Draft:George Kao

Kao studied life sciences at National Tsing Hua University, where he completed a doctorate with a focus on neuroscience research.^[1] He subsequently worked as an engineer in the technology industry, including roles involving artificial intelligence.^[1] He began underwater photography during his doctoral studies, though the high costs of diving and underwater equipment led him initially to continue in a technology career.^[1]

In April 2025, Kao photographed a large-scale fish migration at Bitan Weir (碧潭堰) in Xindian, New Taipei, a photograph that attracted public attention and led to commissioned documentary work for the New Taipei City Water Bureau.^[1] In September 2025, he left the technology industry to become a full-time underwater photographer.^[1]

Kao's photographic work spans underwater wildlife, human subjects engaged in traditional ecological practices, and freshwater environments in Taiwan. He has described his scientific and engineering background as informing his technical approach to photography.^[1]

His photograph 鏡面反射 ("Mirror Reflection") — depicting a wild freshwater crab and its mirror image, photographed at Jingualiao Stream (金瓜寮溪) in Pinglin District, New Taipei, during the COVID-19 pandemic when overseas travel was restricted — won first place in the Portrait category of the 2022 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition^[2][3] and also received a Commended designation in the Portrait category of the 2023 Underwater Photographer of the Year competition.^[4]

In 2024, a multiple-exposure underwater photograph of a blenny fish won second place in the "Big and Small Underwater Faces" category of the United Nations World Oceans Day photography competition.^[5] The competition, held annually at the United Nations headquarters in New York, drew thousands of entries from amateur and professional photographers worldwide.^[5]

His photograph 浪濤下的和諧 ("Harmony Beneath the Waves"), taken in October 2024 on Alor Island in Indonesia and depicting a local fisherman placing a traditional Bubu fish trap underwater, received a Highly Commended designation in the Portrait category of the 2025 Underwater Photographer of the Year competition.^[6][7]

In November 2025, Kao photographed a rare albino ocean sunfish in Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico. He reported waiting two hours to obtain a clear photograph without other divers in the frame, as more than 200 divers and photographers gathered around the animal during the encounter.^[8] During the same trip, he photographed a marlin alongside a diver; the image, titled 馬林魚和潛水人 ("Marlin and Diver"), won second place in the Wide Angle category of the 2025 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition.^[9]

In 2026, his portrait 一線之隔 ("A Line Between") — depicting a capybara photographed from below the water surface in Hengchun, Pingtung County, Taiwan — received a Commended designation in the Portrait category of the 2026 Underwater Photographer of the Year competition.^[1][10] Kao has received recognition at the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition in three separate years (2023, 2025, and 2026), all in the Portrait category.^[4][7][10]