Henri Eskenazi, a name you probably have already seen at the end of our last article and you will see regularly. Henri Eskenazi is not just an author, he is also a photographer, a diver and a dentist. Here is the portrait of a man with many facets.
A globe-diver
Passionate about underwater photography, this 60-year-old man from Marseille travels the planet looking for the best diving locations. His travels have led him to visit 140 different countries on 5 continents, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, which owes him the nickname of “globe-diver”. It is above all his curiosity of the terrestrial and marine world that leads him to travel and to dive. His photo library has more than a million pictures, all telling a story, the one of encounters with wildlife, flora, landscapes and individuals. Moments that Henri Eskenazi never tires and always surprises him. He says it himself “After several thousand dives, I still have the same enthusiasm.”
His most beautiful dive? For him, it’s the one to come.
The choice of photography is not a coincidence. Like the great explorers of the past, Henri Eskenazi wanted a way to keep a memory of his travels. Among all the existing means, it is a camera that he chose, precious material which he never separates. A passion that he had the opportunity to teach many times and that has led him to participate in many competitions as a competitor and jury. His photos have been part of exhibition and publications in hundreds of reports in France and abroad.
Protector of ocean
His photo reports are not here only for dreaming. They also have a message: teach and raise awareness. Henri by his various trip, had observed the damages of the pollution on the oceans. Lover of animals and wild nature, he wants to preserve the biodiversity.
“The becoming of our planet is my creed, because I know what man owes to the see, but also what he makes it endure by his disrespectful behaviors.”
Henri Eskenazi noticed an ecologic awareness in certain world areas but there are still too many countries remain indifferent and the state of the oceans is getting worse. He is outrageous to see this rate of change and the distress of a world where fish could disappear in 30 years. Education for Henri is one of the solutions to stop an ecological disaster because it is necessary above all to prevent in order to avoid the worst.
“If you love what you see then protect it!”
Knowledge transmitter
“Know, love, protect and share” this is Henri Eskenazi’s motto shared with CLICK-DIVE. Through his different activities of teacher, author and photographer but also through the conferences that he gave, this man has the willing to share and exchange. In his books, he shows all the beauty of oceans and to instil his knowledges of the seabed.
“I want to communicate by the 5 senses my pleasure of traveling.”
Henri loves to share the view of his underwater pictures, especially during exhibitions. It was precisely during one of them that Henri Eskenazi met Brice Masi, President of Click-Dive. During the discussion Henri has nicely proposed to join the circle authors and photographs of our magazine, always in the same state of mind that brought us together : communicate around a passion, diving.
Henri Eskenazi is a man wearing many hats with stories and photos that impress and question. Today, he spends his time between leisure, travel and filing photos feeding banks of travel agencies, diving centers and magazines such as ours. He is also working on a book project in collaboration with others entertainers, musicians and draftsmen. We look forward to hearing more about it and to discovering what Henri prepares !
You may not have the uncommon life of Henri Eskenazi but just like him you can shared your underwater experiences. Simply go to “submit article” tab, fill out the form with your attached article and maybe you may have a chance to be published on our magazine. Plus, we take care of the translation French/English so your writings can benefit from an international influence.
Text by Ael LE FUR
Pictures by Henri Eskenazi
