Meet André Musgrove, an underwater photographer & filmmaker, freediver, scuba instructor and dive guide! He was born and raised in the Bahamas and is known for his unique style of shooting creative concepts underwater with freedivers/divers as the subjects, interacting with marine wildlife and exploring the underwater environment. He specializes in shooting while freediving on breath hold, allowing closer and less invasive encounters and one-of-a-kind interactions with sharks, rays, fish, turtles, dolphins and other marine animals. With over 1,000 logged scuba dives and more than a decade of freediving & spearfishing experience, he has a distinctive edge for capturing a variety of underwater scenarios.
Thank you André for sharing your shark story with us!
André photographing a great hammerhead Image: Jillian Morris
1. What is your favorite shark and why?
My favorite shark may have to be the Oceanic whitetip shark. I love their very large fins along with the designs on them of the white tips really pop out when they glide through the deep blue where they live. The contrast of their skin, their fin tips and the deep blue makes for awesome aesthetics on camera.
2. What is one species of shark you would like to snorkel/dive with?
The 2 species of sharks that I’m looking forward to diving with are Great White and Mako sharks (cage free). Great white’s due to their size and popularity ( unfortunately in a negative sense) I hope to be able to creative imagery with them as the main subject to help change their bad reputation. For Mako sharks I’m looking forward to diving and photographing them because of the fierce look of their teeth along with them really needing our support in saving them. Mako sharks right now are being killed and sold at an alarming rate right now and not much people know about it unfortunately. I hope to change that through my visuals.
3. Why did you start freediving?
I got into freediving when I was very young through spearfishing with my Dad and I got into it more because I realized that the adventures, creatures and locations underwater were much more interesting than being on land! It's almost like being on a different planet where the law of gravity is greatly reduced! I truly enjoy being able to “fly” underwater!
4. What has been a really cool/favorite underwater moment with sharks?
One of my coolest underwater moments with sharks was last year freediving in a Blue Hole in the Bahamas where there was a school of over 300+ ( what I believe to be) Atlantic sharpness Sharks. The sharks aggregate there once a year to mate and I feel honored to be able to see the schooling up close.
5. Do you think diving and divers can help ocean conservation? How?
Yes I think divers and diving can help with ocean conservation because we’re the one’s who see the affects of humans negative habits conducted above water. We see the damage done up close and personal when we go diving on our vacations or for work and we see the deterioration of our “happy place”. Some ways we can spread the word of conservation are through imagery as underwater photographers, through removing fishing line’s and or plastic from the ocean and by practicing sustainable fishing habits.
6. What do you love most about diving with sharks?
What I like most about diving with sharks is the mutual respect that exist between the shark and I. To be accepted in those large animals homes, around the place they grew up and being able to share it with them is a great feeling.
7. Any fun fact you'd like to share? Nurse Sharks suctionn is strong enough to suck conchs out of their shells!