Let's meet the explorers, hear their stories and immerse ourselves in their remarkable discoveries and adventures.