JADE | HOKSBERGEN

Jade Hoksbergen’s underwater photography marks her out as one of the most talented ocean image-makers operating today. Jade combines professional dive skills, with the creativity of a painter and the keen eye of a naturalist. Her pictures are regularly recognised in the leading photographic competitions, with highlights including: the Ocean Fine Art Photographer of the Year in 2023 and the Ocean Photographer of the Year runner-up in 2024. In a world full of images, Jade consistently finds a way to stand out, with a particular skill for showcasing the more discreet wildlife of the underwater world.

Of French-Taiwanese descent, Jade spent most of her childhood in the Philippines. It was there, at just 9 years old, that she embarked on her first scuba dive and a lifelong passion for the ocean began. By 20 years old, she was working as a Divemaster on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, carefully honing her skill at finding marine life. It was at this time that she first started underwater photography, finally able to properly showcase the elusive creatures of the sea - some of which had never been photographed in their environment in Saint Lucia before.

Displaying a precocious skillset, Jade rapidly rose up through the ranks of underwater photography and by 25 years old had already co-authored two books: Black is the New Blue Vol. II (2019) and the Guide to Cebu (2019). The Guide to Cebu was a mammoth project to document the waters around Cebu, Phillippines with her husband and frequent co-collaborator, Henley Spiers. It remains the pre-eminent book on diving the island on which Jade grew-up.

As well as books, Jade’s pictures and words are regularly published in the like of New Scientist (UK), Plongez! Magazine (France), Scuba Diver (ANZ), EZ Dive Magazine (Taiwan) and Oceanographic Magazine (UK).

Jade has established herself as a specialist in creating fine art underwater imagery for high-end luxury resorts including COMO Hotels and Resorts, and Six Senses. She was invited to be a speaker at ADEX Singapore and Beijing, and her image was used for the official poster for ADEX Singapore 2023. Equally at ease both behind and in-front of the camera, Jade’s pictures have adorned numerous book and magazine covers.

In 2020, Jade became the youngest photographer to be featured in the Blancpain Editions Fifty Fathoms (the 2020 issue), a collection featuring 50 of the world’s best and most respected explorers and underwater photographers. Since then, she has been a proud Friend of the Brand. In 2024, she designed a custom SWATCH for Blancpain, and in 2025 she played a role in the development and release of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 5007, where she was the inspiration for the watch’s lifestyle film, “The Constant”.

Although her expertise crosses many disciplines, at heart Jade is an artist, and it is her creative vision which most clearly defines her. Painting prolifically since her teenage years, she has been working on a series of ocean-inspired artworks for the last decade which brings together joint influences of expressionism, street art, and the underwater world.