Today, we’re flipping the focus—from archaeology to artistry.

Our guest is someone who doesn’t just see the ocean… he listens to it. Frames it. Waits for its moods. And somehow captures its wildest moments with stillness and soul.

Patrick Baker is one of archaeology’s most celebrated underwater photographers. His work has taken him from coral reefs glowing with life to wrecks swallowed by time. His images have graced magazines, galleries, exhibitions, books —and probably your Instagram feed. But behind the breathtaking beauty is a storyteller’s eye for moments that resonate.

In this episode, we delve into the life and career of the man behind the lens from Liverpool to Western Australia. We talk moments that he will never forget, wrecks he’s worked on around the world and how the ocean called to him from early on. We explore what it means to witness the ocean—not just as a diver or a photographer, but as someone who returns again and again, hoping to see the sea reveal just a little more of itself. He even brings me to tears at one point.

And as you will soon find out – we jumped into this early and I loved it so much I couldn’t cut it short.

So grab a coffee—or something stronger —and join me as we head west, and underwater, with Patrick Baker.

Today, we’re diving into one of history’s most chilling maritime disasters—the wreck of Batavia. A story of shipwreck, mutiny, and unimaginable brutality. In 1629, Batavia ran aground off the Abrolhos Islands, and what followed was one of the darkest chapters in Australian maritime history. Over 125 men, women, and children were murdered. But this isn’t just a story of disaster—it’s one of greed, survival, and a decades-long archaeological quest to piece together the truth.

Introduction to the podcast and host Dr Maddy McAllister.