Matthew Potenski id diver ever

Matthew D. Potenski is a marine biologist and underwater photographer specializing in the study and image capture of sharks and rays.  His research projects have taken him to locations including the Bahamas, Cocos Island (Costa Rica), the Galapagos, Grand Cayman, the Netherlands Antilles, South Africa, and Tanzania.  He has worked with a variety of elasmobranch species, but currently is focused on his PhD studies of whale sharks in Mafia Island, Tanzania.  Matthew is the Director of Field Operations for The Shark Research Institute (www.sharks.org) and a consultant with WWF-Tanzania program Office.  Matthew has also worked with the Bimini Biological Field Station – Sharklab for the last 10 years, working on research projects on lemon sharks in both Florida and the Bahamas.  Additionally, he has worked for the Guy Harvey Research Institute of Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center.

Matt completed his dive certification in the cold, murky waters of New Jersey.   Matthew started working on shark research projects in the Caribbean before finishing college and was enchanted by the clear blue waters so different from his native New Jersey.  He moved to Ft. Lauderdale to pursue his MSc degree and bought a Sony digital camera and Ikelite housing shortly before moving to Grand Cayman.  That camera got extensively used for both research and recreation, and Matt found himself a new obsession.  Eventually, he wanted to do things that were beyond the camera’s capabilities.  Matt moved up to a Canon 20D, an Aquatica housing, and two Ikelite DS 125 strobes and has never looked back.  Matt’s work is mainly composed of wide angle work, with plenty of images of his favorite subjects, sharks and rays.  Matt completed his rescue dive certification and began looking into technical diving.  He is now an experienced tech diver with several mixed-gas, deep-water, and rebreather certifications and has pushed his photography to areas in excess of 200 feet dsw.

Matt founded MDP Photography in 2007 and has worked part time as an underwater photographer.  His images have graced the pages of books by marine authors Richard Ellis and Sylvia Earle, as well as magazines including Beyond, Blue, Divestyle Magazine, Nature’s Best Photography, and National Geographic Extreme Explorer.  He has written scientific articles as well as popular articles on shark ecology and conservation.  Matthew has given lectures in many venues including the Beneath the Sea and DEMA dive shows, and has been a guest expert to the “Sea & Learn” program on Saba, Netherlands Antilles on three occasions.  He has had images place in both the Beneath the Sea and RSMAS photo contests.  His crowning achievement was to recently win the Grand Prize in the prestigious “Ocean Views 2009” contest by Nature’s Best Photography.  His winning image was doubly rewarding, as it was a shot of one of the whale sharks he has tagged in Tanzania. To see more of Matt’s work please see his website at www.matthewdpotenskiphoto.com.ce. I reside in Boca ton with my husband and two sons, all of whom are divers.

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