Aaron Halstead - Growing up about as far from the ocean as possible while still living in the United States, it took a while before I would truly discover the ocean. A couple of weekend trips to the beach while attending college in Florida, and a short glimpse during a cruise through the Caribbean weren't quite enough to draw me in. After moving across the country to Southern California, living just miles from the coast for a few years, I finally stumbled across a National Geographic article on nudibranchs. A few quick internet searches led me to some local photographers, which led to more nudibranch photos and ID guides, and realization that Southern California has some great diving! In the following years I’ve melted and flooded a camera, upgraded to DSLR setups, and have added a vast range of other accessories. I’ve enjoyed the cold waters as far north as British Columbia, throughout California from Monterrey to San Diego, glimpsed the Caribbean and explored a number of locations throughout Indonesia and the Philippines. You can see more of Aaron's work on Facebook or Instagram https://www.facebook.com/aaronhalsteadphotography https://www.instagram.com/aaronhalstead_/

Bill Carroll -  Bill Carroll teaches people how to “walk” on the other 71% of our planet. Everyone has a story about why they are drawn to venture into the Ocean, and I’m lucky enough to get to go along for the ride as students make their big leap. I get excited to see the adventures these new divers go on as they begin their journey of exploration. I can’t wait to see their pictures and hear their stories as they make their way into the underwater world. Bill got his introduction to the underwater world as an EOD Diver in the Navy, leaving Bill with a taste for mixed gas, rebreathers, and tech diving. Shortly after his time in the Navy, Bill became a scuba instructor and fell in love with the privilege of helping people learn how to “walk” on the other 71% of our planet. Bill is also the proud father of a wonderful 9 year old daughter, Isobella, and can’t wait to teach her how to dive. Kraken lights go with me on every dive, and I hand them off to my students so they can really engage with the sea and underwater life. Kraken helps me see and tell the story of exploration. I’m really proud to be an ambassador for Kraken Sports and their products. Join Bill on his journey as he helps others explore the underwater world. Bill Carroll, PADI Scuba Instructor. https://www.facebook.com/padiscubainstructor/

Erik Lukas - Erik is an active diver and underwater photographer based in Los      Angeles, CA. He was born in Denver, Colorado, but moved to Southern California at a young age, where his love for the ocean started. Erik spent summers and quite a few days during his school years in and on the water surfing with his father. His interest in marine life began early...he recalls flipping the pages of "The Ocean World" by Jacques Cousteau as a kid. A family trip to Eleuthera, Bahamas and a snorkeling encounter with a pair of Spotted Eagle Rays created a lasting memory. He later had the distinct honor of meeting Jacque Cousteau in person when he gave the commencement speech at Erik's college graduation. Having been introduced to film photography at a young age, Erik continued to pursue his passion and engaged in as many photographic opportunities as he could. While living in Paris, France in early 1990's he worked with photo agencies shooting news and current events, and later fashion and editorial work. Once he figured out he could bring a camera into the water he was hooked. Erik now leads underwater photo workshops to many of the world's most amazing locations. He has a particular interest in macro photography and an endless fascination with the ocean's smallest subjects. See more of Erik's work at www.seeundersea.com or on Instagram @seeundersea 

Evan Sherman - Evan Sherman is the owner of Seasick Productions, a full-service multimedia company that specializes in underwater imaging. Based out of Orange County, California, Seasick Productions provides on location and studio production services around the world. Evan’s first dive with a camera, he fell in love with underwater videography. His second dive with a camera, he flooded it. He was 19 and had already learned a critical lesson about life as a professional underwater cameraman: passion fuels the artist, tools allow the artist to be. Evan later received his B.A. in Film and Electronic Media from California State University Long Beach. Evan’s professional underwater credits include television networks, Fortune 500 companies and numerous entities within the dive industry.

Jon Anderson - Jon started diving at age 12 in Cozumel, Mexico and remained a vacation diver for the next 13 years until moving to San Francisco for work. Looking for a way to spend his weekends, he quickly became obsessed with photographing the amazing life that lives beneath the waves in Monterey, California. A majority of his underwater photography occurs locally in Monterey, however he also loves traveling the world in search of opportunities to photograph unique marine critters. Anilao has become one of his favorite places to shoot and he will be returning in 2019. Less than 6 months after jumping into underwater photography his work was critiqued in Dive Photo Guide’s Photo Lab. In his first year competing (2017), Jon placed in both the Monterey Shootout and SoCal Shootout. In 2018, he took home 1st Place in Advanced Traditional Macro in the Monterey Shootout and won the People's Choice Award for the Marine Wildlife category in the Ocean Conservancy Photo Contest. Though Jon primarily shoots photos, he has licensed underwater video clips to viral video companies. Jon’s images are frequently used by the Monterey Bay Aquarium on social media. In the next year, Jon plans to start running dive trips. When he is not in the water, Jon works as a mechanical engineer, designing robots, spacecraft, and sometimes even his own underwater gadgets. You can see Jon’s photography on his Website, Instagram, and Facebook page: Website: https://uw.jonjake.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scubajonjake/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonjake

Michael Dornellas - Michael Dornellas is a professional free diver, certified PADI Rescue Diver, and all around underwater athlete. He was born in Cocoa Beach Florida and lives in Jupiter Florida. Michael was raised in the ocean coming from a long line of water men and free divers. In the past few years his career has taken off due to his unique style of film while free diving and ability to capture very close animal interactions. Michael started as a professional guide for clients who wanted a private and natural experience in the wild with sharks, gators, and other marine life. Guiding high profile clients, National Geographic Photographers, and professional Cinematographers, Michael quickly made a name as one of the best go to experts for close encounters with nature’s apex and keystone predators. Michael specializes in close interactions understanding the animals he works with allowing him to capture one of a kind shots. This combination of skills has landed him multiple jobs these past couple years including filming and guiding for Discovery Channel, Daily Planet, Natgeo Wild, History Channel, CNN, NBC, HLN, Red Bull, Toyota, Thrillist, and many more challenging jobs where he not only captured the footage needed but exceeded all expectations of the crew. Michael is not only a talent with a camera but a person that knows the ins and outs of the animals and environment he works with. He has a unique passion for being in the ocean and an absolute love for the creatures he works with. 

Mike Bartick - Mike began diving in the frigid waters of Southern California where he fell in love with the macro life just offshore. Seeking other subjects to photograph he set out for Indonesia and eventually landed in South East Asia. Mike is now a Full-time Marine Wildlife Photographer and Photo-Pro based in Anilao, Philippines. Named as one of the world’s most inspiring underwater photographers by SDOP in 2016 for his unhinged approach to shooting marine life. Mike is widely published with work appearing monthly in international magazines, websites and internet publications. He is a public speaker and educator conducting underwater photography workshops at Crystal Blue Resort, Anilao Philippines.  You can see Mike's work on Facebook, and the Crystal Blue Resort website  https://www.facebook.com/mike.bartick http://www.divecbr.com/

Andrew Raak - Andrew is an award-winning published underwater photographer and experienced underwater photography instructor. He has a marine science degree from Coastal Carolina University, is a PADI Master Instructor, and holds a USCG 200 ton captain’s license. He has been diving all around the world for both his own training and working as a dive instructor, boat captain, and underwater photographer. Most recently, he has been teaching diving aboard luxury yachts in the South Pacific, and dive resorts from the eastern USA to Indonesia. His goals include continuing to grow as a diver, photographer, and educator while showing the world the importance of our marine environment through his imagery. follow him on Social Media @RaakBottomImaging or website www.RaakBottomImaging.com

Ryan Walton - Ryan Walton is a Shark Behaviorist and Ecotour operator in South Florida. For the best decade, Ryan has been educating the public about the decline in shark populations through eco tours at Shark Tours Florida, and through imagery on social media. It’s a personal goal of Ryan’s to photograph as many of the 450+ species of sharks as possible. Now, powered by Kraken Lights and Strobes, along with the Stability of the Kraken Sports Tray, Ryan is ready to take his imagery to the next level. If you're in south Florida and want to get in the water with sharks, Ryan is your guy. https://sharktoursfl.com/