Fiona Ayerst

Fiona Ayerst (born 20 September 1965) is a wildlife photographer based in South Africa notable for underwater photography.^[3]

Fiona Ayerst
Fiona Ayerst Johnson with camera
Born	(1965-09-20) 20 September 1965 (age 59)
Nationality	South African
Education	National College of Photography, Johannesburg
Alma mater	University of KwaZulu-Natal
Occupation(s)	Underwater photographer, Shark conservation
Partner	Ryan Johnson
Children	1
Awards	Winescape award (2007) Gold medals, Canola Festival 2012 Top prize, Underwater Photography magazine[1] Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2003) Mossel Bay award[2]

Biography

She has swum with many species of shark, photographed them, including the macropredator tiger shark^[4][5] and the massive but tamer whale shark.^[6][7][8] Her images have won awards in numerous photo competitions.^[9] She writes for several magazines, and works as an editor for Beyond Blue magazine.^[10][11] She is a proponent of protecting sharks and ocean environments.^[12] Her images have appeared in magazines and newspapers worldwide, such as Time magazine,^[7] as well as on magazine covers and coffee table books featuring wildlife photography.^{[citation needed]} She won South Africa's 2003 Wildlife Photographer of the Year. She gave a TED talk in 2012 titled My journey into water.^[13] She is a director of Africa Media.