"Tanya Houppermans is a professional underwater photographer who has been a scuba diver since 2009. Shortly after becoming a diver, she became involved in shark conservation after learning that tens of millions of sharks are killed by humans every year. Tanya wanted to show the public that sharks are not the vicious man-eaters so often portrayed in the media, so she began to learn underwater photography to capture images of sharks as she sees them - beautiful, intelligent, graceful creatures. She quickly became known for her underwater images, and resigned from her job as a mathematician in the defense industry to pursue photography and conservation work full time. Her images have won numerous awards, and Tanya has since expanded her portfolio to include marine animals of all shapes and sizes.
Tanya and her husband Scott (also a diver) are involved in several programs that promote scuba diving for those with disabilities. Tanya's own son Richard, who is autistic, is a certified scuba diver who often travels with Tanya during her photographic expeditions. Seeing what a positive difference scuba diving has made in her own son's life has motivated Tanya to continue working to share the benefits of scuba diving with people of all ages and abilities."
