Coming soon on YouTube
Leatherback Sea Turtle — Dominica
2003–2006
Dominica, Caribbean
A Lifetime Exploring
Rowan Byrne | Marine Biologist, Marine Ecologist & Conservationist
Rowan Byrne | Marine Biologist, Marine Ecologist & Conservationist Rowan Byrne is an Irish marine biologist and marine ecologist with more than 30 years of experience in marine science, conservation, fieldwork and underwater photography.Irish Marine Biologist Rowan Byrne brings you more than 30 years exploring, researching and protecting the world's oceans — from cold North Atlantic waters to tropical coral reefs. Sea Life Differently Helping people see, understand, appreciate and protect marine life in a different way.
Marine Biologist · Marine Ecologist · Explorer · Conservationist · Award-winning Sustainability Leader
IEMA Sustainability LeaderTEDx Speaker30+ Years ExperiencePublished ResearcherFellow — Royal Society of Biology
Global Expeditions
A Lifetime Exploring Our Blue Planet
More than 30 years studying marine life across the world's oceans. Click any location to explore the work. Rowan Byrne is an Irish marine biologist and marine ecologist with more than 30 years of experience in marine science, conservation, fieldwork and underwater photography.
20022026
Showing locations active by 2026
16 locations
30+
Years
of marine biology & exploration
22+
Countries
visited for fieldwork & photography
Thousands
Photographs
of original marine images
Hundreds
Species
encountered & documented
1
Lifelong Passion
for the aquatic world
Map legend
Marine Ecology
Conservation
Scientific Research
Marine Plastics
Renewable Energy
Photography
"The ocean connects us all. Understanding it is the first step towards protecting it."
Marine Biologist · Marine Ecologist · Explorer · Conservationist · Photographer · Author · Speaker
Explore the ocean
Marine Life & Ecosystems
30+ Years of Marine Science
Rowan Byrne
Rowan Byrne is an Irish marine biologist with more than 30 years of experience working throughout Europe and internationally. His work has supported governments, offshore renewable energy developers, ports, conservation organisations and environmental regulators. Rowan Byrne is an Irish marine biologist and marine ecologist with more than 30 years of experience in marine science, conservation, fieldwork and underwater photography.
Marine MammalsMarine EcologyEnvironmental Impact AssessmentOffshore WindUnderwater NoiseMarine Conservation
Learn More About RowanWhy it matters
Our Oceans Need Us Now
From plastic pollution to climate change, the world's oceans face unprecedented pressures. Understanding marine ecosystems is the first step toward protecting them — for future generations and for the planet.
Explore Conservation
Stories from the Field
Three decades. Countless oceans.
Extraordinary encounters.
Read Rowan Byrne's personal stories from a lifetime in marine biology — from first encounters with sharks and manta rays to giant marine animals, remote expeditions and unforgettable moments beneath the surface.
© Rowan Byrne
Sharks
Gansbaai, South Africa · 2008
Encountering Great White Sharks: A Journey to South Africa
A lifelong dream finally realised — cage diving at Seal Island, Gansbaai, with Dr Matt Blackburn. A large great white surged towards the cage, its head and jaws pushing into the bars…
Rays
Baja California Sur, Mexico · 1998
A First Encounter with a Full-Term Endangered Baby Manta Ray
Working with Professor Carlos Villavicencio in the Gulf of California — a baby manta ray, no larger than a man's hand, slipped into Carlos' palm, sparkling with iridescent colours in the Mexican sun.
Conservation
Dominica, Caribbean · 2003–2008
Diving with Giants: A Young Marine Biologist's Unforgettable Encounter
Managing the Rosalie Sea Turtle Initiative in Dominica — and the day Rowan dived into Scott's Head Marine Reserve to free an entangled giant leatherback sea turtle.
More stories coming soon.
From the Field
Rowan Byrne — Marine Biology on Film
More than two decades of marine biology, conservation, research and exploration documented on film.
Coming soon on YouTube
Endangered Dugong — Marsa Alam, Egypt
November 2014
Red Sea, Egypt
Coming soon on YouTube
Shark Dive — Belize 2017
November 2017
Belize
Coming soon on YouTube
Nurse Sharks — Belize 2024
May 2024
Belize
Coming soon on YouTube
Howth Seabin Initiative
2019
Howth Harbour, Dublin
Coming soon on YouTube
Changing Oceans Expedition 2013
2013
North Atlantic
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