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I studied Marine Biology at the University of Ghent, Belgium and got Scuba certified in 1977. As a biology student, I organized expeditions to the Red Sea and got stranded in 1982 in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt) for 6 months, lived in the dessert on pita and cheese and dove Ras Mohamed before the tourists came. I have been back many times.

After flooding a few Nikonos cameras I bought a second hand Canon Marine Capsule A and modified it to hold the Nikon N2020, an auto-focus SLR. I still like to tinker with and build or modify UW photo equipment to better fit my needs.

Today I use a 13mm Nikonos RS fisheye modified for Nikon D800 on an Aquatica housing. I am an all-round UW photographer with a preference for portrait and wide-angle. My favorite dive sites include the Red Sea and Irian Jaya. For cold water I prefer the colors of California and British Columbia.

Roeland PapenMy trophies include medals at international and local UW photo competitions: