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About the Judges:
Mark Strickland
Mark Strickland has had a close relationship with the sea since an early age. Growing up in Florida, he has worked many years as an ocean lifeguard, boat captain, and diving instructor. Mark’s passion for underwater photography has led him to some of the world's best diving areas, including Phuket, Thailand, where he’s been based since 1988. Most of each year, Mark serves as Cruise Director / Photo-Pro on the Thailand-based live-aboard vessel, Ocean Rover(www.fantasea.net). An avid marine
naturalist, Mark has discovered several new species of nudibranchs, including one that is named for his wife, Suzanne: Reticulidia suzanneae.
Mark's photos and articles have appeared in dozens of magazines, books and displays around the world. He is also principal author and photographer for the book, "ScubaGuide Thailand", and co-author of Lonely Planet’s award-winning title, “Diving and Snorkeling Thailand”. In addition to representation by several stock photo agencies, Mark operates his own stock photo library, Oceanic Impressions at www.oceanic-impressions.com.
Clay Wiseman
Clay Wiseman has a degree in ichthyology (fisheries biology) and a minor in marine invertebrate zoology from the University of Washington in Seattle. After working commercially in mariculture and in diving he went to work for the Aggressor Fleet of live-aboard dive boats as ship's captain and photo pro working contracts in Cayman, Belize,
Turks and Caicos, Hawaii, Truk Lagoon and Palau.
In 1995 Clay left the Aggressor Fleet to pursue a career in professional photography. Since that time he
has published his photography and writing in National Geographic Magazine, Time Magazine, International Wildlife Magazine, Ocean Realm Magazine, Skin Diver and Sport Diver Magazine to name just a few. He is a regular features contributor as well as a column producer for Sport Diver Magazine. Additionally, he co-authored Guide to Marine Life of the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida with his friend and colleague Marty Snyderman (Aqua Quest Publishing). In June of 2003 his documentary production Medicines From the Sea aired on PBS as part of the California Connected series. He is currently working on several ocean oriented productions for television.
Clay and his wife Martha operate Underwater Art Travel (www.underwater-art.com) a company specializing in exotic underwater photography and videography expeditions. Clay, Martha and their son Will live in Santa Cruz California.
Jim Harlan
Jim Harlan is a perpetual traveler whose passions for rainforest and reefs have taken him to the far corners of the world. Jim has built bridges in Venezuela, homes in Costa Rica and worked as a pilot in Fiji to fuel his insatiable appetite for travel.
Jim has been an active international diver for the past 18 years and is privileged to have experienced most of the worlds dive destinations. Jim has logged over 3000 dives all with camera in hand and has been fortunate to have only flooded five of them.
As well Jim is the owner of Uncommon Adventures Dive and Adventure Travel (www.uncommonadventures.com). Uncommon Adventures is in its 11th year offering worldwide dive and adventure travel. Uncommon Adventures specializes in dive and adventure travel to the most intriguing and appealing destinations on the planet.
Bruce Bonnett
Bruce Bonnett
Bruce has over 40 years experience as a television camera operator in the studio and in the field. He also worked on lighting and technical directing. Bruce has spent the last 20+years at ABC-TV and more recently, KABC-TV 7. While with the network, Bruce worked on various sporting events for Wide World of Sports, including boxing, gymnastics, lumberjack championships, motorcycle racing, regional football, etc., and more recently has been shooting and editing news in the field - even followed O.J. up the freeway in a helicopter.
Bruce won an Emmy for his camera work at the 1984 Olympics and has received several Emmy nominations for his work on the American Music Awards, General Hospital, Family Feud, Mr. Belvedere, American Bandstand, and for Hard News Breaking Story - Alta Dena/Laguna Fires.
Bruce has been scuba diving for 15 years and as a natural extension of his television background, took his videography experience under water in the early 1990s. Bruce and his wife, Christy, travel to underwater destinations around the world where he continues to enjoy shooting below the surface.
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