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Jett Britnell Photographics

Tag: explorers

Life As It Happens

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

Jett & Kathryn Britnell Posted onApril 12, 2021April 12, 2021 Comments are off
Explorers Club Sign Jett Britnell

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.
Published Work

Gearing Up For A Polar Expedition Cruise

Jett & Kathryn Britnell Posted onMay 26, 2020May 28, 2020 Comments are off
Out on the Arctic sea ice north of Svalbard Norway. Photo by Jett Britnell

Editor’s Picks

“Gearing Up For A Polar Expedition Cruise” is our latest Luxe Beat Third Age Expeditions column  has just been published. And we have another “Editor’s Picks” feature!

Third Age Expeditions May 2020 – Jett Britnell

Not unlike during the “Heroic Age” of polar exploration over just over a century ago, participating in a modern-day polar expedition cruise does require substantially more planning than a vacation trip to Greece or Hawaii.

Link to article: Here

Life As It Happens

League of Underwater Explorers

Jett & Kathryn Britnell Posted onMay 9, 2020May 9, 2020 Comments are off
Screen Shot 2020 05 08 at 8.23.19 AM

“To figuratively stand upon the shoulders of great explorers, one must venture outdoors and seize the opportunity to explore the world that surrounds them. In truth, that’s all we ever did. Explore.. Dream… Discover.”

~ Jett Britnell

Kathryn and I both feel honoured to be part of a fraternity that is EXPLOCEAN’s LEAGUE OF UNDERWATER EXPLORERS. Thank you to our long time friend, Bill Nadeau, for the invitation to join such an illustrious band of undersea explorers.

League of Underwater Explorers

EXPLOCEAN and the LEAGUE OF UNDERWATER EXPLORERS primary mandate is to create opportunities for all people to discover our world by promoting underwater exploration. Our objective is to empower future generations to leave a legacy of ecological sustainability and inspire them to take stewardship of the planet and all its waterways by sharing our own discoveries.

More info: Here

Life As It Happens

Explorers Talk: The Morning After

Jett & Kathryn Britnell Posted onNovember 7, 2019January 4, 2022 Comments are off
Explorers Club Talk Vancouver Aqua 7765

The Gods Were Smiling

It hit me last night soon after I started Explorers Talk with some opening comments. Kathryn had just introduced the first speaker, Jude Isabella, Chief Editor of Hakai Magazine, when it occurred to me that all the months of organizing, coordinating and preparation leading up to this evening was all in the lap of the gods now. Jude was about 2 minutes into her presentation and I’m sitting in the audience thinking… “Ohhh, this is good!” Clearly, the gods were smiling.

Indeed, the Explorers Club – Canadian Chapter Fellows from the BC / Yukon Region who had graciously agreed to give presentations all knocked it out of the park.

Jett Britnell gives opening remarks at Explorers Talk, Nov 5th 2019, Aquaquest Theatre at Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Canada. Photo by Craig Minielly.

Jude Isabella

Jude Isabella presented “Taking the Measure of a Mysterious Monkey” which was about the plight of Borneo’s fascinating Proboscis monkey.

Jude Isabella. Photo by Craig Minielly.

Isabelle Groc

Isabelle Groc’s stunning photography visually illustrated her long-term study of Sea Otters in a presentation titled, “A Journey into the Sea Otter Coast.”

Isabelle Groc. Photo by Craig Minielly.

Phil Nuytten

Phil Nuytten’s presentation “Land that Devours Ships” was about the first High Arctic dives in 1981 on the Breadalbane (a British merchant ship which sank in the Barrow Strait near Nunavut’s Beechey Island in 1853) using the WASP, an atmospheric diving suit similar to the Newtsuit. Phil also gave us an enticing glimpse into some ongoing modern-day undersea exploration being conducted in Greece wherein the Hellenic Navy is surveying what has been called “the Titanic of the Ancient World,” the Antikythera treasure shipwreck.

Phil Nuytten. Photo by Craig Minielly.

Antikythera Mechanism

Among the sunken treasures discovered in this Roman-era shipwreck dating from the second quarter of the first century BC, was the celebrated “Antikythera Mechanism,” an ancient Greek analogue computer used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendar and astrological purposes decades in advance. All the statues and other treasures onboard when the vessel sank were gifts destined to be delivered to Julius Caesar. Just pause to think about that… gifts destined for Julius Caesar.

Phil Nuytten at Explorers Talk. Photo by Craig Minielly.

Time, He’s Waiting in the Wings

Our primary concern was to respect the audience’s time by not running overtime. As it turned out, we ended the three presentations with 30 minutes to spare. I asked the audience if they would like to see a brief presentation of some underwater images from British Columbia? It was unanimous, so I gave a presentation called, “Tropical Splendour…in a Cold Sea.”  Afterwards, a heartfelt thank you to all… some gifts of appreciation for our speakers… and wham bam… we had all exited the theatre spot on time at 9PM.

Jett Britnell presenting, Nov 5th 2019, Aquaquest Theatre at Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Canada. Photo by Craig Minielly.

The Audience

We are filled with gratitude to all who attended Explorers Talk. Some attendees came from as far away as Abbotsford, Whistler, Salt Spring Island and Vancouver Island. Apart from the Explorers Club members who came, I feel we succeeded in creating greater awareness about the The Explorers Club through our outreach to the general public with this event.

Explorers Talk audience. Photo by Craig Minielly.

Kathryn Britnell

No event of this magnitude just happens, nor is it the reflection of work by just one person. Along with the speakers, the Vancouver Aquarium supported us in providing a theatre and Audio Visual and Security personnel at a price far below what they usually charge. My multi-talented wife, Kathryn, coordinated the event insurance through SBC Insurance Agencies Ltd., and also took on the duties of introducing each speaker and inviting them to the stage.

Kathryn Britnell. Photo by Craig Minielly.

Our Volunteers

We also were the beneficiaries of support from three amazing volunteers. We enlisted the assistance of local photo pro, Nikon Ambassador, and TEC Member, Craig Minielly to photograph the event. In return for his photographic prowess, I promised him he would be handsomely rewarded with EXPOSURE (yes, we both chuckled over that). Coleen Clancy, TEC’s Social Media Goddess, performed her social media voodoo during the event, took some photos, and supported us in promoting Explorers Talk in the days and weeks leading up to the event. Coleen messaged me last night, “I have more that I will post tomorrow. Thanks again! It was a great night. My friend Erzsi now wants to become a member.” And last, but certainly not least, our friend and fellow Royal Canadian Geographical Society Fellow, Ruby Banwait, answered our call to check off names on the guest list as people arrived. Craig, Coleen and Ruby, you are the best! Thank you for your friendship and support in helping to make Explorers Talk a success.

Explorers Talk evening with Phil Nuytten. Photo by Craig Minielly.

Inhale love, Exhale Gratitude

Well, that as they say, is a wrap. There were several people in the audience who enthusiastically wanted to know when the next Explorers Talk will be? Good question? As I said to Kathryn over a late dinner last night, that question is somewhat akin to asking a mother just moments after she has given birth… “When are you going to have your next baby?” In that moment, you just want to absorb what just happened. Ask me again… in a few months. At this moment… I’m inhaling love… and exhaling gratitude.

Life As It Happens

Explorers Talk At The Vancouver Aquarium, November 5th!

Jett & Kathryn Britnell Posted onAugust 6, 2019 Comments are off

Explorers Talk!

It is my distinct pleasure that I can now formally announce who the speakers will be for “Explorers Talk” on November 5th, at the Vancouver Aquarium Theatre. In no particular order, they are:

Jude Isabella, FI’19

Jude is Founder and Editor in Chief of Hakai Magazine, a magazine focused on science and society in coastal ecosystems. As a freelancer, she writes about science and the environment for readers young and old. Her book, “Salmon: A Scientific Memoir” (2014), explores the human relationship with Pacific salmon and chronicles her discoveries and thoughts collected over a four-year period in the field with scientists who study British Columbia’s coastal ecosystem.

Isabelle Groc, FI’13

Award-winning environmental writer and conservation photographer, Isabelle Groc shares her passion for everything wild, big and small, on land, in water, on the move. Her work focuses on environmental science, wildlife natural history and conservation, endangered species, marine mammals and ecosystems, and the changing relationships between people and the natural world. She aims to create engaging stories that increase our understanding and awareness of conservation issues and inspire change.

Phil Nuytten, FI’85

A recipient of the Order of Canada and Order of British Columbia, internationally recognized pioneer in the diving industry, Phil Nuytten has spent 40 years creating deep-water dive products that have opened the ocean’s depths to exploration and industry. Among his many pursuits Phil is an inventor; scientist; Sub-sea engineer; commercial diver; deep-sea explorer; author; carver and native advocate; entrepreneur; designer of the Newtsuit and the Exosuit; publisher of DIVER Magazine, the longest-established scuba magazine in North America; President of Nuytco Research; opened his first dive store in 1957; founded Can-Dive Service in 1966; co-founder of Oceaneering International in 1969; took part in the first saturation dive under polar ice; took part in the first mixed-gas dives under polar ice; given the name Tlaxwsam (Red Snapper) by the Kwakwaka’wakw tribe. Yes, we’re willing to take a chance on this multi-talented local kid who announced back in September 2018 that he was designing, and planned to build, an underwater human settlement off of the coast of Vancouver, Canada in the Pacific Ocean.

It is with immense gratitude that I extend our deepest thanks to all three of these Explorers Club Fellows for generously agreeing to participate in the Explorers Club, Canadian Chapter, BC / Yukon Region’s first Explorers Talk event. Many thanks also to all who put their name forward.

Jett Britnell FI’16, FRCGS, FRGS

Regional Director BC/Yukon
Canadian Chapter
The Explorers Club

Life As It Happens

Explorers Talk in Vancouver, November 5th

Jett & Kathryn Britnell Posted onJuly 25, 2019November 7, 2019 Comments are off

As the Explorer Club’s Regional Director, BC/Yukon, Canadian Chapter, it is with great pleasure I can now confirm “Explorers Talk” in Vancouver is all systems go!

Tickets available here: Explorers Talk Tickets

The Vancouver Aquarium Theatre is booked for the evening of November 5th!

A call for three presenters from the Explorer Club’s BC / Yukon Chapter is in progress. Soon after August 1st, we will announce the speakers.

$20.00 general admission tickets will be offered exclusively to BC/Yukon Explorers Club membership for two weeks. After that, all remaining tickets will be made available for sale to the public. We will post when this happens.

So… take your protein pills and put your helmet on as the countdown has commenced for “Explorers Talk” in Vancouver.

Until then, dare to Explore… Dream… Discover.

Jett Britnell FI’16, FRCGS, FRGS
Regional Director BC/Yukon
Canadian Chapter
The Explorers Club

In The Press

Third Age Expeditions: An Explorer’s Life Laid Bare

Jett & Kathryn Britnell Posted onMay 15, 2018May 7, 2019 Comments are off

An Explorer’s Life Laid Bare

A few weeks ago, I was approached to author a monthly column for “Luxe Beat Magazine – Where Quality Meets Luxury.” I accepted and we agreed on naming the column “Third Age Expeditions,” which will primarily be about exploratory travel adventures and doing some “off the beaten path” things you may never have thought of doing before. In their own words, “Luxe Beat Magazine is the premiere resource for all things luxury. Our writers travel the globe to uncover the absolute best that the world has to offer. With content provided by a consortium of the most esteemed and talented writers in the luxury and travel industry, Luxe Beat offers an uncommon perspective.”

If you get a chance, show us some love and check out our column. Don’t be shy. Please feel free to leave some eloquently written, embarrassingly glowing, comments that would even make one of the sixteen vestal virgins who were leaving for the coast blush. Of course, I remain open to answering the front door bell for couriers delivering a gratuitous bottle of single-malt scotch to fuel my Hemingway-esque sort of general malaise that only the genius possess… and the insane lament. Cheers! ?

Link to Column.

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