Jack Kelly

About Jack

Hi guys, I’m Jack Kelly and I’m from the west coast of Ireland. My passion for the ocean was ignited at an early age from watching the greats like David Attenborough and Iain Stewart. Over the years, my love of the underwater world snowballed until I decided to join a nearby sub aqua club. Just a few short years later, I can now say that I have scuba-dived in several locations around the world. There seemed to be no other option than for me to study Freshwater and Marine Biology in the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, right on the west coast of Ireland, with the wild Atlantic way for a playground.

Through this course, I have gained invaluable experiences in the aquatic field, including time on board one of the two Irish marine research vessels, the Celtic Voyager. The modules covered have enabled me to truly understand the underwater world – the oceanographic processes that take place and the factors which drive them, as well as estuarine ecology. Identification skills and animal behaviour are two other areas that I’ve enjoyed studying immensely and I feel they will stand to me during my time with Marine Dynamics.

Photography and film are a huge part of my life. I am an active Instagram photographer and have a YouTube channel which I am constantly working on in between my studies. My time as a wedding videographer and working free-lance has enabled me to not only see the world, but also better myself and my skills behind the lens.

I love travelling and have seen a large part of the world in my 21 years, including the UK, continental Europe, the USA and Africa. In 2013, I volunteered in Zambia for one month, and in doing so, discovered a world bountiful in stunning locales and beautiful people – not to mention the parts of myself that flourished under such circumstances.

I’m stoked to have this amazing opportunity to work with the Marine Dynamics team in such a renowned part of the planet. My love for capturing the world through the lens of a camera, my wanderlust, and most of all my insatiable appetite for knowledge on all things marine will no doubt flourish and grow ever stronger during my time in Gansbaai.