Fighting fires on the waves


SIMON AGER’S ROLE IN LIFE IS TO END THE DESTRUCTION OF HABITAT AND SLAUGHTER OF WILDLIFE IN THE WORLD’S OCEANS IN ORDER TO CONSERVE AND PROTECT ECOSYSTEMS AND SPECIES. THIS CAN INVOLVE DIRECT-ACTION TACTICS WHEN NECESSARY TO EXPOSE AND CONFRONT ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES ON THE HIGH SEAS WORDS: PAUL DARGAN


F


rom some of the exotic images of wildlife that Simon Ager calls his own, you could be forgiven for thinking the photographer has one of most pleasurable and fulfilling


jobs on the planet. Whether sailing on calm waters in the Caribbean or right the way across the South Pacific towards Australia, his collection of memories, frozen in time, show over two decades of dedication to his art and passion. And even as we speak, the 49-year-old, currently in the Galapagos Islands on conservation patro, casually drops into the conversation the fact a turtle is swimming just a couple of metres away. It seems the ultimate, carefree life.


And yet, read a little further into what Simon and his Sea Shepherd shipmates encounter on their campaigns and you may not be so eager to send an email requesting membership. “I joined Sea Shepherd 10 years ago,” he begins. “It is a conservation group which is direct action, so we’re not going out holding up banners to vessels, corporation groups and poachers that read ‘don’t do that’. We’re actually directly intervening on their illegal activities; we’re at the frontline. So it can get a little crazy, to say the least.


“I think part of the appeal for me is being in the middle of something… it’s the fight. I document that through my photography, and from that, bring these matters to the wider attention.”


46 | SPRING 2019 | ONBOARD


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