From mythical times to the current day, Argonauts have embodied a sense of exploration and adventure so romantic that their spirit of wanderlust continues to inspire people to venture to all corners of the globe in search of their own personal ‘golden fleece’. The very same salty magnetism that lured Jason and his band of Argonauts to the great seas of antiquity has drawn our spirits on a never-ending journey that we have called Les Argonauts in their honor.
By the time she was in her early twenties, Les Argonauts co-founder Helen Ash was well on her way to an impressive career as a creative art director. Her eye for aesthetic beauty echoed in both the commercial work she was charged with creating, as well as her personal ventures as an artist. Around the same time Helen was climbing the ranks of the media world, a young man from Sumatra was beginning his journey as SCUBA enthusiast and self-taught marine naturalist. Michael was becoming enamored by the natural beauty that lay beneath azure waters of his home island and the 17,000 others waiting to be explored within his native, Indonesia.
It wasn’t long after his first dive that he became a scuba instructor and developed an enthusiasm and expertise for underwater photography and filmmaking. During a diving trip in the Maldives in 2002 Helen was cast under the mesmerizing spell that only the enchanting beauty of the underwater world and its inhabitants could be responsible for. The kind of spell that can cause a successful businessperson to leave their comfortable life in search of a sense of adventure, in pursuit of that perfect photograph; a life where a person can become a part of and interact with their artistic milieu.
With over twenty years of combined underwater photography and exploration between them, Michael and Helen have carved out an impressive niche in the ‘live aboard’ diving adventure market with Les Argonauts. Both founders share an unbridled passion for photography, underwater exploration, and marine preservation, the combination of which are the heart and soul of Les Argonauts and the driving force of what we live for and love to share with others.