If you missed Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, when it was presented May 8, 2020, don't fret! You can see the complete video at this link:
LivingSeaimages.com/voyage

Take a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, be carried on the words and pictures of California marine explorer and conservationist Marc Shargel. Join him for underwater adventures along the California Coast, from Oregon to Mexico, from Humboldt and Mendocino Counties to the Channel Islands, including remote dive sites in Big Sur. Marc's talk will conclude in Monterey Bay, using dive sites in Shargel’s backyard to show how the recent proliferation of sea urchins has caused a major ecosystem shift in kelp forests from Monterey to Mendocino.

Chelsea Prindle, manager of the The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center was the evening's moderator.

00:00 to 04:30 - Introduction
04:30 to 28:00 - California underwater, Oregon to Mexico
28:00 to 44:30 - The disappearance of kelp forests from Monterey, and what to do about it.
44:30 to 1:15:30 - Q & A

Marc Shargel is a vocal advocate for marine conservation. From 2000 to 2007 he participated in the effort that created new marine protected areas (like underwater parks) along the Central Coast and throughout California, bringing his images and under-water insight into the political arena. Since then, Marc Shargel has presented at dive clubs, civic groups, schools and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, offering education about MPAs and sharing the beauty of the underwater world.

Remember life before the pandemic, when I would enthusiastically invite you to visit my Open Studio in person every October? The need to maintain physical distance has forced Open Studios to move online this year, and so the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County has created the VISUAL ARTS NETWORK.

This is a huge, new art exchange on the web, where more than the 300 artists that typically show in Open Studios have posted their work. Right now there are 357! You can find my display here.

You don't have to worry about scheduled hours, the VISUAL ARTS NETWORK is open now, 24/7. You don't have to worrry about location, the VISUAL ARTS NETWORK is on the device that's in your hands.

I've found that I can "walk" from studio to studio with a quick click and view the work of several artists in just a few minutes. It's like being able to walk into the printed Open Studios catalog of previous years, like Alice into Wonderland. The only downer is that in order to take home the artwork you fall in love with, you have to email or phone the artist.

Here's a hint: you can reach me at 831-335-4849 or send an email here.

Originally scheduled for May, 2020, now postponed to late 2020 or early 2021. New date TBA, watch this space for updates.

at
The Monterey Bay National Marine
Sanctuary Exploration Center
35 Pacific Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Award-winning marine photographer Marc Shargel will be showing images from Humboldt County to Southern California at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center (SEC) for the entire month of May. The show will illustrate the beauty and diversity of life beneath our coastal ocean. This curated collection of underwater photographs by Marc Shargel will be displayed on the newly-upgraded exhibit wall of the SEC for approximately a month, dates TBA.

The show will illustrate the brilliant colors and diversity of forms displayed by our local marine life. While some creatures, like fish, sea lions and otters, are familiar and immediately recognizable, others are strange and alien-looking. Check out the peculiar shapes and kaleidoscopic hues of jellies, tunicates, nudibranchs, anemones, and more. Shargel's artful photographs will draw appreciation from biologists and wonder from all.

Marc Shargel has been scuba diving the coast of California for more than 40 years. Over the years Shargel has traveled internationally to some of the most coveted dive locations, from Cuba to Fiji to the Galapagos. Among the highlights of his career are visits to California’s best and most remote dives: He’s been on ten multi-day expeditions down the Big Sur coast. He made his first boat trip south of Point Sur in the company of renowned marine explorer Robert Schmieder, back in the early 1990s. He has dived isolated offshore rocks in Mendocino and Humboldt Counties, the Farallon Islands and Southern California’s Channel Islands. This photo show will include astonishing images from dive sites renowned for their lush, diverse ecology, including Arena Rock near Mendocino, Farnsworth Banks off Catalina Island, and deep and remote Schmieder Bank in Big Sur.

Marc Shargel is a vocal advocate for marine conservation. From 2000 to 2007 he participated in the effort that created new marine protected areas (like underwater parks) along the Central Coast, and throughout California, bringing his images and under-water insight into the political arena. Since then, Marc Shargel published four books on California marine life. He has also presented at dive clubs, civic groups, schools and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center, offering education about MPAs and sharing the beauty of the underwater world.

Be sure to attend the preview event for this show, Friday evening May 8 (details at left).

For show days and hours, call the SEC or visit the SEC website. For additional questions, contact SEC the directly by email or phone 831-421-9993. For directions, use this map.

The show will be open to the public—free of charge—during the SEC's open hours.