Video: A breath-taking journey beneath the waves...

The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts presents National Geographic underwater photographer Brian Skerry on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, at 7 p.m. in Ferguson Hall as the first installment in the second season of the National Geographic Live! speaker series created to showcase the writers, photographers, filmmakers, scientists, explorers and adventurers who bring the world home.  The series is funded in part by the Joy McCann Foundation.

The award-winning Skerry, a photojournalist specializing in marine wildlife and underwater environments, is praised worldwide for his aesthetic sense as well as his journalistic drive for relevance. His uniquely creative images tell stories that not only celebrate the mystery and beauty of the sea, but also help bring attention to the large number of issues that endanger our oceans and its inhabitants.

Unique within the field of underwater photography is Skerry's ability to pursue subjects of great diversity. His nearly year-round assignment schedule frequently finds him in environments of extreme contrast from tropical coral reefs to diving beneath polar ice. While on assignment he has lived on the bottom of the sea, spent months aboard fishing boats, and traveled in everything from snowmobiles to canoes to the Goodyear blimp to get the picture. He has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater over the last 30 years.

For National Geographic magazine, Skerry has covered a wide range of stories, from the harp seal's struggle to survive in frozen waters to the alarming decrease in the world's fisheries, both cover stories. Other National Geographic features have focused on subjects such as the planet's last remaining pristine coral reefs, the plight of the right whale, sharks of the Bahamas, marine reserves, sea turtles and squid. He is currently at work on his 20th National Geographic story.

National Geographic Books released his latest monograph, Ocean Soul, in November 2011.

Regularly priced tickets for the Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, 7 p.m., presentation by Brian Skerry start at $19.50 and may be purchased by calling 813.229.STAR (7827) or 800.955.1045 outside Tampa Bay, in person at the Straz Center Ticket Office or online at www.strazcenter.org. For more information about the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and its upcoming events, please visit www.strazcenter.org.