TOM POFF

Like most underwater photographers my love for the ocean began as a child. In 1968 Dad brought the family to Marathon Key at the Rainbow Bend fishing club, and the owner’s son brought my little brother and I out to snorkel on Coffins Patch Reef. The picture of a field of perfectly healthy Staghorn coral full of iridescent and brightly colored tropical fish beneath that crystal clear water is forever etched in my brain. I was certified in 1979 in Panama City Fl as a NAUI Open Water Scuba Diver and soon thereafter began shooting pictures with a small 110 mm camera in a clear Ikelite housing. I still have some of those photographs.

Having had a career in the Navy as a Naval Aviator I was afforded the opportunity to see and dive many places around the world. During that time my love and concern for our oceans has only grown. Now more than ever, I am convinced that sharing our underwater photography is essential to raising awareness for the need to protect and preserve our precious and fragile natural resources.