About

Bellow the waves

Since the day I learnt to snorkel I have been in love with the ocean and fascinated by the underwater world. With 22 years I learnt to dive in a murky pond in Germany but it took another two years before I dived again – this time on the Great Barrier Reef. If I hadn’t started my studies in film directing, I probably would have decided on a career in diving. In 2021 my partner Nina and me did our divemaster in Orkney/Scotland before we  we moved to Tenerife in 2023. The following year we became dive instructors and started producing underwater imagery, combining two big passions – imagery and diving.

All imagery are the result of team work and none of them I could have taken without the support of my partner Nina, who not only is my dive buddy and safety but also spots most of the marine life portrayed. Our underwater imagery combines elements of storytelling with the curiosity for a still largely unknown place and its inhabitants. In 2026 I decided to turn our hobby of underwater imagery into my profession. 

Julian Nicolas Koeberer

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Personal

  • Born in 1985 in Germany, Resident in Tenerife, Spain
  • Diploma in film directing at Filmakademe Baden Württemberg
  • Fluent in English & German, Conversational in Spanish in French
  • Drivers licenses A+B, Coastal Skipper license for pleasure crafts under sail and engine, Drone pilot certificates A1/A3 & A2

Diving

  • PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor & Certifications in Deep, Nitrox & Dry Suit Diving
  • TDI Tec Certifications for Advanced Nitrox & Decompression Procedures
  • Dive experience in warm, temperate and cold water
  • Freediving/Apnea AIDA 1 & 2 Certifications

Equipment

For my underwater imagery I use various setups depending on the purpose of the dive. When accompanying guided dives I use more flexible setups to be more versatile and able to react quickly to what we encounter. On designated photo shoots, when knowing what and where we shoot, I use specific setups tailored to the planned outcome. For both photo and video I work designated lighting equipment and on video shoots I also work with a monitor. 

I work with two Cameras, my primary kit, which is a Canon R5 II Mirrorless camera in a Nauticam housing, and my secondary kit, which was my first underwater camera setup. While mainly working with my new kit, I use the previous kit mainly for Macro photography and in difficult circumstances and on exploration dives, when I want to work with the smallest kit possible. Furthermore I use it when teaching someone underwater photography in order not to overload a beginner with too many tasks.

Cameras & Lenses

  • Canon R5 II in Nauticam housing
    • 24-50mm with WWL-C Wide Angle Wet Lens
    • 100mm Macro with SMC-3 Supermacro & MFO-3
  • Olympus TG-7 in PT-59 housing
    • AOI UWL-400A Wide Angle Wet Lens
    • UAL-05 Air Wet Lens

Lighting & More

  • Retra Maxi Strobes with accessories
  • BigBlue CB16500 & CB4000 PBRC Video lights
  • 7′ monitor for video recording
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Non-profit work

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It was an inmense privilege to learn to snorkel at a young age and to witness coral reefs and their inhabitants at a time when their health was much greater than it is now. As we are very aware about the state of our oceans and their fragility, caused by climate or by pollution, we decided that we want to devote part of our work to the protection of the ocean and its inhabitants. Therefore in summer 2026 a group of friends and me formed the “Light in Blue Collective” through which we aim to contribute to non-profit projects, scientific studies and conservation work. 

Moreover as dive instructors we aim to make the wonders of the underwater world more easily accessible by offering dive courses to people who would normally have no means to access to them. By bringing the underwater world to people who might otherwise not be able to see it we hope that passion and knowledge about the ocean will spread more widely. 

Light in Blue Collective