Greg Lecoeur

Aliases: Gregory Lecoeur, Greg LeCoeur
Role: Underwater photographer, competition judge
Nationality: French
Website: greglecoeur.com
First appearance: 2015 (Wetpixel feature of sardine run image)

Biography

Greg Lecoeur is a French underwater photographer who rose to international prominence in 2015-2016 through a series of spectacular wide-angle images, particularly of the South African sardine run. He became one of the most decorated underwater photographers of the late 2010s, winning or placing in virtually every major underwater photography competition between 2016 and 2020, including the National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year grand prize (2016), the Underwater Photographer of the Year overall title (2020), and multiple placings in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

Lecoeur is known for his wide-angle work with large marine animals and dramatic ocean events. His subjects range from sardine run baitballs and gannet feeding frenzies to crabeater seals in Antarctica and coldwater marine life. He has also served as a judge for international competitions and collaborated with film teams documenting the sardine run.

Equipment

Lecoeur’s equipment as documented in his 2015 sardine run image: Nikon D7000 with a Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens, housed in a Nauticam housing with a mini dome, lit by two Ikelite DS160 strobes. (^[1])

His “Split Moment” image at WPOTY 2016 was shot with the same Nikon D7000 and Tokina 10-17mm f3.5-4.5 at 10mm (1/200 sec at f9, ISO 200), in a Nauticam housing with two Ikelite DS160 strobes. (^[2])

Sardine Run Work

Lecoeur’s signature subject is the South African sardine run, the annual migration of millions of sardines up South Africa’s east coast. His first major published image was taken off Port Saint Johns on 21 June 2015 during a trip with Offshore Africa Port St Johns. He described the experience: “The sardine run has just started, and there is a lot of marine life and action. The sardines are moving and it’s complicated to dive with the bait ball. But Rob, the captain of the boat spotted the activity of the Cape Gannet birds and ask me to jump in the water. I saw a small bait ball that came under me. So I drifted in the current with the bait ball and 2 others divers when this dolphin started hunting the sardines just in front of my camera.” (^[3])

His WPOTY 2016 finalist image “Split Moment” depicted a baitball driven to the surface by common dolphins splitting as Cape gannets plummeted down: “Wings folded back, they are so streamlined that they barely slow on hitting the water, shooting 10 metres deep before braking.” The WPOTY noted that “In two weeks of searching, Greg encountered just two baitballs, one in poor visibility, and this small one, of red-eye round herring — not the sardines he was expecting.” The article also highlighted the conservation dimension: “The annual ‘sardine run’, when millions of sardines move up South Africa’s east coast, is now less predictable, possibly due to overfishing or warming waters. For Cape gannets, which breed on just six small islands and are vulnerable to extinction, shortage of fish is now a major threat.” (^[4])

In 2019, Lecoeur continued his sardine run work, collaborating with the film team Behind the Mask at Port St. Johns. Filmmaker Florian Fisher described the experience: “This is a short video about one of our first days here in South Africa filming the Sardine Run experience with Greg Lecoeur and Offshore Africa Port St Johns. Being in the water was never more intense. Imagine yourself surrounded by birds, dolphins, and sharks hunting a bait ball of fish in the open ocean. Pure mayhem…” (^[5])

Gannet Photography in Scotland

Lecoeur also photographed gannets in Scottish waters. His grand prize-winning image in the Scuba Diving Magazine 2017 contest showed two gannets diving for fish off the island of Noss in Shetland, Scotland. He described the scene: “Into the waters off the island of Noss in Shetland, Scotland I was surrounded by thousand of gannet birds feeding frenzy mackerel fishes. Plunging from between ten and fifteen meters above the water they reach up to one-hundred-kilometers per hour when they hit the surface. To catch their meal, they dive until 15 meters deep. I can hear them as they hit the water and then appearing in front of the camera.” (^[6])

Antarctic Work

Lecoeur expanded his range to polar waters, photographing crabeater seals in Antarctica. His image of a crabeater seal diving near brash ice won both the 2019 Ocean Art overall Best of Show (Coldwater category) and the 2020 Underwater Photographer of the Year overall title. The Ocean Art winning image featured a crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga) diving close to brash ice in Antarctica. (^[7]) His UPY 2020 winning image featured crabeater seals swimming around an iceberg. (^[8])

Judging

Lecoeur served as a judge for the Durban Undersea Club (DUC) Shootout in both 2017 and 2018, alongside photographers including Michel Lonfat, Markus Roth, and Shin Arunrugstichai. (^[9]) (^[10])

Competition Record

Lecoeur amassed one of the most prolific competition records in underwater photography during the 2015-2020 period, with wins and placings across all major international contests.

Major Wins

• National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2016 — Grand prize winner with sardine run image of dolphins, sardines, and Cape gannets. Prize: 10-day trip for two to the Galapagos Islands. (^[11]) (^[12])
• Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020 — Overall winner (Wide Angle category winner) with image of crabeater seals and iceberg. Announced at the Go Diving Show in Coventry, UK. (^[13])
• Ocean Art 2019 — Best of Show and Coldwater category 1st place, crabeater seal in Antarctica. Also Reefscapes 4th place and Portrait honorable mention. (^[14])
• Scuba Diving Magazine 2017 — Grand prize winner, image of two gannets diving off Shetland, Scotland. (^[15])
• World ShootOut 2017 — 1st place, Wide Angle category. Prize: 7-night holiday for 2 at Oasis Dive Resort, Marsa Alam. (^[16])

Other Major Placings

• Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2016 — Finalist in Under Water category with “Split Moment” (sardine run split-level image). Category winner was Tony Wu. Other finalists: Geo Cloete, Joris van Alphen, Audun Rikardsen, Ralph Pace. (^[17])
• Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 — Highly Commended in Single Image category with “Life among litter.” (^[18])
• UPY 2016 — 3rd place, Wide Angle category (image titled “Lagoon,” displayed in Cape Town exhibition). (^[19])
• UPY 2018 — Wide Angle category winner; Behaviour category 3rd place; Portrait category Highly Commended and Commended; British Waters Wide Angle 3rd place. (^[20])
• Our World Underwater 2016 — Silver and Bronze in Wide Angle Unrestricted; Silver in Wide Angle Traditional (three placings in one contest). (^[21])
• Our World Underwater 2018 — Wide Angle Unrestricted winner. (^[22])
• DEEP Indonesia 2016 — Silver in Divers category (“Freediving with Crocodile”). (^[23])
• Ocean Art 2016 — 5th place, Marine Life Behavior category. (^[24])
• Ocean Art 2018 — 1st place, Coldwater category. (^[25])

Timeline

• 2015-06-25: First Wetpixel feature — image of dolphins and sardine baitball taken off Port Saint Johns, South Africa on 21 June 2015 (^[26])
• 2016-02-27: Our World Underwater 2016 — Silver and Bronze in Wide Angle Unrestricted, Silver in Wide Angle Traditional (^[27])
• 2016-03-24: DEEP Indonesia 2016 — Silver in Divers category for “Freediving with Crocodile” (^[28])
• 2016-04-24: UPY 2016 images go on display in Cape Town; Lecoeur’s “Lagoon” (3rd place Wide Angle) among 41 images exhibited (^[29])
• 2016-10-19: WPOTY 2016 — finalist in Under Water category with “Split Moment” (^[30])
• 2016-10-27: WPOTY 2017 opens for entries; Lecoeur’s “Split Moment” used as promotional image (^[31])
• 2016-12-12: National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2016 — grand prize winner with sardine run image (^[32])
• 2017-01-11: Ocean Art 2016 — 5th place in Marine Life Behavior (^[33])
• 2017-03-26: National Geographic win re-reported with gallery; grand prize confirmed as 10-day Galapagos trip (^[34])
• 2017-08-17: Scuba Diving Magazine 2017 — grand prize winner with gannet image from Shetland, Scotland (^[35])
• 2017-08-26: Serves as judge for 2017 DUC Shootout in South Africa (^[36])
• 2018-02-01: World ShootOut 2017 — 1st place Wide Angle, announced at BOOT Dusseldorf (^[37])
• 2018-02-15: UPY 2018 — Wide Angle winner; Behaviour 3rd; Portrait Highly Commended and Commended; British Waters Wide Angle 3rd (^[38])
• 2018-02-18: Our World Underwater 2018 — Wide Angle Unrestricted winner (^[39])
• 2018-08-09: Serves as judge for 2018 DUC Shootout (^[40])
• 2018-09-04: WPOTY 2018 — Highly Commended in Single Image for “Life among litter” (^[41])
• 2018-10-29: World ShootOut 2018 call for entries uses Lecoeur image as promotional material (^[42])
• 2019-01-15: Ocean Art 2018 — 1st place Coldwater category (^[43])
• 2019-07-16: Collaborates with Behind the Mask film team on sardine run documentary at Port St. Johns (^[44])
• 2020-01-13: Ocean Art 2019 — Best of Show and Coldwater 1st place (crabeater seal, Antarctica); Reefscapes 4th; Portrait honorable mention (^[45])
• 2020-02-25: Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020 — overall winner with crabeater seal/iceberg image, announced at Go Diving Show, Coventry (^[46])
• 2020-11-09: Referenced as previous UPY winner in call for entries for UPY 2021; Alex Mustard notes the contest attracted entries from over 500 photographers (^[47])

References