Photographing Great Blue Sharks in the Celtic Deep

On 14 August 2026, I headed to Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire for an experience I’d been looking forward to for a long time, photographing Great Blue Sharks in the Celtic Deep.

We set out from Milford Haven aboard the Celtic Explorer, beginning a roughly two-and-a-half-hour journey out into the Celtic Sea. Our destination was around 30 miles off the Pembrokeshire coast, in an area known as the Celtic Deep. This vast stretch of open water reaches depths of around 100 metres and provides an ideal feeding ground for Blue Sharks.

When we finally reached our location, it wasn't long before the first shark appeared. From that moment onwards, the action was almost non-stop. Over the next five hours, we had a total of five individual sharks visit the boat, with one particularly exciting moment when two sharks appeared at the same time.

My main focus for the trip was photography, although I managed to capture a few video clips along the way. I was shooting with my Canon EOS R5 paired with the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM, a combination that gave me the flexibility to get close to the sharks while still capturing plenty of their surrounding environment. Keeping everything protected, as always, was my trusty SeaFrogs underwater housing.

Photographing these incredible animals in their natural environment was an unforgettable experience. Being in the water with a Blue Shark is completely different from seeing one in a documentary or aquarium. Their speed, elegance and curiosity make them an incredibly exciting subject to photograph, and having five sharks around us throughout the day gave me plenty of opportunities to experiment with different compositions and perspectives.