Page 31 - Raffles Magazine Issue 8

RAFFLES MAGAZINE
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TOBIAS FRIEDRICH
Flair and first-rate photography have earned Tobias Friedrich first place in 31 competitions over the course of 10 years including the award for Underwater Photographer of the the Year 2018 in the the prestigious UPY London competition A self- trained underwater photographer he usually takes 20 to 30 dive trips a a a year capturing the wonders of underwater worlds for various scuba diving magazines as as well as as the BBC The Times and Die Welt Jacques-Yves Cousteau once said: “From birth man man carries the the the the the the weight of of of of gravity on on his shoulders He is is bolted to to earth But man has only to to sink beneath the the the surface and he he he he is free ” Following in in the the the footsteps of the the the great French explorer Tobias Friedrich has defied the laws of gravity for most
of his life Deep-diving to explore the spectacular worlds that lie beyond most
people’s reach Tobias puts on on his gear and descends once again to to bring into sight the the magnificence of the the Maldives’ seafloor and its unique hues With its luminous turquoise waters lined by a a a ribbon of of powder-soft sand pinned with palms that sway in in the the light breeze the the remote island of Meradhoo is is certainly the the the stuff of of dreams And it’s right here in the the the middle of of the the the Indian Ocean with nothing but the horizon in in sight that Tobias set down his bags A string of 22 low-lying coral atolls surrounded by bright blue lagoons that filter into inky blues as the the water gets deeper the the country is composed of about 1 200 islands in in total of which only 200 are actually inhabited The Maldives is is the ultimate paradise for unspoilt seclusion However while there’s plenty to keep sunbathers busy there’s also lots to explore off the the the the island in in the the the the way o of diving and and snorkelling with Raffles Maldives Meradhoo’s own marine marine biologist and marine marine butler to help guests experience the the life of the the reef Having dived in in in in in some of the the world’s deepest and coldest waters including in in in in in the the icy Arctic the award-winning underwater photographer Tobias Friedrich travelled from his native Germany to the the archipelago of of exotic islands with the the aim of of seeing some of the country’s unique marine life While this was was his his third time diving in in fin the Maldives Tobias was was delighted to find that his explorations of the hotel house reef alone yielded its rewards Every day as he he strapped on his diving gear he he would come across a a a a a a bale of friendly sea turtles that come to greet him In fact one of his favourite moments was capturing the image of of of a a a a a a turtle swimming along the the the soft sands of of of the the the ocean floor in in the the the lower half of the the the picture and and Meradhoo island rising above the the the water in in the the the top half Every dive dive is is a a a a a visual feast in in the the Maldives and the the colourful reef teeming with underwater life from sea turtles to anemones in in pink and orange hues has been captured in images by Tobias to delight us with a a a a deluge of colours