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jonlape

@jonlape

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Marine Scientist | Freediver | Tec-diver
Instructor:
@molchanovsfreediving
@ssi_international
📍Basque

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Exploring Musandam with my Insta360 X6 @insta360me 🌊🐟🐡🐢

Thank you @jonlape for the dive footage 😍

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A couple of days ago i was visiting the sharjah marine research center in khor fakhan.

I stumbled on this boat it seemed familiar and i immediately recognized different marks on it it turned out that this was the boat i started nomad ocean adventures 24 years ago..

I m so happy to know it will have a new life here serving science. So many of you have been on this boat so many people have had memories on it and now more will too.. @smsrc.ae

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A lovely weekend dive at the SMSRC wave breakers. Seven species of nudibranches (macro would have been useful), lots of rays, and 2 Hawksbill turtles, one curious enough to stay close and swim around us. The importance of slowing down to take it all in.

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Last week, I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Jon Lapeyra Martin, Assistant Professor at the College of Marine Sciences & Aquatic Biology, and the team at the Sharjah Marine Science Research Centre (SMSRC). @jonlape

I’m happy to learn more about their work and explore how AI and technology are contributing to turtle research and conservation.

As I develop my upcoming turtle conservation project, I’m excited to include stories that highlight not only the turtles themselves, but also the science, research, and people working behind the scenes to understand and protect them.

Looking forward to learning more and bringing these stories to a wider audience through photography and visual storytelling. The ongoing project will be published in @natgeomagarab National Geographic Arabia in 2027. #uae #photography #turtle

More turtle stories coming soon

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🌊 A fish’s-eye view of marine science in action! 🐟 🐠

This is our @countingfishes stereo baited remote underwater video system (BRUVS) with a 360° camera attached, deployed in the waters of the Al Qalqali Marine Reserve in Khorfakkan, UAE 🇦🇪

This reserve was established by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah in November 2025, and over the past year our team from @smsrc.ae @ukhorfakkan and @uniofexeter led by @owenexeter have this week completed the first benchmark survey of fish communities across the reserve - deploying 168 BRUVS across four seasons.

These surveys provide a vital benchmark against which future changes can be measured, helping us understand how marine life responds as the reserve matures and protection takes effect.

Unlike traditional survey methods, BRUVS allow us to observe marine life non-destructively, capturing natural behaviour while also enabling accurate measurements of fish size and abundance.

This is just the beginning. The data collected today will help reveal how one of the UAE’s newest marine protected areas changes over the years to come.

🎥 Keep watching to see the underwater world through our eyes. 🐠 🐟

#BRUVS #MarineProtectedArea #AlQalqali #Khorfakkan #UAE

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“The ocean is the planet’s largest natural carbon sink, quietly regulating our climate through complex and interconnected ecosystems. Protecting these ecosystems is not only an environmental responsibility, but an investment in the resilience of future generations.”

— Prof. Steve Widdicombe
Director, Sharjah Marine Sciences Research Centre

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🌊 World Ocean Day 🌊

Today we celebrate the incredible ecosystems that lie beneath the surface and the importance of protecting them for future generations.

These images were captured during a recent dive in Khorfakkan with the support of Sharjah Marine Science Research Centre, documenting the rich marine life that calls UAE waters home. From vibrant reef communities to the diverse species that inhabit them, every encounter is a reminder of why our oceans deserve our attention and care.

A huge thank you to SMSRC for their collaboration and commitment to marine research and conservation.

The ocean connects us all. Protect it. Respect it. Explore it.

#WorldOceanDay #OceanDay #MarineConservation #UnderwaterFilmmaking #Khorfakkan

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Digital Online 2026 – EDA’s Underwater Photography & Film Competition Results

3rd Place Winner (403 pts)
SPONSOR: @emiratesdivingassociation
PRIZE: The Best of Digital Online Book – First Volume (2011-2017); and an EDA Spinal T-shirt in the design, colour, and size of choice.

Photographer: @jonlape
Category: Creative Underwater photography
Location: Aqaba, Jordan
Story Behind the Shot: Using lights from outside and with the help of my buddies, trying to capture the real feeling of being inside an underwater plane wreck in Jordan.
Camera: Sony Alpha IV
Settings: 1/25s, f/7.1, ISO 4000

#anedaevent #digitalonline #emiratesdivingassociation #diversfortheenvironment #underwaterphotography

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Exploring the ocean from every angle. 🌊

Meet Dr. Jon Lapeyra, a marine researcher at the Sharjah Marine Sciences Research Center and the University of Khorfakkan.

Combining scientific diving, underwater exploration, and advanced ROV technology, Dr. Jon studies marine ecosystems and helps uncover the secrets of khorfakkan sea. His work contributes to understanding and protecting the region’s rich marine biodiversity for future generations.

#smsrc #marineresearch #oceanscience #scientificdiving #rov #universityofkhorfakkan #oceanexploration

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A big congratulations to our 3rd Place Digital Online 2026 winners!

WINNER: @jonlape 3rd Place Creative Underwater Photography (403 pts)
SPONSOR: @emiratesdivingassociation
PRIZE: The Best of Digital Online Book – First Volume (2011-2017); and an EDA Spinal T-shirt in the design, colour, and size of choice.

WINNER: @hamid.o.alali 3rd Place Wide-Angle (413 pts)
SPONSOR: @goblin_uae
PRIZE: Two Tank Boat Dives

WINNER: @nomad.underwater 3rd Place Black & White (428 pts)
SPONSOR: @goblin_uae
PRIZE: Two Tank Boat Dives

WINNER: @divewithnaima 3rd Place Behaviour (431 pts)
SPONSOR: @alboomdiving
PRIZE: 2 Pleasure Dives with Al Boom Diving on East Coast. Includes full equipment.

WINNER: William Gausch 3rd Place Best of the UAE (447 pts)
SPONSOR: @divecampus
PRIZE: 2 East Coast Dive Trips with Dive Campus (4 dives). Includes full equipment.

WINNER: @yannicsmith 3rd Place Macro (480 pts)
SPONSOR: @diversdownuae
PRIZE: 3 Pleasure Dives with Divers Down Fujairah. Includes full equipment.

WINNER: @underwater.visuals 3rd Place Video: An Ocean Story (404 pts)
SPONSOR: @grandstoreshome
PRIZE: AED 300 Gift Voucher - Redeemable at all UAE Grand Stores Showrooms.

#digitalonline #digitalonlineawardsnight #anedaevent #underwaterphotographycompetition #oceanconservation

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We had another great turnout last Thursday for this year’s 17th Digital Online 2026 Awards and Exhibition Night! Thank you to everyone for coming and a huge congratulations again to all our winning photographers and videographers.

Opening speeches were given by @ibidiver74, EDA’s Co-Founder, @juma_bin_thalith, EDA’s Chairman and celebrated author, and @ali_bin_thalith, renowned photographer and filmmaker and Secretary General of the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award!

Guests were also treated to a short presentation by Munther Ayache, Corporate Communication Manager at @canonme, alongside Darryl Owen, Founder of @project.reeframe and @freestyle_divers, who discussed the powerful role of underwater photography and videography in driving ocean awareness and conservation. Reflecting on initiatives such as Canon’s World Unseen campaign and Project REEFrame, the session highlighted the important role photographers and filmmakers play as ocean advocates, bringing the unseen beauty and challenges of the underwater world to wider audiences through visual storytelling.

Thank you to all our prize sponsors who make this event possible: @grandstoreshome, @monster_middle_east and @goprome, @canonme, @emiratesdivingasssociation, @xrhubdive, @divegarageuae, @sheesabeachdhow, @diveabudhabi and @anantarasirbaniyas, @divecampus, @diversdownuae, @goblin_uae, and @alboomdiving; to @deepdivedubai for the continuous support and partnership; to @printw and @gigaworks.ae for always providing us with the gorgeous prints; and to all our members and guests who came to share this very special evening with us.

📷 @allylandesphotography

#digitalonline #digitalonlineawardsnight #anedaevent #underwaterphotographycompetition #oceanconservation

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