Vincent Kneefel

Vincent is deeply passionate about the ocean, dedicating his life to inspiring others to value and protect it. At 18, he became a PADI Divemaster and Open Water Scuba Instructor, where he first encountered the incredible marine life beneath the surface. This experience ignited his path as an underwater photographer and storyteller, capturing both the ocean's beauty and the challenges it faces, such as overfishing, pollution, ocean acidification, climate change, and habitat destruction. For the past two decades, Vincent has explored some of the most remote areas of the ocean, documenting marine life through his lens.

His award-winning photography and writings on ocean conservation have been featured in numerous magazines and NGO campaigns worldwide. He is a contributing photographer to The Ocean Image Bank, photography made freely available (for non-commercial use) in support of ocean science and conservation.

Vincent has dedicated his professional career to safeguarding the ocean's future, with a focus on sustainability issues like energy transition, the circular economy, and biodiversity. Additionally, he has hands-on experience in coral and seagrass restoration, marine protected areas, and fisheries improvement projects. His experience includes leadership roles at Accenture, the United Nations Global Compact, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and The Mustique Company. He currently serves as a Program Director for the General Organization for the Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea - SHAMS- based in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Vincent is the Ocean Expert for the online education platform Sustainability Unlocked. Vincent is a co-founder of Vital Ocean, an Ocean Strategy Consulting firm powered by a Tech Innovation Lab for marine conservation solutions. He also serves as a Member of the Pool of Experts to the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of The Sea (UNDOALOS).

He co-founded the Into the Blue Foundation, a Florida-based 501(c)(3) organization, with his friend and mentor Michael Patrick O’Neill. This foundation aims to connect people of all ages with the ocean through education, storytelling, and expeditions.

Vincent Kneefel's work embodies his commitment to ocean conservation, using his skills and platform to advocate for the marine environment and inspire a global audience to engage in its protection.

Publications by Vincent Kneefel

Giants of the Caribbean

From 2012 to 2015, Vincent Kneefel traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean to capture the beauty of endangered megafauna species and document their stories. Witnessing the devastating impacts of the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the effects of ocean acidification on marine life highlighted the urgent need for change. Vincent believes that continuing on our current path is untenable and that a rapid transition to a new, sustainable economy is crucial.

Combining his passion for the ocean with his expertise in sustainability, Vincent's work focuses on what we can do to turn the tide and conserve a living ocean and planet for future generations. His photo collection, "Giants of the Caribbean," features stunning images of endangered marine species and their stories, beautifully presented in a coffee-table book of 102 pages.

A selection of these photos was published by Wetpixel as part of their bi-weekly Full Frame series. Accenture supported the project by donating over 700 books to clients, and a successful Kickstarter campaign garnered support from 300 people worldwide.

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