About Corinne Bourbeillon

Underwater Photographer

Born in Brittany (northwest France), I am a journalist by profession and a self-taught underwater photographer. The ocean, marine life, coral reefs, and environmental issues are my favorite subjects. I blog about scuba diving and travel on Bubbles Underwater & Beyond (originally in French as Petites Bulles d’Ailleurs).

My very first underwater photography experience was in 2005, on a diving holiday in the warm waters of Thailand. I had bought a very simple disposable camera at a tourist shop — sealed in a waterproof plastic case and loaded with a roll of film. Thrilled by those first 36 blurry shots, I decided to buy a compact digital camera with the proper underwater housing.

It lasted four years, and I learned a lot about the basics of underwater photography with it while traveling and diving in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines), in the heart of the Coral Triangle. When the camera eventually stopped working in 2009, I decided it was time to upgrade to a brand-new toy.

In 2010, I invested in a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera, along with its housing, a flat port, a dome, strobes, and lenses. From then on, I was nicknamed “the girl with the big fancy camera” at every dive shop and on every boat I boarded around the world — from wonderful Indonesia, my all-time favorite dive destination, to Mexico and French Polynesia.

I now have a mirrorless camera, and photographing the wonders of the ocean remains a never-ending learning curve, a rewarding challenge and an endless source of joy.

These days, I can’t go scuba diving without my camera, and I almost feel naked without my precious toy beneath the waves…

Marine life is a constant source of inspiration

Under the sea, beauty is everywhere, from the humblest creature hiding in the sand or in coral reefs, to majestic predators hunting in the blue.

Freediver surrounded by anthias at Batu Bolong reef (Komodo, Indonesia).
Freediver surrounded by anthias at Batu Bolong reef (Komodo, Indonesia).
Purple and yellow nudibranch at Derawan (Borneo, Indonesia).
Purple and yellow nudibranch at Derawan (Borneo, Indonesia).
Oceanic whitetip shark (longimanus) patrolling close to the surface at Small Brother (Red Sea, Egypt).
Oceanic whitetip shark (longimanus) patrolling close to the surface at Small Brother (Red Sea, Egypt).


A ball of sweetlips at Cape Kri (Raja Ampat, Indonesia).
A ball of sweetlips at Cape Kri (Raja Ampat, Indonesia).
Ornate ghost pipefish (Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia).
Ornate ghost pipefish (Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia).

Protect the oceans

Underwater photography is my way of raising awareness of the fragility and beauty of marine ecosystems.

Destination Plongée : Bretagne et Pays de la Loire

My book (in French)


Destination Plongée : Bretagne et Pays de la Loire

(Éditions Agitées, 140 pages, 16 €)

My scuba diving and travel blog


Bubbles Underwater & Beyond

(Petites Bulles d’Ailleurs)

Find me on social media


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Instagram

YouTube

LinkedIn


My large-format outdoor photo exhibition along the canal in Moissac (Tarn-et-Garonne, France), in September 2025, as part of the Beauté fragile (Fragile Beauty) festival.
My large-format outdoor photo exhibition along the canal in Moissac (Tarn-et-Garonne, France), in September 2025, as part of the Beauté fragile (Fragile Beauty) festival.