By Arabelle Jimenez
On the boat, double-checking his dive gear - fins, mask, regulator and buoyancy control device, 13-year old Garri Immanuel Tadlip eases down in the water carrying with him tons of underwater camera equipment. Not an ordinary young diver, "Iggyboy", as he is fondly called, carries under his scuba weight belt strings of underwater photography awards since he started diving at 10 years of age.
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| Clownfish "Nemo" beside anemone in Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines. |
Garri, who hails from Cebu in the Philippines, enter contests and contends with much older and more experienced underwater photographers in the country, and other parts of the world. He does both macro and wide-angle photography, and his shots are images to reckon with. Admired by amateur and professional underwater photographers who notably work for National Geographic and prestigious dive magazines, Garri was absorbed in the diving community easily because of his impressive photography skills, talent and boyish charm.
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| Wide angle natural light of a green sea turtle and Garri's dive buddy in Dipolog, Philippines. |
Arguably the youngest award-winning underwater photographer in Asia, Garri is invited to speak in front of an international audience at the biggest dive show to beheld in Kuala Lumpur at the end of this month, the Malaysia International Dive Expo (MIDE).
Garri, who is one of 3 Filipinos in the lineup of distinguished international guest speakers, will present two topics -- one for children and the other for adults, entitled "Underwater Photographer in the Perspective of a 13 -Year Old." The two other Filipino guests speakers are Bo Mancao and Ivan Manzanares, who are both experts in their own field.
"I am honored be one of the guest speakers at this important gathering, and be able to share my passion and love for underwater photography. This event also affords me to learn from the experts in the field," enthuses Garri. "My advocacy for children and young divers like me is to learn how to conserve and protect the marine life while enjoying its beauty," he adds.
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| Whaleshark in Oslob, Cebu. |
The much anticipated MIDE will be held on July 29 - 31, 2016 at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur. The event will be a convergence of the international dive community, business traders and travelers. The expo is open to the public.
Garri would like to thank Spencer Dempsey, Aiyanar Beach and Dive Resort Anilao, Scuba Ventures Dumaguete, Feel Deep Diving Cebu, Divethru Bohol, Azure Dive and Spa Dauin, Dipolog Aqua Diving Club, Dive Local Network Cebu, Boyla Divers Inn Cebu, Harold's Mansion Dumaguete, The Province of Zamboanga Del Norte, Deepblu Dive Watches, and INON.
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| Wide-angle green garden in Dipolog, Philippines. |
See related story: Meet Garri Tadlip, the Youngest Macro Underwater Photographer in the Philippines
