Karel Bernard (Estonia)
I was born and raised in Tallinn, capital of Estonia. As an urban cityboy, I never felt quite home in the middle of a city, surrounded by big concrete buildings, so I spent all my summers with grandparents at a summer cottage next to the Baltic Sea. I learned to swim, snorkel and freedive quite fast and love for the sea just kept growing. It felt only natural on my way of education, to enter the Estonian Maritime Academy and become a seaman as a navigational officer, so my work would bring me to the sea every day. But it came clear fast enough, that working long days on board of a ship was not the right way for me. I needed not to be on the sea, but in it! So I started scubadiving to get where I really wanted and needed to be! Moved fast from Open Water Diver to Scuba Instructor level and had the time of my life. On the way I picked up a digital camera and after the first dive I knew, I had found a hobby for life! By now I have become a commercial diver and work takes me farther away from my home waters. But wherever I go, I still try to bring my camera with me.