|
Monday, March 10th, 2008
|
by Calros Eyles
The day
we lay Jim Watt to rest those closest to him with
tears still streaming down their faces vowed to
fulfill his last wish, to have his ashes scattered
in the heart of his beloved humpback whale grounds
along the Kona coast of Hawaii. On as fine a March
morning as could be remembered, some seven months
later, ten of us gathered at the Honokohau harbor
and launched two boats. Jim would have been fired
up at the prospects of finding whales this windless,
and cloudless morning. We fairly skipped our way
northwest for about forty minutes to the center
of the whale grounds cryptically named “Moon Base”.
Then, not sure of exactly where to begin, we stopped
near two whales that were resting on the surface.
It felt as good as any place, but there was no
sign, no indication that this was the proper place.
No one said anything but there was indecision in
the air. We drifted around, one boat took off,
and we followed, neither knowing where to stop.
Two more whales appeared, these were a bit more
lively, in a state of playfulness, possibly something
Jim might have latched onto. Our movements felt
fluid and there was a sense about us that a rightness
had to occur, but what would that be? How would
it manifest? There was no previous experience to
lean on, nothing to direct us. We motored slowly
with the whales for ten or fifteen minutes then
suddenly we just stopped and silently agreed that
this was the place... click
here to read more. |
 |
Friday, November 30th,
2007
|
Environmentalist
photographer, Steve Drogin, along with his wife,
Hiro, recently held a dinner party at their Kona
home that was attended by a number of well-known
Hawaii-based people in the marine photography business.
SeaPics.com owner, Susan Dabritz, photographer,
Masa Ushioda, and photographer's liaison, Christine
Sheppard, were there to share their thoughts on
the photography industry and life on the Big Island,
Hawaii.
Steve Drogin’s home base is La Jolla, California,
but he has a lovely home in Kona which he visits
between yachting excursions around the world. Steve
is a fantastic photographer, and SeaPics.com has
over 300 of his images in its database. Steve’s
work has been featured in BBC productions, the
Discovery Channel, Disney's Living Seas, as well
as in countless books and dive magazines. He is
also an environmentalist and he gives lectures
on marine life and the environment around the world.
Besides this image of blue sharks, SeaPics.com
has many fantastic photos from Steve of manta rays,
Hawaiian monk seals, nudibranches, and more. To
see more of his amazing... click
here to read more. |
|
Sunday, July
22nd, 2007
|
by Masa Ushioda
Jim Watt returned to the ocean where he belonged.
His close friends and family members took a boat
ride and scattered his ashes into the ocean in
the morning on Sunday, July 22nd, 2007. Many familiar
faces were there to see him off. We tried to keep
our smiley faces to celebrate his glorious life
throughout the event, but we easily burst into
tears when we started to pay tribute to his beautiful
life while grabbing each others' hands in a circle.
It was such an emotional ride for everybody, and
all of us cried out loud when his ashes went into
the ocean. We threw many flowers with prayers and
tears as we circled him several times. I poured
a bottle of rum as well as my tears into the ocean.
Rum & Coke was his favorite drink of all time,
and we spent much time over that brown cocktail
talking about our next adventures.
I know that it will be very strange and even awkward
not to see him physically off Kona Coast any longer
as he was such a big part of this Hawaiian water
and whenever we both were out, we closely communicated... click
here to read more. |
 |
Thursday,
July 19th, 2007
|
by Susan Dabritz
I am sure most of you have already heard that
marine life photographer James D. Watt (Jim Watt)
passed away on Thursday morning July 19th here
in Kona, Hawaii. Carlos & Margaret Eyles were
at his side along with other friends and family.
It is almost surreal that this happened. Jim was
diagnosed with lung cancer (stage 3b) almost a
year ago. He underwent rounds of chemo and strict
orders from his doctor not to leave Hawaii.
A month ago Jim stopped by our office and he was
elated because they also gave him clearance to
travel. He immediately made plans for a trip to
the Bahamas followed closely by another trip to
Bonaire. He was full of energy and life. He left
on his last two trips and enjoyed them greatly.
In our office we were wondering what happened
to Jim - usually he calls and stops by when he
comes back from his trips. I called Jim and found
out he had checked himself into the emergency room
with extreme chest pain. They found he had water
in the lungs. I made plans to visit him, but before
I could he was sent home early. Great - I thought,
he's gonna be ok. The next thing I know he is back
in the hospital. It just happened so quick from
this point on. His wife Jody and friends Carlos & Margaret
were by his side constantly. Doug, Masa & I
all visited him... click
here to read more. |
|
Thursday,
July 19th, 2007
|
by Carlos Eyles
It is difficult, if not impossible to measure
the influence of a life on another. We all do what
we do without any real idea as to its effect on
each other or the world at large. Sometimes, as
in the case of Jim, we know the worldly influence
is great, but still lack, and will forever lack
the depth of that influence. For each of us here
today Jim’s presence in our lives was dramatic,
yet different, characterized by our own perspectives
and relationship to him. As a loving father and
husband to wife Jody and children Ian and Jennifer
his relationships were one thing, his love for
his sister Sharon was yet another, all very personal
and really known only to them. His love for the
ocean was as vast as the seas he traveled on and
those lifelong travels had a significant and powerful
effect on the underwater community that for him
was worldwide. Yet, within those varied realms
of love there existed a common theme, one that
we all experienced, though we each absorbed differently.
Jim’s positive nature affected us all from family
to friends alike. It was contagious even in the
midst of everything contrary to logic and reason.
For him everything was possible, and he had little
doubt that the next epic whale encounter lay just
over the nearest swell, that the next dive would
bring an image never before seen, or that a bleak
diagnosis of cancer could be overcome. It was this
unrelenting attitude that good things were always... click
here to read more. |
|
| Thursday,
July 19th, 2007
|
by Masa Ushioda
For those who didn't know about his condition,
he has been battling with lung cancer for about
a year. He passed away peacefully at around 9:00
am in the morning of July 19th, 2007, surrounded
by his family and friends. I was able to kiss his
forehead and say goodbye to him last week just
before he went into the ICU.
Normally I am not so good at expressing myself...but
the sad news in the morning of July 19th, 2007,
suddenly threw me into the harsh reality that he's
gone, and urged me to write this tribute. It was
very hard to imagine how my world would be like
without him until it really happened. If you have
ever lost anyone close to you, you know what I
am talking about. I knew the day would come someday
when he told me about his illness... click
here to read more. |
|
|
|
|
