Dr. Guy Harvey – Artist, Scientist, Angler and Conservationist
In this podcast episode of The League of Extraordinary Divers I chat with Guy Harvey. There is no other artist who is better known than Guy Harvey for underwater images. And, there is no other artist who has made greater contributions to ocean conservation than Guy Harvey.
Guy Harvey is an artist, scientist, angler, conservationist and extraordinary diver. Growing up in Jamaica, Guy spent many hours fishing and diving with his father along the Island’s south coast. He was obsessed with the creatures of the sea and began drawing pictures of the many different fish he observed. From his early inspirations, Guy’s natural gift to recreate marine life has propelled him from Professor of Marine Biology to a Wildlife Artist and Photographer.
In 1985, he depicted Ernest Hemingway’s famous fishing story “The Old Man & the Sea” through a series of 44 original pen and ink drawings and displayed them at an exhibition in Jamaica. Based on the positive response he received at the show, Guy began painting full time and by 1988 was providing custom artwork for use on a variety of products. Guy began to travel the world to gain more knowledge of the habits and activities of marine wildlife. He became an avid scuba diver and skilled underwater photographer. He pioneered a technique of diving and photographing free-swimming billfish. His personal observations made during these diving expeditions have better enabled him to capture the detail in his paintings that contributes to the popularity of his work.
Guy’s artwork can be found in art exhibits, stores, galleries, restaurants and at fishing tournaments. He makes appearances at store openings as well as public appearances for a variety of environmental causes. His passion for the beauty and wonder of the underwater world has driven Dr. Guy Harvey to be a leading conservationist and advocate for the protection of our environment. Guy dedicates much of his talent, time and resources to programs that protect our oceans, fish population and reef systems. The Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University and The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation have taken on a leadership role in providing the scientific information necessary to understand and protect the world’s fish resources and biodiversity from continued decline.
Items in this Podcast
- Growing up in Jamaica
- Fishing at an early age
- Artistic ability at an early age
- First scuba training BSAC in Montego Bay
- Becoming a marine scientist Aberdeen University Scotland and Univ. of West Indies in Kingston Jamaica
- Favorite diving locations
- Talents of spearfishing translate to talents of an underwater photographer
- Diving around the world inspired many works of art
- Eastern Pacific versus Western Pacific in variety of fishes
- How consumerism is changing fish stocks
- Lionfish culling
- Aggressor Liveaboard, Gardens of the Queen, Cuba
- Billfish Conservation Act
- Organized shark diving
- Advice for divers
Resources
Guy Harvey Research Institute at Nova Southeastern University
Dr. Mahmood Sivji Nova Southeastern University
IGFA International Game Fish Association
Sponsor
Special thanks to our episode sponsor Aggressor Fleet
Thanks for Listening!
Thank you for joining me again. Do you want to give a shout out to our guest on this podcast? Leave a note in the comments section below!
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post.
Also, please leave an honest review for The League of Extraordinary Divers podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! And, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
