Mastervolt provides the power for renowned wildlife photographer Paul Nicklen on his mission to create healthy oceans for us all

Mastervolt is proud to be supporting the renowned photographer and conservationist Paul Nicklen, co-founder of SeaLegacy – a mission to create healthy and abundant oceans for us and the planet through using the power of media and storytelling to amplify solutions.

Paul leads pioneering photographic expeditions to the farthest reaches of the oceans and SeaLegacy uses this powerful media to inspire millions of people to act now and help turn the tide for the health of the world’s oceans.

Paul reached out to Mastervolt to kit out SeaLegacy’s vessel and camper with onboard powered systems that will cope with the expeditions. With many years of experience working in extreme, off-grid situations, particularly in the marine environment, as well as having a focus on green solutions, Mastervolt is delighted to be involved.

We spoke to Paul whilst he was on location in The Bahamas to find out how the new Mastervolt systems are performing…

What is it you do that requires the power of Mastervolt electronics?
The biggest hurdle I face as a filmmaker, photographer, and conservationist is finding the means to get myself, all my gear, and an entire crew to the secluded locations we're needed most. The SeaLegacy 1 is a state-of-the-art catamaran and an incredible solution to that problem – we are now at the helm of an autonomous hub of content creation and distribution, finally ready to patrol the front lines of conservation storytelling. The catamaran features an integrated media centre that allows us to circulate conservation stories to our audience just moments after capturing them. We often run state-of-the-art iMacs, multiple massive hard drives, and chargers for our collection of drone and camera batteries on top of everyday crew and navigation needs.

To satisfy all these demands while living offshore, we needed to team up with a serious power supplier. 

Our partnership with Mastervolt began in November 2020 – the SeaLegacy 1 was refitted with 4x MLI 24/5500 batteries and an accompanying charging and monitoring system before our inaugural expedition to The Bahamas.

Why is Mastervolt the best solution for you?
The small carbon footprint of running so much equipment off the solar energy stored in our array of 24-volt lithium batteries aligns perfectly with our priorities. Unlike lead-acid batteries, they can be run down to near empty before being charged back up to a hundred percent very quickly, which gives us the biggest possible window to work within. Lithium ion batteries can also be recycled, which helped reinforce our decision.

View the installation on board the SeaLegacy here

How are the Mastervolt batteries and supporting equipment suited to the extreme environments you shoot in?
We operate in very remote locations and require a lot of power every day. Running a generator all the time is not an option because it is dirty and noisy and can scare away the wildlife we are there to photograph and film. My goal, and that of SeaLegacy, is to tell the stories of our ocean's incredibly delicate ecosystems without damaging them in the process, and Mastervolt allows us to do just that.

Keep an eye on Mastervolt’s social channels for further updates and Paul’s exciting adventures.