United Nations World Oceans Day Charter of Ethics
I, working in the underwater realm, commit myself to the following code of ethics and bringing education and awareness around my encounters, to help preserve our oceans and blue planet.
I will use my skills and ability as an image maker to attempt to faithfully reproduce the beauty, splendour and majesty of the underwater world and by doing so, encourage others to become engaged in protecting it.
I will use my skills and my voice in documenting the challenges the oceans face to raise awareness and as a call to action.
I will not stress or endanger subjects (fauna and flora) for the sake of an image. If the position of the subject is not contributing to a good image, I will either just document or observe. I will not manipulate or move subjects to an unnatural environment, not by touching nor by provocation.
I will work locally and contribute time to document and tell stories in support of local conservation initiatives.
I will consider the impact my image has once it gets distributed without the right context and withhold images that can spark sensationalism and wrong practices.
I will research my subjects before attempting to take images or footage of them, hence being aware of their behavior in the water and my reaction to them. This will create an awareness needed to keep the subjects and myself safe in the water. I realize by not understanding my subject I can unwillingly provoke a potentially dangerous situation in the water, thereby potentially creating a media backlash that disadvantages the subject.
I will practice what I preach! I will share my concerns and ideas and will try to inspire not by pointing fingers but by giving the right example myself. I will not accuse nor name and shame but graciously lead by example to inspire others to do the same.