My Story
10 years ago, I was working as a professional gourmet chef in my hometown of Haverhill, Massachusetts. I was overworked and feeling unsettled about the prospect of devoting my life to working 70+ hours a week in a kitchen. I knew I needed to make a drastic change in my life to fulfill my love of adventure and travel the world.
I sold all of my worldly possessions, quit my job as an executive chef, and moved to Cozumel, Mexico, to begin my scuba diving training. My family and friends were shocked and upset that I would decide to "throw my life away" to move to another country and devote my life to diving after only trying it once, but I know in my heart that it was the right decision.
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Upon completing my PADI open water, advanced, rescue, and divemaster training within 6 months, I had over 80 logged dives. It was difficult to find work as a newly-certified divemaster. I began emailing dive shops worldwide. After many rejection emails, all of them saying that I did not have enough experience, I finally got an offer. I decided to work for FREE in Giardini-Naxos, Sicily. Unfortunately, the practice of unpaid work is an issue in the diving community, wherein dive shops take advantage of newly certified dive professionals to get free labor. Little did I know, this role would turn out to have the poorest and most dangerous working conditions I have ever had to this day! I worked 12 hours a day, doing equipment repairs, boat maintenance, and discover scuba dive sessions, ALL of which I was not certified to do! Although it was an unsafe and difficult time, and while the diving was certainly not the best in the world, I managed to learn about another culture and the wrong ways to run a dive center. After a very long 6 months, I decided to head back to Cozumel to complete my training to become a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor.
Here is a photo of the beach club I spent most of my days at. I was tasked with harassing tourists to try scuba diving, or running Illegal discover scuba dives, with the nearly-empty tanks from the previous day. I spent many hours napping near the secluded rock cliffs (some of the best naps in my life till this day).
Siciliá
After completing my IDC in Cozumel, I began searching for a job as an instructor. I applied to postings all over the world, and finally accepted a position in El Nido, Palawan, in The Philippines. This is where I fell in love with photography. I bought a knock-off GoPro because I was inspired by the breathtaking underwater life in the area, and thus started my mission to capture their beauty.
In the remote village where I lived, we had very little access to resources such as electricity and materials. The closest town was a 2-hour drive away, and certainly didn't sell underwater photography gear. As such, I decided to craft a camera tray, which would provide more stable video as well as a frame to attach a light system for my camera. After much planning, I hiked into the jungle to cut the perfect piece of bamboo, sanded it, and pieced together my homemade camera tray.
After my time in El Nido, I moved to the island of Boracay to work as a dive instructor (and later, manager) for a busy dive shop. For the next two years, I was diving 3-4 times per day and working on my photography daily. I got my first point and shoot camera: a Canon s10, with a very basic housing. I used a dive torch and secondhand strobe to improve my images. With this set up, I got to branch into new photo techniques and expand my macro portfolio. Check it out here: VIEW GALLERY.
My very first Reef Manta Ray sighting and photo, taken on my GoPro knock-off, shot from my homemade bamboo camera tray. What an unforgettable moment!
Shore diving from the shop, located right on the beach! I was so lucky to be able to walk 2 minutes to amazing shore dives with incredible macro opportunities, like this ornate ghost pipefish I'm photographing here! My first proper set up with video light and strobe!
The beautiful scenery of our Philippine-style wooden boat called a "bangka". Picture here is the island we would stop at everyday to rest and cook a beach BBQ during our surface interval.
When the hustle and grind of running a dive shop and all the responsibilities that entails began to wear on me, I decided I was ready for a change. It was time to head back home to Boston to regroup and check in with my family and friends. After all, I hadn't been home for 4 years. However, after spending some time in Massachusetts, I knew I was ready for my next underwater adventure!
Philippines
I spent my days guiding island-hopping tours and exploring the pristine reefs that were bustling with life. Here, I began my creative journey that would become my lifelong passion for underwater photography.
A macro shot of a lemon sharks eye! In The Bahamas, the lemon sharks actually rest on the ocean floor as they open their mouths to let the remora fish clean their teeth!
I was running 7-day liveaboard trips to a dive spot just north of West End, Grand Bahama. We would undertake an 8-hour journey to make the 5o mile crossing to The Bahamas from West Palm Beach. I would wake up at 5am and begin the long day of a liveaboard crew member; breakfast, morning shark dive, lunch, afternoon shark dive, dinner, night dive, repeat. Naps were incredible valuable on this schedule!
I had never seen this many sharks in my life! You could tell this place was actually a shark paradise. The Bahamas does a great job of protecting sharks with their marine protected areas, which allows protection from fishing for the highly migratory species.
After these 6 months onboard the Shear Water, I decided to take a hiatus from diving and seek some solitude in the mountains. I spent the next two years between Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and then La Jolla, California.
Then, I was ready to head back underwater. Once again I started my cross-country road trip to Jupiter, Florida, where I had work lined up with a dive operator.
Tiger Beach
I found myself traveling to West Palm Beach, Florida, to start a job as a liveaboard chef and shark diver. My new Canon gx7 (top of the line point and shoot camera) in hand, with a set of strobes and a decent housing.
I spent my days leading shark dives at Tiger Beach in The Bahamas. I was spending 3-4 hours per day underwater surrounded by tiger, hammerhead, bull, lemon, and reef shark species! This was truly an incredible experience and brought forth many creative underwater photography opportunities. VIEW GALLERY
Jupiter brought many lessons in difficult shooting conditions and allowed me to flourish as a photographer. I bought my first SLR underwater camera setup, which brought my photography up another level!
After a great run with Jupiter Scuba Diving, I felt the familiar travel itch coming on. Again I decided to sell all my worldly belongings and move to Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Jupiter sits at the Eastern point of Florida, closest to the Gulf Stream. Boasting wreck dives, Goliath grouper aggregations, Lemon shark migrations, and sea turtle nesting seasons, this area had so much to offer! I spent my next 4 years here guiding dives, managing dive operations, and as a professional underwater photographer! I finally got to a point where I could make my living capturing stunning images for groups of divers. All my hard work finally paid off!
Jupiter, Florida
Now in the tropical paradise of Playa del Carmen, Mexico, situated right in the middle of the Riviera Maya. This area is home to thousands of cenotes, pristine reefs, and magnificent opportunities for underwater photography! I'm incredibly excited to continue my photography journey and push myself to be the best photographer, business owner, and human being I can possibly be!
I would love to take you on an expedition or capture stunning images of you on your next diving adventure in the reefs or cenotes of the Riviera Maya!
Riviera Maya
Shawn Murphy
TDI full cave diver
SSI advanced Freediver
PADI msdt instructor
GUE Fundamentals tech pass
