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Jayne Jenkins

Contributing Photographer

Born and raised in Wales, Jayne Jenkins learned to dive in the chilly waters along the rugged Welsh coastline before moving to Australia in 1973. An avid diver and distinguished underwater photographer, Jayne is actively involved in many facets of the diving industry and has been for over three decades.

Working for many years in both the retail and wholesale sectors of the industry, Jayne has been part owner of three dive stores in the Sydney area – two of which remain successful businesses today. Having set up the PADI Travel Network in Australia, she also has considerable experience in dive travel and has organised numerous diving expeditions throughout the Asia-Pacific region. On top of this, Jayne became a volunteer diver with the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service in Sydney. This led to Jayne working as a safety diver and researcher for various underwater film, television and photographic expeditions focusing on diving in the Pacific, including the cave diving spectacular Sanctum.

Above and beyond all of this, it is Jayne’s passion and skill for underwater photography for which she is known best. Having been an active underwater photography instructor for many years, Jayne went on to establish the first digital shoot out competition at Lord Howe Island. She has won many awards for her photography and remains a regular editorial contributor to Scuba Diving Magazine and Ocean Geographic. Always willing to donate her images to ocean conservation projects and good causes, a selection of Jayne’s images brightened the corridors of Randwick Children’s Hospital in Sydney. With a love for many of the Ocean’s most threatened inhabitants such as sharks, whales and seahorses, Jayne hopes her images will help to raise funding and awareness to protect these creatures for future generations.

Jayne has always been a generous member of the diving industry and she currently devotes much of her time to the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society (OWUSS) – a scholarship sponsored by Rolex for young underwater enthusiasts. As Vice President and Board of Director member of the OWUSS in Australasia for the past seven years, Jayne has been an invaluable mentor to a lucky handful of scholars and has played a significant part in their lives. In the words of a previous scholar: “The time and effort Jayne devotes to the society has been fundamental in seeing many of us scholars flourish and grow within the diving industry.”

Jayne is currently resident photographer /consultant with the Catlin Seaview survey. This is fast becoming a game changing creative scientific project. Using specially designed technology, the Catlin Seaview Survey is recording and revealing the world’s oceans and reefs like never before, in high-resolution, 360-degree panoramic vision. This independent, baseline, scientific study of the world’s oceans will enable the global public to see change over time and start planning for the future (www.catlinseaviewsurvey.com).

Due to her work Jayne has been honored by being inducted into the prestigious Woman Divers Hall of Fame and was awarded an industry recognition award at the OZTeK Dive Show. This award acknowledges those people who have made a significant contribution to the development and advancement of diving within the Asia Pacific region. The individual efforts of those who receive this award often have a far-reaching impact throughout the world and this is very true of Jayne’s efforts throughout the dive industry and beyond.

To be involved in such significant work gives Jayne much pleasure and she believes combining science and creativity is key to helping protect the oceans. Still averaging over 300 dives per year, Jayne’s drive and enthusiasm for the ocean is admirable and she has inspired countless individuals to take up diving and to appreciate the oceans.