Talks on the Rock with James Hyde – Underwater Oddities

Tickets available through Vashon Center for the Arts.

Dive into Vashon’s underwater world without having to hold your breath! Underwater photographer James Hyde will share and discuss a selection of his favorite subaquatic stills and videos.

Bianca Perla, Director of Vashon Nature Center says, “This talk is a unique chance to peek below the surface of the water surrounding Vashon and to uncover the mysteries of our deep backyard. Having grown up here James has a unique sensibility in regards to this place that will resonate with a lot of people here. He’s a talented photographer and experienced marine naturalist with a flare for storytelling that makes everything an adventure!”

James is a home-grown, free-range Pacific Northwest outdoorsmen. Born in Seattle and reared nearby on Vashon Island, he grew up in and surrounded by the Salish Sea. James has saltwater in his veins, but would be quick to point out we all do, echoing Carl Safina ” We are, in a sense, soft vessels of seawater.” Born with the travel bug, James was fortunate enough to spend time on four continents before graduating college. During his studies at Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment, James went to Australia and visited the Great Barrier Reef. He was never the same. A lifetime of playing in the productive, but opaque green water of the Northwest had offered him little firsthand experience of the creatures below its depths, but with a clear view of the colorful dramas playing out across the bottom of the tropical Pacific, he was hooked. Scuba diving and underwater ecology were solidified as his passion and after college, it took him to a dive shop in Seattle fixing gear, tidepooling with local middle school students, and generally making a spectacle of himself in the surf.

Then unaware of expedition travel, James longed to blend his love for travel, conservation, and the marine environment. After a tip-off (and a reference from a childhood friend he joined the Lindblad Expeditions’ team in 2016 as a Dive Buddy. Working across the fleet as a Naturalist and Expedition Diver, James learned all he could about the ecosystems of the beautiful and remote places our ships visit. Finally becoming an Undersea Specialist, he continues to be fascinated by the Ocean and all that is in it. He hopes to inspire conservation of the beautiful and unusual ecosystems that flourish in protected waters. Additionally, he hopes to further the contributions Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic make to the scientific community by engaging in citizen science projects, monitoring for ocean plastics in remote locations, and being involved with other partnerships from Universities, to Research Institutes, to conservation groups worldwide.