Acclaimed underwater photographer David Doubilet is returning to Santa Barbara tonight to present a lecture on his craft in Campbell Hall at 8.

Doubilet has shot photographs for more than 60 stories for the National Geographic magazine over the course of 30 years. In his work he has traveled to the Red Sea, Pearl Harbor, the South Pacific and other sites of aquatic interest capturing images of great white sharks, flashlight fish, shark-repelling flounders, creatures of the undersea desert, fluorescent coral, World War II wrecks and countless others.

His first snorkeling adventure began off the coast of New Jersey when he was 8 years old. Four years later he first combined his scuba diving with photography, using a Brownie Hawkeye camera in a rubber bag as his first underwater camera. In 1966, Doubilet attended Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, completing courses in underwater photography.

His most recent achievements include the Explorer’s Club Lowell Thomas Award, and the Lennart Nilsson Award in 2001. He is an honorary fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of London and a member of the International Diving Hall of Fame. In 2001, National Geographic named him a contributing photographer-in-residence of the National Geographic Society.

Doubilet has published three books: Light in the Sea: An Undersea Journey, Water Light Time and his most recent book, Great Barrier Reef, published in 2002.

UCSB Arts & Lectures and the Brooks Institute of Photography organized the lecture. Admission is $10 for students and $12 for non-students.