Feliz Año Nuevo 2012 From Cozumel!

Feliz Año Nuevo 2012! to all our friends and family. We'll be in downtown San Miguel, Cozumel tonight ringing in the new year. Have a safe New Year's Eve and we hope 2012 brings you much joy, success & happiness!

Christmas in Cozumel - The Gifts Are Underwater!

Palancar Reef is Cozumel’s most famous diving attraction with massive housed-sized coral buttresses. Palancar’s reef structure is comprised of a three and a half mile long stretch of patch reefs, sand channels, impressive drop-offs and towering coral ramparts, the peaks of which rise to within 60 to 100 feet of the surface.  The walls of these monolithic edifices are honeycombed with tunnels, ballroom-sized caverns and passageways.  Look over the edge of Palancar’s abyssal drop-off and you will be gazing at the Undersea Temple of the Mayan Gods, the 3,000 foot ocean trench that separates Cozumel from the Yucatan Peninsula.

 Juvenile Spotted Drum - They're a bitch to photograph!

Nassau Grouper - famed underwater photographer, Stephen Frink, kindly commented on this image: "Outstanding composition, Jett. Makes you want to be there."

 Palancar Reef

 Splendid Toadfsh - they are indigenous to Cozumel and not easy to find.

 Kathryn's photo of Jett at work.

 Kathryn diving Palancar Reef.

 Kathryn diving Palancar Reef.

Christmas Eve in Cozumel - Midnight Mass.

Cozumel, Mexico: December 24, 2011: The alter at the beautiful Cathedral of Corpus Christi in San Miguel, Cozumel. I took the family here for Midnight Mass. Though the service was entirely in Spanish, everyone enjoyed the once in a lifetime experience. The church was beautifully decorated and there were children dressed for their Christmas pageant, with little Mary, Joseph and Angels & Shepherds.

Feliz Navidad! - Christmas In Cozumel 2011

 

As I was taking this picture of my mom and Kathryn on Christmas Eve with one of the local police officers on Cozumel's main street, I was thinking, "Yup, if I had an Uzi submachine gun, I'd hang it over my chest for all the world to see too!"

One Of Our Images Used For A Puzzle!

Majestic Puzzles, in Kansas City, Missouri, used one of my images for one of their puzzles about this time last year. I only came across this photo of the puzzle while doing a random Google search. Photo was taken while diving with the Wakatobi Dive Resort, Indonesia.

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

"Vancouver, My Name Is Prince. Are You Ready For Me?" Apparently, We're NOT!!!

While many in the audience were deliriously excited with what Prince was delivering on stage at Rogers Arena last night, I gotta say he fell well short of our expectations. And, I know, I'm not alone in that opinion given the negative reviews voiced by others during his "Welcome 2 Canada" Tour.

What a disappointing performance from someone of his caliber. I would highly recommend that Prince takes in a Taylor Swift concert as soon as possible to witness a true star who respects and appreciates their fans. Miss Swift puts on a show that WILL BLOW YOU AWAY. Regretfully, last night was my first... and LAST... Prince concert.

Absolute highlight of the evening last night was having a pre-show dinner with Kathryn at the Black & Blue Restaurant on Alberni Street. Great food, wonderful atmosphere, and the prettiest view of all, my darling wife!

Prince, here's what I'm ready for. I'm ready for you to reimburse us $123 Canadian dollars for having to witness the PRETENTIOUS train wreck you were trying to sell at Rogers Arena last night. Dinner with my wife is happily on me.

BC Association Of Travel Writers - Director At Large.

"Congratulation!" to my wife, Kathryn, who is now serving as Director at Large for the BC Association of Travel Writers.

The BC Association of Travel Writers (BCATW) is a non profit association duly constituted under the British Columbia Societies Act. Presenting a platform for BC-Based travel journalists to network together in the common cause of promoting the profession. As a group, and through travel industry contact, to support members in marketing their work.

Continuous Lighting in Underwater Still Photography.

An excellent article on Continuous Lighting in Underwater Still Photography by fellow underwater photographers, Andy Sallmon and Allison Vitsky, is posted on the DIVE PHOTO GUIDE website. Their story features Light & Motion’s Sola Lights which are awesome!

Here’s the link: www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-techniques/article/still-photography-continuous-lighting/

Broughton Islands Cruising Guide: A New Book By Peter Vassilopoulos.

Peter Vassilopoulos, former publisher of Canada’s DIVER Magazine, has released an updated version of “Broughton Islands Cruising Guide”, one of his popular boating guidebooks. To celebrate its arrival, Peter and his wife, Carla, held an informal book launch/social at their home in Tsawwassen today. 

Peter has long been an avid boater and has authored several Pacific Northwest boating guidebooks. I first met Peter & Carla over two decades ago when they added me to DIVER Magazine’s masthead as a contributing editor. Peter & Carla became good friends who always lent support and encouragement as I learned the craft of writing scuba diving magazine editorial. I was happy to contribute three photos to Peter’s latest book and welcomed the opportunity for Kathryn to finally meet them today.

“Broughton Islands Cruising Guide” is available at many local bookstores and Amazon at: www.amazon.com/Cruising-Broughton-Islands-Desolation-Discovery/dp/0919317464

Our World Underwater 2012: Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town!

Just learned that Kathryn and I have been selected to present three seminars at OUR WORLD UNDERWATER in Chicago in February 2012. We're thrilled as this marks the third time we will be participating in this annual consumer dive show. We're also looking forward to dining out at some Chicago's fine Italian restaurants.

The seminars we're presenting are:

Dive with A Pro Seminars:

Shoot Like an Underwater Pro.

Working with U/W Models:  Tips & Tricks for U/W Models & Photographers.

Dive The World Seminars:

Descent into the Maelstrom – British Columbia’s Nakwakto Rapids.

For more information, go to the OUR WORLD UNDERWATER website:

www.ourworldunderwater.com/Attendees/Saturday-Sunday-Seminars/