From Back Yard to Bucket List: Jun Ouyang

Welcome to a new regular feature, From Back Yard to Bucket List. Each month, we ask an underwater photographer to talk about their dives—local, favourite, and bucket list—and what makes them special. A personal insight into diving with a camera.

This month, it’s Jun Ouyang. As an avid underwater photographer, globetrotter, and serial entrepreneur, Jun has spent the last 15 years splitting his time between China and California, pursuing his passion for exploring the ocean. His love for underwater imaging led him to establish Marelux Precision Inc, now a successful brand and manufacturer specialising in high-performance underwater photography equipment. Today, the company designs and produces precision housings, strobes, video lights, monitors, and more, empowering photographers to capture the beauty of the deep with unmatched clarity and reliability.

Jun Ouyang

Underwater photography is more than a hobby; it’s a portal to discovering the ocean’s wonders, immortalising its breathtaking beauty, and connecting with marine life in the underwater world. I’ve been fortunate to explore some of Southeast Asia’s most wonderful underwater landscapes. These are my three favourite dive destinations:

Raja Ampat, Indonesia, a bucket dive destination

Raja Ampat is often called the “Underwater Paradise” for good reason. Located in West Papua, Indonesia, this remote archipelago is home to the richest marine biodiversity on the planet. Raja Ampat’s reefs are teeming with life, from tiny pygmy seahorses to majestic manta rays.  The vibrant, healthy corals create a stunning underwater realm. Whether you love drift dives, muck diving, or exploring underwater caves, Raja Ampat has it all.

The crystal-clear azure waters, vibrant coral reefs, and shimmering schools of glassfish, their scales catching the light, create a nice visual contrast.

This must be paradise! When you witness life on such an awe-inspiring scale, with millions of fish moving as one, it compels you to pause and marvel at the divinity of creation. These two photographs barely do justice to the breathtaking grandeur of Eagle Rock and Black Rock, two of my favourite dive sites in Raja Ampat. Here, nature stages its most spectacular performances, where the ocean’s majesty unfolds in every direction.

The tranquil mangrove water creates a perfect setting for photography. With still, reflective surfaces, shallow-water corals, and the glow of fading sunlight, these moments offer an ideal opportunity to capture images.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park: My Favourite Dive Destination  

There are very few places on Earth as breathtaking as Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Philippines. Located in the middle of the Sulu Sea, Tubbataha is a remote marine sanctuary accessible only by liveaboard between March and June. Its isolation has kept its reefs in near-perfect condition, making it one of the most biodiverse spots in the world.

You can easily meet schools of whitetip reef sharks, and even tiger sharks patrol the deep walls, as well as manta rays, turtles, and huge whale sharks. Soft corals explode with life, hosting countless reef fish, nudibranchs and other critters. Schools of jacks & barracudas swirling, napoleon wrasses and giant trevallies cruising by. The strong currents bring in pelagic action, making every dive an adrenaline rush.

It feels untouched, no crowds, no pollution, just pure nature.  

Each jump is unpredictable; you never know if a shark, manta, or whale shark will appear.  

The sense of adventure. Being in the middle of the ocean, far from civilisation, is exhilarating.

The trevallies wall is a common yet breathtaking sight when diving in Tubbataha. Swimming through the crystal-clear water with exceptional visibility, you’ll find yourself surrounded by massive schools of these silvery predators.

The spectacular coral reefs here are teeming with exuberant life, thriving.

Anilao, Philippines: A must-visit place for macro and blackwater 

Anilao, in the Batangas province, is known as the birthplace of diving in the Philippines and a world-class destination for underwater photographers. It’s packed with rare and exotic critters, from flamboyant cuttlefish to blue ringed octopus, perfect for macro and muck diving.  The calm, clear waters make it ideal for spotting tiny marine life. Just around 2 hours drive from the international airport of Manila, it’s can even be a perfect weekend getaway for photographers residing in nearby countries.

It’s not difficult to find cuttlefish eggs under rocks or coral reefs if the season is right. This cute baby is nearly mature, ready to hatch and begin its new life.

Anilao is famous for its unique critters that seem to appear out of nowhere, rarely seen anywhere else in the world. Take this tiny shrimp, for example, measuring less than 5 millimetres; it’s so small that I had to stack a +15 on a +10 diopter to get a sharp shot.

Anilao is one of the world’s premier destinations for blackwater and bonfire diving. The unique geography of the peninsula and harbor creates a perfect environment for the larval and juvenile stages of countless marine species. Drawn to the light from depths of hundreds of meters, these creatures emerge like something from another world, bizarre and alien forms drifting through the darkness, illuminated only by your dive lights. It’s a surreal, dreamlike feeling that captivates divers, leaving many addicted to the experience and returning year after year.

Each of these destinations offers something unique, whether it’s the unmatched biodiversity of Raja Ampat, the huge groups of different kinds of big fish and crystal jade blue water in Tubattaha, or the macro wonders of Anilao. If you’re an underwater photographer looking for unforgettable experiences, I highly recommend adding these spots to your travel schedule.

I hope you enjoyed finding out a little more about Jun’s dives and photography. Would you like to feature? If so, ping me an email here and we can talk about your From Back Yard to Bucket List.