Ocean Pools

Chris Chen

For photographer Chris Chen, the beauty of ocean pools lies in the way the human-made elements blend with the natural landscape. She sees these pools as uniquely spectacular spaces that allow us to connect with the wildness of the ocean within the safety of their edges. Growing up in Brisbane, Chris discovered her passion for photography in a high school dark room. After graduating, she made Sydney her home where she completed a Visual Arts degree and fell in love with the local beach culture. Since establishing herself as a commercial photographer over 25 years ago, she has shot a wide range of subjects including travel destinations, cookbooks, interiors, portraits and products for some of the world’s most recognised and respected brands and publications.

Marie-Louise McDermott

Marie-Louise McDermott has a MA in public history and a PhD looking at the past, present and future contributions of ocean pools to Australia’s surf coasts. She gained a grant from the NSW Heritage Office to develop the NSW Ocean Baths website, launched in 2006. Between 2008 and 2011 she visited and researched ocean pools in New Zealand, South Africa, the UK and Ireland. As a founder member and the chair of All into Ocean Pools inc (a non-profit organisation that promotes the ongoing use, study and celebration of ocean pools around the world), she promotes and advocates for the ocean pools that mean so much to their communities.