Meet Christine Regent West | Polar Expedition Diver, Underwater Photographer & Videographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christine Regent West and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christine Regent, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
It is an exciting time to get involved in sharing parts of our world underwater that others have limited opportunity to see. Underwater photography in the past has been dominated by images of perfectly clear, blue water and colorful corals twinkling with a confetti of small reef fish. However, there are so many areas underwater all around us that have big stories just waiting to be shared, stories in green, imperfect water that have been overlooked until now. The explosion of underwater digital camera options have made it possible for so many important stories of life in our backyard rivers and lakes to be beautifully documented and shared by all of us, stories of special creatures and ecosystems that are changing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I work as a polar expedition diver, naturalist, conservation photographer and videographer. I have worked as a professional diver for 17 years and now spend over six months per year in the field passionately documenting and sharing stories about places that are rarely seen and yet are rapidly changing due to the warming of the planet. I use a variety of tools such as underwater cameras, drones and ROVs to create images and stories that serve as voices for ecosystems that need immediate protection. I am driven to document and share the lesser-known stories, often leading me to dive the coldest, sometimes murkiest, most remote areas on earth including in the high Canadian arctic, Alaska and Antarctica.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend were visiting me in Ventura, I would be excited to get her on a boat and take her scuba diving and camping in the Channel Islands. Anacapa Island in particular is such an incredible place to explore with a combination of healthy forests underwater made of giant kelp, colorful anemones, sea lions, harbor seals and diverse, rocky reefs. Marine life flourishes here into a magical combination of neon orange and red fish under a canopy of swaying green kelp and bright yellow sunrays bursting from the surface due to Anacapa’s protection as a State Marine Reserve.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my adventurous, intelligent, hilarious, and patient husband Adam. The path into this career as a conservation photographer and polar diver has been filled with setbacks, wild ideas, and laughter. He is 50% responsible for all of that.

Website: https://www.christine-regent-west.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christine_regent_west/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-regent-west/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christine.regent.west

Image Credits
Adam Maire