Underwater photographer Adrian Buttigieg has released a CD with 100 photos of species found in Maltese waters together with explanations. It is available at all diving schools.
How many lives has Adrian Buttigieg lived? This very friendly 50-year-old man seems to have done nothing usual in his whole life. Before becoming one of Malta’s best-known underwater photographers, and a familiar sight on the local diving scene, he lived the crazy life of the eighties in London as a paparazzo.
Born in England and raised in Malta, Adrian decided to leave for London when he was 18. After trying his hand at various jobs, he became a paparazzo quite by accident. As he explained: “One day, I was passing through Leicester Square when I saw a big crowd of people that had gathered and went to see what was going on. It was a film premiere and there were plenty of celebrities. At that moment I really wished I had a camera with me…”
After this event, he used to take pictures of celebrities just as a hobby until the day he shouted “Boy George” to attract his attention and took his photo, which finished on the cover of Smash Hits magazine. That is how this young Maltese started life in the world of glamour.
Spending one decade as a paparazzo in London, where he photographed some of the most famous names of the day, such as Princess Diana, Sophia Loren and David Bowie, Adrian did not hesitate to open one of his numerous photos albums and show me hundreds of his pictures. It was very nice to see so many photographs that included John Cleese, Michael Jackson and the Bee-Gees.
This self-taught photographer explains: “It was quite easy in the eighties to get through to and even become the friend of famous stars. Security was not as tight as it is now, and there was a real respect for celebrities. If someone asked me not to publish a picture, I didn’t. That is why I didn’t make much money; some of my former friends are very rich now because they abused their position as photographers and didn’t care about hurting famous people.”
After a while, even though Adrian was doing well and became very close to some celebrities, he decided to concentrate on his personal life. But old habits die hard, as in November when he shouted “007” to Roger Moore at Malta International Airport.
He met his current girlfriend Nolita, here in Malta when he was on holiday. Nolita is from the Philippines and is also a multi-life person. Before becoming Adrian’s girlfriend, she was married, had two children and for a while also owned a restaurant in London.
They left London and travelled for six years in the Caribbean, the Far East, and most of Europe.
Having dived since his childhood and being really passionate about the sea, Adrian used to take underwater photos for fun. Then he saw a vacancy for an underwater photographer in Corfu, Greece. When he arrived, the vacancy had been filled so Nolita suggested he try underwater photography in Malta. As the bohemian lifestyle had lasted for a while, and they were out of money, they decided to settle in Malta in 1988.
He started this job taking photos of first-time divers, and at the moment he is the only one in Malta. “All the diving schools know me. They know that I take my work seriously and am always punctual. And as I have been here for quite a long time, it is hard for a challenger to settle!”
He likes taking photos of people who go diving for the first time. A few years ago he cooperated with members of the Down’s Syndrome Association, when they took their young people for their diving baptism. “It was amazing to see those children in the water. Their faces were transformed and expressed so much happiness! To this day, I feel very moved when I think about them”.
And when you ask what his motivation is for still doing this work, he replies that it is a passion! He still gets very excited about his work, even for clients. “It is unusual work and it is not really relaxing but as long as I enjoy it, I continue!”
For him, the Maltese Islands has wonderful diving spots. “People don’t realise how many amazing species you can see underwater, that is why I did this CD.” After seeing his photos, you really get the impression that the underwater world is some kind of other planet, hosting such monsters as an impressive moray eel coming out of its cave. One of the most striking images is probably the one with at least 100 jellyfish. “They were everywhere! The next day, my hands were totally burnt but the picture is extraordinary!” Adrian’s pictures show how amazing the colours and the fish are, and the music of Massive Attack helps to give a surrealist sensation to his Marine Life DVD of the island.
Adrian Buttigieg is also very committed to the protection of the environment and the sea, especially the Maltese marine conservation areas and species. He has given a lot of his pictures for maritime projects and has taken part in many exhibitions on the subject.
Besides, his brother Alex Buttigieg, also known as “The Sharkman”, with the Marine Life Care Group, has succeeded in getting two shark species, the great white shark and the basking shark, as well as the devil ray, listed as protected species here in Malta. This makes the island the first place in Europe to protect the great white shark. These three species, which are listed as endangered, can no longer be fished or hunted.
Adrian shares a passion for sharks with his brother, which is why his nickname is “Sharky”. He wishes the government would take more measures to protect marine species. “It would be nice if we can protect more species. In Malta, there are no laws for spear fishing, which means that if you pay one diving licence – a Lm1 per year – you can go fishing with an aqualung, which is forbidden in every country except Malta! We hope that something will be done about this very quickly.”
After an entire afternoon spent in the pleasant company of Adrian and Nolita, you get the feeling that you have travelled in time, as well as everywhere else in the world, and of course underwater.