Our entire company attitude is geared towards conservation and recently we have taken it one step further. While undertaking underwater video training internships with us you have the opportunity to give something back to the marine environment.

With qualified marine scientists in our employ we decided to get involved in research and try to change attitudes through education with our documentaries. By talking with some of the early inhabitants of Koh Tao, we have come to understand their plight when they were forced to come here in those early days. Forced to leave neighbouring islands by poverty, near starvation, they came here and cultivated coconut plantations, rice and corn farms and attempted to utilise the natural marine resourses sustainably. One of the earliest forms of conservation on record is when these brave folk realised that their collection of turtle eggs was affecting the populations of turtles, they agreed amongst themselves, some 60 years ago, only to collect every third nest in attempt to save the 2 species known to them at the time.

It is by understanding local human populations, not by ridicule or descension, that we are able to bridge the gap between cultures and help eachother to protect the world's resources. Ultimately we all have one thing in common and one singular goal at the heart of all of our communities, we all wish to make sure our children have a decent future. A future whereby they can enjoy the resources we have enjoyed, both as food source, source of income and as a source of joy and natural balance, living in harmony with all of the species that came before us!

It is with these things in mind that ACE Marine Images has embarked on a journey into the realm of marine conservation through our own research, and supporting that of others. Having established the Thailand Whale Shark Photographic Identification Database ouselves, we have now begun a co-operation with SSI, Thailand, and hope to create a similar alliance with PADI Project AWARE, as we believe that the conservation of whale sharks, being a truly migratory species has the potential to draw attention to the need for the conservation of all the oceans, and all her species, of our entire fragile planet! As such we wish to encourage all those who work with the oceans to rise above business, competition and petty rivalry so we may all work together for one purpose, the future of species diversity and ultimately our own survival!

We have recently embarked on another, even more ambitious project, involving the conservation of Hawksbill and Green Turtles. Please note that we are not involved in the release of turltes on Koh Tao, we have a perhaps more difficult goal, but one that we believe will benefit the entire local ecosystem.

All the research and conservation done by ACE Marine Images is done in connection with global scientific institutions, particularly with The University of Cape Town in South Africa, where our founder received his degree! It is vitally important when we approach marine conservation that we do so with the maximum amount of global knowledge or we risk upsetting the balance in nature. Our turle project is still in its earliest hours of research and viability studies so you will have to forgive us for omitting any further details at this stage.

We are currently producing a series of documentaries aimed at education and conservation!

At ACE Marine Images we actively support the wonderful work done by Beppe Massa and his team at the Secret Garden Conservation Group.

We have to admit that we pail in comparrison the incredible work done by this crew of selfless volunteers. Without income their fearless leader, Beppe, known as Bee to his friends, literally fights for what he believes in; he actually enters Muay Thai competitions to pay his way and sustain himself so that he can carry out his beliefs and reach his goals. They educate the island's children in conservation, they clean the beaches and they plant trees to counter runoff caused by construction. These are just a few amongst the many other active roles they play on Koh Tao and we believe that The Secret Garden Project is a shining light that we can all learn from.