Presentation
Isabelle DUPRE et Victor MADELAINE
France
https://www.instagram.com/isa.dupre/
Photographs
At the age of six, Isabelle locked eyes with a bottlenose dolphin. Since then, she has traveled the globe, seeking out new encounters with marine life in the oceans. An ethologist by training and a specialist in dolphin behavior, the sea is her life’s passion. Thirteen years ago, that passion drew her husband, Victor, into the adventure of exploring a wild world that remains far too little known. Their journeys are defined by momentous encounters with marine wildlife and the sharing of unforgettable experiences.
Photography allows them to preserve memories of these suspended moments and share their emotions with a wide audience, helping to raise awareness about the inhabitants of the oceans and seas on our beautiful Blue Planet.
Exposition
This exhibition grew out of our underwater encounters in the Maldives—specifically in Hanifaru Bay, within the Baa Atoll. This small lagoon attracts dozens, and sometimes even hundreds, of reef manta rays (*Mobula alfredi*) each year. The phenomenon is driven by the bay’s horseshoe shape: during rising tides—intensified by full and new moons—currents trap dense concentrations of zooplankton, drawing in large numbers of manta rays to feed.
Beyond revealing the beauty of these vulnerable giants, photographing this underwater ballet allows for the identification of individual rays, thereby contributing to the Manta Trust’s scientific monitoring efforts and helping us better understand and protect an ecosystem that remains little known.
Galerie
