Underwater Photographer Highlight: Su Eun Kim

South Korean tekkie and explorer Su Eun Kim is an extraordinary underwater photographer.  As the owner of Tech Korea, Kim holds 36 certifications in everything from cylinder cleaning to cave diving to being an instructor trainer for several agencies. While she has never been into photography on land (she just takes photos on her smartphone while dry), she has been taking underwater images since 2011.  She says photography is what pushes her to learn different forms of diving and explore new aquatic environments.

“The reason why I take underwater photos is because I want to share my experiences with other divers,” Kim said. “I want to show people who have never seen it how beautiful the underwater environment is, how fun and cool diving is, and to inspire other divers to go diving more often and to try new environments, such as cave diving.”

For her, the courage to learn new forms of diving, such as becoming a cave diver or joining exploration projects, has stemmed from her passion for underwater photography.  She has been an expedition photographer during several projects, including two different Project Baseline missions and several cave exploration projects.

“I have a lot of respect for underwater explorers who also take wonderful photos. Two of these are Kirill Egorov and Ali Perkins. Both are great explorers in both the ocean and cave environments, and they also take amazing photos. They have so much passion for diving itself, and that inspires me.”

Kim’s favorite places to photograph are caves. But, she says the hardest part of her underwater photography is traveling with all of the camera equipment (that’s a lot of baggage!). Kim’s plan is to never stop learning and improving her underwater photography skills.  To see more of Su Eun Kim’s photography follow her on Facebook.

Su Eun Kim is the owner of Tech Korea. She is a JJ CCR diver and instructor, exploration diver, and underwater photographer. She loves all underwater environments but is especially drawn to caves. She has been a part of multiple cave exploration/research projects.