UWPhoto

Nils Aukan, Milnveien 28b, 6512, Kristiansund N. Norway. E-mail: fotona@nktv.no
Mobile phone: Norway- 047 - 90 60 59 18

I started diving in 1965. The same year I began my career as a police officer, the last 22 years as a Detective Inspector in the technical investigation branch. I have now retired, enjoying diving as freelance uw.photographer/reporter. In my 39 years of diving I have performed aporoximatly. 3500 dives. In my early days of diving I participated in spearfishing competitions. I won many Nordic championships, medals and the Kings Cup in Norway. Switching from spearfishing to photography, I wanted to show people the wonderful life of the silent world under the waves. Photography extend the dive, giving a visual expression from the environment.
I shot my first underwater picture with a housed simple camera in 1968 with poor result, things improved with my first Calypso II, I shot the first black and white film during work in an airplane-crash at sea in january 1969. A Piper Cherokee 180 crashed at sea with 4 people killed. The wreck was recovered from 70 meters depth. The tragedy was complete, but the film exposed while recovering the wreckage was perfect. Those pictures are still considered as good, but not estetic. Sadly enough, such accidents have happened several times, but such pictures are not for public interest. I have used different camera-equipment over the years, also experienced the hardship of drowning cameras and flooding strobes.

My interest for naval culture and old ship-wrecks resulted in many marine-archaeological excavations, registrations and wreck-photos. Since 1970 I have participated in different marine-archaeological expeditions, working for museums in Norway and Sweden. A book is almost finished concerning marine-archaelogical wrecks and artifacts in Norway and Sweden. The major wrecks are “KRONAN” of 2000brt. from 1676 in Sweden, and the Dutch treasure-ship “AKERENDAM” wrecked at Runde, Norway in 1725. Lots of other wrecks are surveyed and photographed. During World War II different ships were sunk in Norwegian waters, mostly german ships. I am also working on a book of local war-time battles and history, involving sunken ships and shot-down aeroplanes. I have also great interest in general diving and marine-biology, having published articles in Scandinavian diving magazines. I have also contributed with pictures in different books of marine-archaelogy and biology. As a working-diver I have performed difficult tasks underwater in harbours, under ice in dams, submerged tunnels and mountain lakes, accidents, as well as photo-documentations after ship-disasters in the shipping-lane.

Most of my diving is performed in Scandinavia, but also Cuba and Curacao in the Caribean, Canary islands, Ireland, Spain, Menorca, France and Malta in the Mediteranian, Red sea, Maldive islands, Myanmar, Thailand, Sipadan and the Philippines.
Throughout the years I have categorized thousends of slides of wrecks, underwater scenery, fishes and different biology. I give slide-shows and lectures for diving clubs and the public in general.
I was responsible for the Norwegian Diving Federation UW- photo-section first time in1986-87, and between 2000-2003.
I have represented Norway in different U.W-Photo competitions, at 1987 CMAS-photo-sub as team-manager in the World Championships in Cadaques, Spain. Since then I participated in the CMAS World championships in Cuba 1992, Menorca in 1996 and Ålesund, Norway in 1998, and team manager for the Norwegian team at Marseilles in France in 2002.

Photo-awards:
In Nordic UW. - Photo competitions between Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway I have received 48 medals of honour, as well as national medals together with prices from international events. In 1985, gold medal in CMAS grand Prix in Miami, Florida, black and white. In 1968 I got gold an silver medal in black and white in Spondyle, Holland. In 1992 bronze medal in macro class in CMAS photo-Sub World Championships at Cuba.

Present camera-equipment:
Nikon 801s and Nikon F-90X in Subal-housings, and two Nikonos III with all lenses.
Strobes: 2 Ikelite 200, 2 Ikelite 50 for macro use, 1 Subal housing for Nikon SB-24.