Maria first picked up a camera in 1997 after studying Southern Right Whales in Argentina and has not looked back.  Smitten with our underwater world and speaking Spanish & Portuguese, she has visited over 30 countries following her passion for whales, dolphins and sharks worldwide taking underwater photographs with her compact camera since 2001.   Maria founded Ocean Visions to help newcomers with compact cameras into the wonderful world of underwater photography and has gained a reputation for hands-on coaching for beginners which has helped her guests move from taking snapshots to making beautiful photographs to be proud of.  She pioneered and led the first ever courses devised for beginners in underwater photography with compact cameras last year and led four trips to the Red Sea which were a huge success and featured in Sport Diver magazine.  Her work has also been featured in Outdoor Enthusiast, Wanderlust, Real Magazine, Costa Rica and Mexico as well as being featured on the front cover of the prestigious Royal Photographic Society’s magazine.

Maria also sells cards, prints and canvases of her own images, all of which can be found on her website, www.oceanvisions.co.uk.  She also helps the Scuba Trust, a charity based in Kent to help disabled people dive, and a donation from the sale of her work goes to help this great cause.