Luke Coley was born in Chippenham, England, and is now based in Mexico, where he continues to work as an instructor and photographer and run underwater photography trips. Mexico offers an incredible variety, it is somewhere he can incorporate my love of travel, big animals, and overhead environments all in one package.
As a child, his fascination with the ocean was stoked by local fishing and aquarium visits. This combined with an interest in sharks and rays eventually led him to scuba diving.
In 2011, after a move to Australia, his passion for the ocean and photography had a true chance to grow when he rented a Canon S90 while diving the Great Barrier Reef and snapped his first successful underwater photos of a Green Turtle.
His career in diving started in the form of selling tours in Vietnam and in 2013, He became a Dive Professional. Since then, he has had the opportunity to work around the world including Fiji, the Cayman Islands, Indonesia, Palau, Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, and Mexico. He has dived in over 20 different countries while gaining the credentials of PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, TDI Full Cave Diver, and SSI Level II Freediver.
As a photographer, he began shooting while working in Fuerteventura, taking shots for dive students. It was in Komodo that he purchased his first Olympus TG-4. In his spare time, he would dive the house reef and work on techniques.
The real leap was when he joined the Siren and Master Fleets of Worldwide Dive and Sail. He worked as a Cruise Director and Divemaster and was introduced to some of the world’s top underwater photographers, which inspired him to invest in a Sony A7R II in the Nauticam housing. This gave him the tools and the opportunity to really grow.
He is now based in Mexico, where he continues to work as an instructor and photographer. Mexico offers an incredible variety, it is somewhere he can incorporate my love of travel, big animals, and overhead environments all in one package.
Visit his website: www.lukecoleyphotography.com
