2014 Diving Pioneer

Friday night, at a champagne reception David Doubilet, international underwater and wildlife photographer, will be recognized for his contribution to the beginnings of underwater photography when, as a child, on a New Jersey beach he took his new Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera underwater in a plastic bag to capture the images there.

David Doubilet has spent a lifetime photographing our fragile underwater world since he first put his Brownie Hawkeye camera in a rubber anesthesiologist’s bag at the age of 12. He has witnessed and photographed a sea change from robust teeming seas to a sea in peril from over fishing, habitat loss, and global warming. His personal and professional challenge is to capture the essence of our planet’s oceans from the smallest plankton to the largest predators and to make an image that can make a difference. David is a contributing author and photographer for National Geographic Magazine where he has photographed over 70 stories since his first assignment in 1971. He is a feature columnist, contributing editor and author of numerous books on the sea.

David is honored to have received many prestigious awards and recognitions including: DEMA Reaching Out Award. The Lennart Nilsson Prize for Scientific Photography, Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award, and the Golden Plate Award as a member of the Academy of Achievement Class of 2008. David is a member of the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, a founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and was named a Contributing-Photographer-in-Residence at National Geographic Magazine in 2001. Beneath the Sea is honored to recognize David Doubilet as their 2014 Diving Pioneer.