We were lucky to catch up with Pier Nirandara recently and have shared our conversation below.

Pier, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I was busy climbing the ladder as a film executive in Los Angeles when a trip to South Africa changed everything. On paper, my life seemed perfect. But inside, I was dying with a sense of ennui, constantly asking myself – is this it?

So I set off on what was initially supposed to be a week-long trip to scuba dive South Africa’s world-renown “sardine run.” The week turned into a year, which turned into a lifetime of adventure.

Despite the misnomer, the sardine run has nothing to do with marathons. Nicknamed the “Blue Serengeti,” the sardine run is an event larger in number than the wildebeest migration of Eastern Africa. Millions of fish move up the coast, huddling into tight baitballs as a form of protection in numbers. The shoals often stretch for kilometers long. With these fish come the predators that hunt them: think swimming with sharks, dolphins, birds, and whales as they chase baitballs in frenzied feeding. Basically, if anyone has seen Entourage, I traded swimming with sharks in Hollywood to swimming with actual sharks.

I spent my days on the open ocean, diving into bottomless blues, and returning to the backpackers lodge each night to sit by a campfire, jamming with other travelers on 5-string guitars under the stars. I didn’t know it back then, but the experience would change my life.

The experience ultimately inspired me to leave the security of a film career. I realized that life is hard for two reasons: because you’re leaving your comfort zone—or because you’re staying in it. In scuba diving, we have this act called a giant stride—which is when you stand at the edge of the boat and do a large step into the ocean. That was my goal: to embrace a giant stride into the unknown.

This diving phrase became a philosophy of life as I solo-backpacked across southern Africa, eventually hitting almost 100 countries across all 7 continents, and opened the door to my current career as a travel writer, underwater photographer, and founder of Immersiv Expeditions, where I lead diving trips focused on big animal encounters and marine conservation.

Pier, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In an unexpected way, the trip completely catapulted my career. Because of my time in Africa, I was able to get a prestigious job at Sony Columbia Pictures as a film executive, which opened so many doors. Then it kickstarted my pivot into full-time travel writing and photography, turning adventure into my actual job.

First was the formation of Hollywood Sharks, a diving club for industry execs to link likeminded individuals. I thought, “If Hollywood has tennis and golf clubs, why can’t diving?” It’s also a way of getting high-power industry folks into the water as a way of encouraging up close and personal experiences with natural events that foster a curiosity for conservation.

Not long after, I founded Immersiv Expeditions, an adventure company that encourages people to venture outward while exploring within. The trips have been featured on Conde Nast Traveler and The Hollywood Reporter, and focus on small, intimate groups with vetted guests, featuring curated itineraries with under-the-radar destinations and authentic experiences. We also empower local operators with opportunties to give back, promoting sustainable and regenerative travel.

Through Immersiv Expeditions, I lead dive trips around the world, facilitating similar encounters that cracked open my world perspective and changed my life. It’s a little wild that nowadays, I get to take people on the sardine run, bringing everything full circle!

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Two things: awe and inclusivity.

Awe is a wonderful thing. Through life-affirming moments, it’s a way to spark change, create wonder, and feel a deeper connection to something larger than yourself.

Secondly, as humans, one of our fundamental needs is a desire to belong. I would say most of our clients are actually repeat adventurers because we foster such a strong sense of community and belonging. Through transcendent, life-affirming experiences, people forge deeper, more profound and authentic connections with their common adventurers. It’s hard to share something as transformative as a whale encounter and not be bonded for life!

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For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The freedom that comes with it. Though this is also a double-edged sword, because on one hand, it means you’ll always be working, and have no one else to rely on. On the other hand, I’ve found that trading the comfort zone of the safety net for the freedom to dictate my own life has been incredibly worthwhile.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.piernirandara.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/PiersGreatPerhaps
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/piernirandara
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piernirandara/
• Other: https://www.immersivexpeditions.com/

Image Credits
Animals: © Pier Nirandara Photographs of Pier: © Naude Heunis © Bjorn Kumpers © Jeen Snidvongs © Thom Tom © Keith Mortensen