ANDY MURCH
Andy Murch is a freelance Photojournalist specializing in sharks and rays. He is the Creator of the Elasmodiver Shark and Ray Field Guide, Staff Photographer at Shark Diver magazine and a Submersible Pilot for Seamagine Hydrospace.
A Brief History
Having escaped from the UK in the 1980's Andy wandered the planet in search of adventure. Over a 20 year span he has traveled through more than 70 countries collecting experiences and images.
In the mid 90's Andy worked as a Dive Master in the Bay Islands of Honduras which gave him the foundation for later opportunities in the diving world. In early 2000 he joined SEAmagine Hydrospace Corporation as a Submersible Pilot. After training in the Kelp forests of California's Catalina Island Andy became Operations Manager with Cayman Submariners and presently works as a Consultant Pilot and Instructor for SEAmagine when he is not looking for sharks. His love affair with sharks and rays started shortly after he learned to dive. The more species he encountered on his travels the more he wanted to document them in pictures for others to share. As he learned of new obscure elasmobranch species Andy became frustrated with the vague information available for locating and diving with them. In 2002 he created Elasmodiver.com to share the information that he had personally gathered. Elasmodiver eventually grew into the most comprehensive resource about sharks and rays on the internet. It now contains a Shark Picture Database with more than 5000 images.
In mid 2004 Andy started writing and shooting for Shark Diver Magazine. His images and articles have appeared in all subsequent issues and he is now Shark Diver Magazine's Staff Photographer. His shark photographs have also appeared in most widely read scuba diving magazines, hundreds of books and a huge variety of other publications ranging from the journal Zoology to FHM. His images have also been used by many multi media organizations including Discovery Channel and National Geographic.
Andy's Mission
Recognizing the need to publicize the fragile position of many lesser known sharks, Andy now spends his free time tracking down endangered sharks that have not yet been photographed. With around 300 species of sharks yet to be recorded, he is entrenched in a daunting mission which often involves costly expeditions to look for elusive species. Some of the conservation organizations that have utilized Andy's unique images include: WWF, IUCN, Shark Alliance, Ocean Conservancy, Shark Trust, Smithsonian, Pew Institute and many other NGOs and government bodies.
Other than his sons Aron and Luke, Andy's passion is still the pursuit of critically endangered sharks and rays.
