I had the immense pleasure of hanging out with Sanjay Joshi a couple of days ago on my birthday.

In the car, we had some interesting conversations, and I would like to share one with you. He asked me: who do I view as competitors in the video content world? I hadn’t considered that question before, and it made me realize that I don’t view anyone as competition, but rather colleagues that inspire one another, and I myself have a few people that I regularly share content and ideas with. I, along with most people who create content for youtube, don’t get paid much (most of do this on our own dime) for what we do; we’re motivated by our love for the hobby and to document/share some of our findings with fellow hobbyists. He then asked me who inspires me, and that really got me thinking…

So, here are a few people that I mentioned to him, that I would like to share with you, in case you don’t already follow their channels:

1.) Colin Foord – Coral Morphologic

Colin and Jared are artists that reside in Miami, Florida. They bring a completely different approach to the words “beauty” and “bioluminescence”. Their breathtaking footages are a huge inspiration and motivate me to do better all the time. Colin is also heavily involved in South Florida’s coral restoration projects, and you can find their work on their facebook page. You can also find his work in museums, airports, and in prominent art shows like Art Basel.

2.) Than Thein – Tidal Gardens 

Than has been around for years now, providing us with some amazing insights, tips, and breathtaking macro shots of his gorgeous corals. It’s an extremely well-rounded channel that covers A LOT of information.

3.) Keith Berkelhamer  – Reef Bum TV

Keith is one of those old-school reefers that deserves our respect and recognition. Author of the new “A ReefBum’s Guide To Keeping an SPS Reef Tank: A Blueprint For Success.”  , he has won countless Tank of the Month recognitions from some of the biggest reef platforms (Reef Central, etc) and is an amazingly selfless reefer that loves to share his tips with everyone. He has a very versatile channel that not only helps you keep a beautiful reef but also help you take better photos and videos, and gives great advice on how to utilize your equipment to its full potential. Also, his macro shots of corals are awe-inspiring.

4.) George Mavrakis – Coralfish12g 

George. The youngest in this list but possibly the brightest. He’s that little brother that grew up in the hobby; we literally watched him grow from pre-teenage years to the man he is today. He’s doing a lot of amazing things lately, like traveling around the world with the facebook video viral group, Nas Daily, to spread awareness of our hobby. His editing has been improving SO MUCH that now I consider him to be one of the best in our hobby in terms of editing and entertainment value of his content. His vlogs are highly entertaining and I am sure that many of us can relate to the content that he puts out.

5.) Mok-Yi Chow – Inappropriate Reefer

Mok-Yi takes us for a ride on his adventures with his tanks. You see all of the good, bad, and ugly on his channel and you can’t help but to feel for him and embrace him as one of your own. You can see that he’s a genuine addict like most of us, and I’ve enjoyed watching his progress of becoming a more and more advanced hobbyist with each video. It’s entertaining and refreshing.

6.) – Devin Rich – Reef Dudes

At first glance, Devin’s channel looks like many other youtubers’ that simply post updates and shots of their personal aquarium. But that is very far from the truth. What’s different about him is that he goes in-depth on topics that a lot of people would never touch.  Whether it’s controversial or technical, he gets right in and tells you all about it. He shows many easy DIY projects that you can incorporate into your own aquarium, and holds live stream sessions with his subscribers to answer their questions live. It’s a very interesting channel and you should definitely check it out!

Alright guys, that was my list of youtubers that inspire me and get me going.

If you haven’t checked them out, please do yourself a favor and give them a view, hit that subscribe button and enjoy the free, amazing contents that they pump out!

Happy reefing!

final note: (I’ve left out the obvious, uber-famous, and inspiring BRS, Reef Builders Melev’s Reef and Mr Saltwatertank TV. I don’t think there is one hobbyist out there who doesn’t know who these guys are!)