Category Published Work

The Philippines: Tripping the Depths Fantastic with Atlantis Dive Resorts

Jett & Kathryn Britnell February 11, 2023 Comments are off

Common lionfish Pterois volitans JETT BRITNELL

The Philippines

Last year, Kathryn and I accepted an invitation from diving legend and Atlantis ImageMakers Ambassador, Marty Snyderman, to fly to the Philippines in August, with an international group of nine other underwater photo pros, to participate in Atlantis ImageMakers 2022, hosted by Atlantis Dive Resorts and Liveaboards, Philippines.

Our collective mission for two weeks between the two resorts, Atlantis Dumaguete and Atlantis Puerto Galera, was to do nothing except come along and… “bring a great attitude, dive safely, and above all have fun!” We did all that, and more. While we were under no obligation to do so… we decided to write a story about it for our adventure column in Luxe Beat Magazine.

Flamboyant cuttlefish Jett Britnell — Flamboyant cuttlefish. Photo by Jett Britnell.

Whatever you give in love… always comes back to you in countless ways.

Published Work

Pub Crawling London’s Immortal Drinking Dens

Jett & Kathryn Britnell January 19, 2023 Comments are off

London’s immortal drinking dens have been part of the storied town’s cultural fabric for centuries. Swarthy smugglers, roguish pirates, drunken sailors, dreaded press gangs, a great fire, multiple wars, literary legends, inebriated philosophers, dubious politicians, spurned lovers, hell raising thespians, ribald poets, hedonistic rock stars, gentrification, and a global pandemic could not bring London’s celebrated pub culture to its knees. Shrouded in history, London’s boozers are rife with tall tales of excessive indulgence, scandals, and allegedly stories of spooky paranormal activity. These worn-in social shrines of yore have been the backbone of British society and provided a meeting place where people from all walks of life could order an amber elixir, soak in the atmosphere, and get drunk on history.

The Coal Hole entrance Jett Britnell — The Coal Hole entrance. Photo by Jett Britnell

Our story “Pub Crawling London’s Immortal Drinking Dens” was published this morning in Luxe Beat Magazine and it has earned us our 16th “Editor’s Pick” and another “Feature.” I had to truly take one for the team on this boozer expedition as I had to bend the elbow… I mean… conduct solo research… at several of London’s historic pubs without Kathryn as she was attending some business meetings while in town. With a nod and a wink to Charles Dickens… “It was a far, far better thing that I did than I have ever done; it was a far, far better pub crawl that I went on than I have ever known.

The Mayflower pub. Photo by Jett Britnell

Story is: Here

Published Work

“Walking the Algarve’s Wild West” Published in LuxeBeat Magazine!

Jett & Kathryn Britnell July 27, 2022July 27, 2022 Comments are off

The Algarve

For outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers, Portugal’s western Algarve is increasingly becoming known for being an ideal hiking destination to immerse oneself in an off the beaten path adventure. Renowned for its wave-swept sea cliff-backed beaches, golden sand dunes, deserted footpaths, and whitewashed fishing villages, the Algarve’s western coastline is breathtakingly beautiful. In the interior, the pastoral countryside is characterized by rolling hills and verdant valleys dotted with cork plantations and small rural villages where time has seemingly stood still.

Rota Vincentina

The lush forested green spaces are comprised of cork, eucalyptus, and pine trees interspersed with scenic gravel backroads and well-trodden footpaths. Barring any unforeseen heat waves, the climate here is relatively mild during the winter and warm in summer. Many of the natural sites are protected areas and have been designated UNESCO world heritage sites. It’s remarkable that so few people seem to know about the Algarve’s wild west?

Link to story is: HERE

Published Work

“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

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

Published Work

A Day at the Museum: Finding Beauty, Truth and Meaning in Norway

Jett & Kathryn Britnell October 12, 2020July 23, 2021 Comments are off

The original Kon Tiki raft Jett Britnell

Our latest Third Age Expeditions column for Luxe Beat Magazine called “A Day at the Museum: Finding Beauty, Truth and Meaning in Norway” was published today. This story has also garnered us another “Editor’s Picks” shout out!

“During our last trip to Norway, we had one free day in Oslo to devote to museum visits and managed to squeeze in four of them. The next day soon after we landed in Svalbard, a remote Norwegian archipelago situated between continental Norway and the North Pole, we were able to make a quick visit to the Svalbard Museum in Longyearbyen hours before boarding and embarking on a 10-day polar cruising expedition. Yes, even here in “Northernmost inhabited place in the world”, there was a museum. What follows provides a summary of five spectacular museums we chose to visit while in Norway.”

(Play Nice In The Sandbox, Kids. Ask, Don't Steal)