“The career as a free-diving artist is more than just a “mik and druk” job, says Adéle Grosse.
The St Helena Bay resident says she has always been a water baby and now shares her love for the ocean with her family. In 2003 Grosse travelled a lot as author and master trainer of “It Starts With Me Global”, when she trained and taught family preservation, personal transformation and mental wellness.
In 2017 after her son was diagnosed with leukaemia she made the decision to explore the underwater world with her lens.
“While exploring the beautiful ocean when free-diving, I recognised the link to my ‘It Starts With Me Global’ programme. When you look at the ocean from land you do not really see all that is under the water. It is only when you dive down into the depth of the ocean that you see the beauty.”
This is when she also started Studio Sea Love. Through what she captures she also creates decor and fashion products which can be displayed in one’s home.
Grosse says underwater she has the opportunity to be creative with her camera. She makes sure she gets the correct composition, light and angle in the shot.
“It requires artistic approach and lots of air in my lungs. All my products have a QR code, which takes you to the live video I took when I was composing the photo that is on the product.
“It is a career above and under the water which is very different from the run-of-the-mill careers.”
Taking people with her to the ocean and sharing the beautiful moments with them is definitely a highlight for Grosse. One of her best moments was when a 15-year-old boy snorkeled with her and her boys.
“At one stage he swam towards me with great excitement. I thought he might have seen a shark but he excitedly said to me, ‘thank you for showing me how amazing this is and for bringing me here. I am going to take the money I saved for a PlayStation and am going to use it to buy my own snorkelling gear. This is much better than PlayStation.’
That was one of the fists-in-the-air moments when I felt I am doing something right.”
Another highlight was having the TV crews from Kwêla and The Insider SA here in St Helena Bay to do features on Studio SEA Love and its products. The reaction from the people when they see my photo’s, videos and products is wonderful.
Grosse says the West Coast is the best coast. Many visit to see the beautiful flowers it has to offer during September, but she decided to let people see the ocean bloom and flowers throughout the year.
People cannot believe that when they look at the ocean this is what is underneath.
I can give them that glimpse and that continues to be a highlight for me.
