Cheryl-Samantha Owen is a photographer, environmental journalist, conservation/marine biologist, and author who specializes in documenting marine life in the oceans that surround Africa. Her work has appeared in publications  including Africa Geographic, BBC Wildlife and the Daily Telegraph. She is currently completing her first book, a wildlife-watching guide to southern Africa’s oceans and coast. Cheryl-Sam was born in Kenya and has spent much of her life working on the African continent. She holds an MSc degree in Conservation Biology from the prestigious Percy Fitzpatrick Institute at the University of Cape Town and has carried out conservation fieldwork on elephants in Botswana and work on wildlife tourism in East Africa.

Her work as the Ocean Correspondent for the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) sees her on the conservation frontline, raising awareness and inspiring people to appreciate the intricate nature of how we are all bound to the health of the sea. In particular she focuses with SOSF on changing the media driven perception of sharks and highlights the important role that sharks play in marine ecosystems.