Álvaro Herrero, a.k.a Mekan, is originally from Spain and has always had a fascination with nature in all of its forms. At the age of 5 his grandfather gave him his first set of fins, mask and snorkel and he never looked back. Since then, he has always had a deep connection with the water.

He started experimenting with photography when he was eight years old using his father’s old camera.

Mekan has been diving over 18 years. He has worked as a diving instructor, commercial diver, diving equipment repair and maintenance technician, boat skipper and underwater photographer. He is also an underwater photography coach at all levels and has taught underwater photography courses and masterclasses around the world.

He has been awarded in prestigious international photo contests such as Wildlife Photographer of the Year, GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Underwater Photographer of the Year, Ocean Photographer of the Year, Siena International Photo awards, Asferico International photo contest, Big Picture, Luca Memorial and Red Bull Photo Illume among others.

He took his deepest picture at 110m in Lombok Strait, Indonesia and now is working between Mexico as a cave photographer and Polinesia as a whale photographer. He also runs Photography expeditions around the world. Many people do underwater photography, but very few have the skills, the training and the relentless spirit of Álvaro.