Matty Smith is a UK born and bred underwater photographer who is now based in Newcastle NSW Australia. After emigrating down under in 2007 in pursuit of furthering his photography career, Matty fell in love with the Pacific Ocean and has now made it his permanent playground.

“Underwater photography allows me to visually communicate to the viewer the majestic feelings of scuba diving and the incredible interactions between myself and rarely seen creatures of our oceans in their natural habitat. I want to generate a compassion in people of how wonderful our seas are and how important it is to treat them with respect.”

“For me one of the most wondrous parts of any dive is the moment that the water engulfs my mask as my head slips below the surface. I think it’s the suspense of the unknown of what lies beneath, the transitional part of moving from one element to the next that feels so magical and the thought of what alien creatures I might encounter.”

“I really enjoy and also feel it’s very important to show people the treasures we have in our oceans, how fragile they are and the importance of protecting them. I like to use my skills as an underwater photographer to try to amaze and educate.”

Matty is a contributing photographer for Ocean Geographic Magazine & a brand ambassador for Nikon Australia & Aquatica Digital Water Housings. His award-winning images have been exhibited in over all around the world including the London Natural History Museum in the UK and the Australian Museum right here in Sydney. He also regularly speaks publicly about his style and approach, writes for several popular dive and nature magazines as well as conducting regular underwater photography teaching classes.

Matty’s work has been used and published by The BBC’s Blue Planet 2 Documentary, National Geographic, Ocean Geographic, BBC Wildlife Magazine, GEO, The Washington Post, The Australian and The Guardian amongst many others, as well as featured in TV appearances and The Discovery Channel, Channel 9 (Australia) and Channel 7 (Australia). He has also won over 25 international photography awards including the National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2017.

Matty is an Ambassador for Nikon Australia & Aquatica Digital Water housings.

• Nikon Australia & Aquatica Digital Ambassador
• Ocean Geographic Master Photographer
• Underwater Photographer of the Year –  Best British Photographer 2022
• Ocean Photography Awards Portfolio Runner up 2021
• Ocean Geographic/Brian Skerry Award of Excellence Winner 2020
• Australian Geographic Portfolio Prize Winner 2018
• National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year – Peoples Choice Winner 2018
• Natural History Museum WPY Prize Winner 2014