Mark Kosarin is a professional photographer and a PADI, SSI, and SDI certified scuba instructor living and working in Palm Beach. He is originally from New York, where he discovered his love for the visual arts at school and majored in graphic art and photography at college. Mark first experienced scuba diving in 1991 while visiting family in Curaçao, and immediately knew he had to take more classes. He instantly fell in love with the sense of peace, freedom, and abundance of life he experienced underwater, entering a world where he could fly at will, at one with nature, and return re-energized. Mark was inspired to take his photographic skills underwater to bring the magic of the world he saw there to the surface for friends and family, producing his first images in a black and white darkroom in his basement.
In 2004 Mark moved to Palm Beach to pursue his interest professionally, working as a dive guide and instructor. This provided him with the opportunity to explore the extraordinary marine life and world-class coral reefs in South Florida and to start to develop his skills as an underwater photographer. He progressed from compact cameras, including the Sea & Sea Dx1G and 2G, to the Nikon D7000 and D500 DSLRs. In 2017 and 2018 he became a freelancer for National Geographic: Latin America, with five published articles.
Today, Mark has built a career that combines his passions both for the arts and for diving. He has achieved the rating of Master Scuba Diver Trainer, certifying him to train divers of all levels, while specializing in teaching underwater photography and selling his own images on his website, markkosarin.com. As an instructor, he has limitless patience for beginners as well as the expertise to teach advanced students, and his clients often benefit from the photographic memories he creates of their experience. When above water, Mark can be found at Force-E Scuba Centers in Riviera Beach and Boynton Beach, where he works as an ambassador for Aquatica Underwater Housings as well as an instructor and guide.
Mark now shoots with a Nikon D850 with Sea & Sea YSD3 strobes and enjoys all forms of photography, including macro, super macro, wide angle, and black water. His portfolio includes images taken throughout the reefs, wrecks, and springs of Florida and around the world. He is one of Force-E’s most sought-after guides for Blue Heron Bridge and can often be found photographing the incredible variety of life there. Mark’s future goals for his photography include participating in art shows and traveling to dive destinations still on his bucket list, including sites in the Philippines and Tonga.