Year: 2021

“Blowin’ a Gagger” in Tobermory – Shipwrecks, a Grotto, and Ice Cream

Jett & Kathryn Britnell November 15, 2021 Comments are off

Diving Tobermory’s Historic Shipwrecks

My story about diving Tobermory’s historic shipwrecks “Blowin’ a Gagger” in Tobermory – Shipwrecks, a Grotto, and Ice Cream”, was published online today on Shearwater Research‘s website.

This was a fun story to write and is a nod and a wink to the many diving friends I have back east who shared time and space with us during my 10-day diving visit to Tobermory, Ontario, back in 2019.

Mucho thanks to Jeff Shirk, Paul Scott, Greg Hannigan, my fellow Team Zero brothers who drove all the way up from Milwaukee for a visit, (Cal Kothrade aka Mr. #MilwaukeeSettings, Steven Wimer II, and Dirk Wilhelm, Corry Coyea, Divers Den owners Kelly McAdam & Michael Marcotte, and then on my last night at the Seldon’s homestead for dinner Mark Skursky and JD Strang came for a visit and where I met for the first time the lovely and talented Kelly Rizzo who tamed… er well, married… Stuart Seldon. Thanks again, Stuart, for making this visit a blast. Best of all… I can now forever claim to be part of Tobermory’s scuba history having stayed for many nights at the notoriously famous… “Squaller Holler!”

Published Work

Exploring Mars From Pavilion Lake

Jett & Kathryn Britnell June 30, 2021July 25, 2021 Comments are off

Colonies of microbialites in Pavilion Lake photo by Jett Britnell

“WOW! You hit another one out of the park! LOVE this piece. From Martini’s to Mars… Jett and Kathryn rock it!”

~ Editor, Luxe Beat Magazine

We scored another LuxeBeat Magazine… “Editor’s Picks!”

“Get dressed, we’re going on an adventure!”

Everyone needs a friend who will call, and say… “Get dressed, we’re going on an adventure!” And the friend who jump started this adventure was Michel Joseph. That’s Michel with his full underwater camera rig in the picture.

Link to the story is: Here

“Where there is water, there is life!” is an old adage of Astrobiologists. Whenever people pondered the possibility of there being water on Mars, it was often in the context about there being either ancient water or frozen water. However, there was a scientific breakthrough in 2017 when cumulative evidence from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provided scientists with findings that liquid water does indeed flow intermittently each summer on the Red Planet’s mountains, craters and canyons. Evidentiary proof that Mars may in the past, or in the present, been habitable for microorganisms. “Our quest on Mars has been to “follow the water,” in our search for life in the universe, and now we have convincing science that validates what we’ve long suspected. This is a significant development, as it appears to confirm that water, albeit briny, is flowing today on the surface of Mars” said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Published Work

Scubaverse Underwater Photographer Interview: Jett Britnell

Jett & Kathryn Britnell April 23, 2021July 19, 2021 Comments are off

What, or who, has been the single biggest inspiration for your underwater photography?

Apart from the local BC underwater photographers who I dived with regularly, there were also several world-renowned underwater photographers whose work always inspired me. For me, teamwork makes the dream work. I have always been drawn to and admired the photos made by diving couples such as Hans & Lotte Hass, Ron & Valerie Taylor, and Stephen Frink and his dearly departed wife, Barbara Doernbach. Other underwater photo pros whose imagery consistently provided stars to reach for were Amos Nachoum, Chris Newbert, David Doubilet, Howard Hall, Marty Snyderman, and the late Rick Frehsee. They all shot with slide film back in the early days where you only had 36 frames per dive. And then there is what I like to call the new wave of underwater photo pros, the incomparable Ellen Cuylaerts, Michele Westmoreland, Allison Vitsky, Alex Mustard, Ken Kiefer, Eiko Jones, Stewart Sy, Joanna Suan and my brother from another mother and Tobermory’s shipwreck diving legend Stuart Seldon. I would also be remiss if I did not mention Michael Maes who, before turning to the dark side of shooting underwater video, created some stunning underwater still images

Here is a link to the full interview: Here

Published Work

Images Flipped or Rotated

Jett & Kathryn Britnell April 16, 2021 Comments are off

Images Flipped or Rotated

Just a couple of examples of how in original images my be flipped, or rotated to fit the advertising need.

Flip Horizontal

What it looks like when they flip the horizontal on one of my images.

Original Image Below

Rotate 90 Degrees Counter Clockwise

What it looked like when a photo stock agency rotated my image 90 degrees counter clockwise to make the big sale.

How Image Was Originally Shot Below

Life As It Happens

How to become a member of “The Explorers Club?”

Jett & Kathryn Britnell April 12, 2021April 12, 2021 Comments are off

How to become a member “The Explorers Club?”

Membership does have its privileges and this article which was published a few years ago in Men’s Journal (see link at end of this post) provides a quick overview about membership levels. I was named a Fellow in 2016 and Kathryn was named a Fellow in 2019.

As the article states, “Fellows: They’re the most distinguished of the bunch. Fellows have directly and substantially contributed to the scientific understanding of the world through field research on their expeditions.”

Along with securing letters of support from two current club members, all new member applications are also vetted by a judicious membership panel at the Explorers Club headquarters in New York City.

The 113th Explorers Club Annual Dinner on Ellis Island, NYC, March 25, 2017.jpg

When I was urged by a club member to join The Explorers Club, I was never so bold as to assume I had amassed the required qualifications to become a club member, let alone a Fellow. And yet, here we both are.

Here is the link to the Men’s Journal article: Here

Kathryn & Jett Britnell outside The Explorers Club HQ in New York City.

Life As It Happens

Today is our 13th Wedding Anniversary!

Jett & Kathryn Britnell April 2, 2021April 2, 2021 Comments are off

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Every year I post on Facebook something about our wedding anniversary. I have decided to share these posts here for posterity. I will just add that some of you have met, or know, Kathryn in the real sense. Others may only know her virtually. I can say with some authority that she is the real deal. A kinder, more charitable, and better soul you can only feel blessed to have in your orbit. The thing is… she does not truly know how she impacts others. I have had a front row seat for almost 14 years and I cannot recount the number of times she has handed her bag lunch over to a homeless person while she is in her car stopped at a red light. Orchestrating the donation of hundreds of pillows to homeless shelters… the list goes on… all without fanfare… she just quietly and selflessly helps those less fortunate. Kathryn has always done things so much more nobler… and more meaningful in the end… than I have ever done.

So, here we go with sentiments I write from the heart.

April 2021

“13 has always been my lucky number.” ~ Jett Britnell

Tomorrow, April 2nd, is our 13th wedding anniversary. A statement I tossed out into the Facebook universe 13 years ago about my pending marriage to Kathryn is pictured below. The following week we were married near Waimanalo Beach which is located on the southeastern corner of Oahu. Kathryn’s wish was to walk along a turquoise blue ocean shoreline in her white fufu wedding dress. A wish… fulfilled.

In the performance arts, “rhythm” is defined as being the timing of events on a human scale; of musical sounds and silences that occur over time, of the steps of a dance, or the meter of spoken language and poetry.

Happy 13th Wedding Anniversary, Kathryn! I fell in love with your courage, kindness, and your flaming self-respect. Thank you for choosing me to be your husband… and also for holding me in the rhythm of your embrace as we trip the light fandango. How beautiful the dance. xo

April 2020

Happy 12th Wedding Anniversary, Kathryn! 🥂

Twelve years ago today, you could have chosen any other Zaddy (for those who may not have been following the story thus far, a Zaddy is a guy who’s attractive and fashionable, with swagger and sex appeal) on this planet to exchange wedding vows with. But, in your infinite wisdom, you chose me instead (trust you can all appreciate the genius here over how I cleverly give myself a pat on the back while simultaneously passing along a heartfelt compliment). During this time, we have experienced “me love you long time” fun together. All good times that made any challenges we encountered seem nothing more than minor annoyances.

I’m sincerely sorry about those early days in the hospital last fall wherein you had to entertain the fear of the unknown while we awaited some test results. I know there were moments when you felt scared. Through it all, you stood tall, and nobody but me will ever know how much you had to rise above to get through that period. Thank you for being the one who I could lean on during one of those exceedingly rare times in my life (it may have been the only time) when I truly needed someone to lean on.

I have always endeavored to surround myself with kind people. When I entered your life, you inherited a cast of good friends, writers, photographers, scuba divers, explorers and dreamers. All of whom I’m sure would say they were happy to have inherited you through me. And so, it goes… you embraced the madness. The world is in a tough place at the moment. The sun will always shine. Never give up, never surrender, and never forget to keep the fights clean and the sex dirty. And, as always, thank you for choosing me to be your husband! xoxo❤️

April 2019

“Blue skies of Hawaii smile. On this, our wedding day.” ~ Hawaiian Wedding Song.

Tomorrow, April 2nd, is our 11th wedding anniversary!

Kathryn , as you know, it was a stupendously gorgeous sunny day 11 years ago when we posed together for wedding pictures on Waimānalo Beach, with our toes in white sand framed by the scenically beautiful cerulean blue Pacific Ocean that stretches along Oahu’s windward coast. We created quite a stir with a few beachgoers that day; with you looking so breath-takingly beautiful in your white Fufu wedding dress, and me clearly trying to “punch above my weight” in a white tuxedo jacket and looking somewhat rakish as if I had just stepped out of an upscale nightclub and gambling den called, “Rick’s Café Américain”, in Casablanca during World War II. Truly, an unforgettable and absolutely perfect day this one turned out to be.

On this joyful occasion there are far too many eloquent things I could say… along with a never-ending river of words I could write. But I will cut to the chase and simply say this. You are both a good woman and a kind-hearted charitable soul who never ceases to inspire me with your unconditional love & sage wisdom. Thank you, for being all that you are… all that you aspire to be… and always… for choosing me to be your husband.

“Happy anniversary, mi amor precioso!”

April 2018

“Two drifters off to see the world
There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after the same rainbow’s end
Waiting round the bend
My Huckleberry friend
Moon river and me.”

10 years go today, I married my Huckleberry friend, Kathryn, at Waimānalo, Hawaii. This photo was taken about an hour after our wedding ceremony. We were driving back to Honolulu when we saw a pull-out overlooking the ocean. It was wild and windy at the Halona Blowhole Lookout, and we looked quite the pair dressed so formal among the tourists who were in shorts and sandals. Ten years with Kathryn has passed in a heartbeat. From the beginning, we’ve been after the same rainbows end. In this regard, we feel blessed and our hearts are filled with gratitude for all the best things in life we have shared together. There’s such a lot of world to see. May the love between us always remain wild and wind-blown. ❤️

April 2017

“And I’d choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you.” ― Kiersten White, The Chaos of Stars

Kathryn, I’m confident I could probably have written something as eloquent as this, but hey, we’ve had a busy two weeks what with New York, the all day course today, and more tomorrow. I felt these words captured it well. Happy 9th wedding anniversary tomorrow! XO

April 2016

Happy 8th Wedding Anniversary, Kathryn!

It’s been said a happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short. To miss someone whenever they are not near. To feel truly missed whenever I cannot be there. To know the only thing that can make you feel crazy is the world outside, and never that person with whom you share a bed. To always want more for the other person, than you want for yourself. To be greeted with a warm smile when you awake each morning or after a long day. Sharing steps in time with a soul who loves unconditionally, understands you, desires for your happiness and warmly embraces those whom you love. There is no, “I’ll try to protect you” when I know with absolute certainty and without hesitation that I would step in front of a moving train to save you. Kathryn you make our life together seem effortless. If these things are not the basic ingredients for a good marriage, I don’t know what is? Thank you! …for eight years of wedded bliss and also for choosing me to be your husband. XXX

April 2014

April 2013

“I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss from her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it.” ~ From the movie City of Angels

A shout out for my beautiful wife this morning on our “Numero Cinco Wedding Anniversary!!!” If I had to sum up my feelings about our marriage in one word, that word would be… BLISS! Thank you, Kathryn, for being such an Über amazing wife and for choosing me to be your husband! Happy 5th Anniversary, baby!!

Enjoyed an exceptionally wonderful wedding anniversary dinner at Vancouver’s famed French restaurant, Le Crocodile, with Kathryn, the Wonder Spouse, tonight. Life is good! Very good, indeed!

April 2012

Enjoyed an exceptionally wonderful wedding anniversary dinner at Vancouver’s famed French restaurant, Le Crocodile, with Kathryn, the Wonder Spouse, tonight. Life is good! Very good, indeed!

April 2011

“Celebrating our 3^rd Wedding Anniversary!”

“Love is… born with the pleasure of looking at each other, it is fed with the necessity of seeing each other, it is concluded with the impossibility of separation.” ~ Unknown

And yeah, I love you to pieces. Kathryn. Happy Anniversary, lover! XOXO

April 2010

Today is our 2nd wedding anniversary!!! Very few things in life can compare to waking up, or turning in each night, with your best friend. Thanks Katie, for making my life rich beyond compare! You are the best!

April 2009

Celebrating one year of wedded bliss with my one true love, Kathryn!

Life As It Happens

It still works!: Orca Edge Dive Computer

Jett & Kathryn Britnell March 28, 2021 Comments are off

The Orca Edge

The Orca “EDGE” dive computer changed everything. Released in January 1983, Orca Industries Inc.’s EDGE was the first commercial dive computer that proved to be reliable. Weighing in at 1.6 pounds, this brick-sized milled-aluminum, EDGE displayed a diver’s theoretical tissue loading in real-time, and enabled users to do full decompression dives to 200 ft./60 m. EDGE is actually an acronym standing for “Electronic Dive Guide.”

Orca Edge Dive Computer – photo by Jett Britnell

Built Like A Brick

I purchased this EDGE in 1988. It did change our diving profiles and Lord knows, I did take it over the edge a few times. Somehow, we always managed to re-surface in agreement, OK, there was that one time on a remote reef in New Caledonia where, if it could speak, my EDGE would have told me… “You’re, done for.” Hey, there were some feeding manta rays somersaulting between 70 to 110 feet deep that I was hell-bent on photographing. I paid for it by pulling some serious deco time wherein I had to sit alone on the edge of a steep drop-off in 15 feet of water at dusk while the zodiac ferried all the other divers back to the mother ship. The dive guides came back for me and I made it back onboard in time for dinner. My trusty EDGE, however, did not emerge from a never seen before “deep freeze mode” until the next morning. Hey, it was the early 90’s, we were young and revolution was in the air. All this to say, in its day, the Orca EDGE Dive Computer was a technical marvel.

In The Press

MARTINI: The Elixir of Quietude Published in Luxe Beat Magazine

Jett & Kathryn Britnell March 25, 2021July 21, 2021 Comments are off

Olives make a great Martini garnish Jett Britnell

“OMG… I love it! Such a lovely piece.”

~ Sherrie Wilkolaski, Editor in Chief & CEO, Luxe Beat Magazine

We have earned another “Editors Pick” and feature story!

“For the uninitiated, a Martini is a classic cocktail made by blending only two basic ingredients, A London Dry Gin and vermouth. Shake or stir these two spirits together, and garnish with either an olive or a lemon twist, then strain into a chilled Martini cocktail glass. The gin Martini is one of the most elegant and popular mixed alcoholic cocktails on the planet. While the dry gin Martini was popular from around 1910 to 1950, the vodka Martini rose in popularity from the 1950s onward and quickly gained ardent fans. Gin unquestionably remains the more classic traditional spirit as it presents a crisper botanical note. “Vegas Water,” a slang term for shots of vodka, is deemed to be smooth and silkier on the tongue. The debate rages on within the cocktail firmament as to which base spirit is superior in a Martini, but it truly all boils down to being a matter of personal taste.”

MARTINI: The Elixir of Quietude, is our magnum opus… chef-d’œuvre… passionate homage praising the Martini cocktail. A departure from our normal subject matter, but something that was already largely written in our soul from experience. This story is heavy on the word count as we included some martini recipes along with historical content. Drinks all around!

Hammer of the Gods Martini – Photo by Jett Britnell

Link to story here: MARTINI

Published Work

Published!: Beneath British Columbia’s Nakwakto Rapids

Jett & Kathryn Britnell February 7, 2021February 7, 2021 Comments are off

Standing wave rushing past Tremble Islands perimeter Jett Britnell

Our latest Third Age Expeditions column called… “Liquid Rush!: Beneath British Columbia’s Nakwakto Rapids” has just been published in Luxe Beat Magazine. This article has also earned us another “Editors Picks.”

39 KILOMETERS PER HOUR!

“In recent times, the Guinness Book of World Records once listed Nakwakto Rapids as having “the fastest navigable tidal currents in the world!” – up to 39 kilometers per hour during its largest tidal exchanges! A notorious title Nakwakto Rapids can no longer lay claim to as in recent years the turbulent currents at British Columbia’s Sechelt Rapids were measured as being a tad faster.”

Story Link: Here

Published Work

Polar Cruising Norway’s Arctic Archipelago

Jett & Kathryn Britnell January 1, 2021 Comments are off

Screen Shot 2021 01 01 at 10.20.05 AM e1609532155112

Our story “Polar Cruising Norway’s Arctic Archipelago” is published in the January 2021 edition of INSPIRED 55+ Lifestyle Magazine. The article is about polar expedition cruising in Svalbard, Norway, one of the world’s northernmost inhabited areas known for glacial fjords, frozen tundra Svalbard reindeer, Arctic foxes, walrus and polar bears.

Article here: Polar Cruising Norway’s Arctic Archipelago.PDF

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