The International SeaKeepers Society has announced that it will be hosting its annual Founders Event on the 31st of October at a private residence in Fort Lauderdale, where the SeaKeeper of the Year award will be presented to award-winning photographer and explorer Amos Nachoum.

Amos Nachoum is the president and founder of BigAnimals Global Expeditions, an organisation that takes groups across the world for close encounters with some of the world’s largest species in their natural habitat.

His expeditions have taken individuals and companies such as Apple, IBM, Microsoft, the Discovery Channel, Armani, Disney and Colombia Pictures to stunning locations, and upcoming tours include a striped marlin photo expedition in Mexico, hiking and climbing to see Snow Leopards in India, and Scuba diving and ice exploration when spotting belugas, narwhals, Greenland sharks and polar bears in Canada.

Nachoum has used his photographic expertise to raise awareness of endangered species and the plight of the world’s oceans, winning awards with Nikon in addition to the American Photographer of the Year award and the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.

He has featured on National Geographic as a leader documenting the Red Sea, Great White Sharks and Killer Whales and his work has featured in the related magazine as well as Time, Life and the New York Times.

The Founders Event will also honour Katherine Zacarian who will receive the NextGen SeaKeeper Award for developing new approaches to environmental challenges and biodiversity loss using photography and storytelling. In particular, her work devising solutions for orangutan rescue, rehabilitation and release has inspired the next generation to play a greater and more direct role in animal conservation.

The Founders Event takes place during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), running from the 30th to the 3rd of November.