Kayvon Malek

Area of Residence: Marina, CA

Kayvon Malek is a wildlife videographer and photographer based in the Monterey Peninsula who specializes in underwater ecosystems. His journey to clicking the shutter button while narc’d began at UC-Santa Cruz where he took a SCUBA course on a whim and soon found himself obsessed with looking for decorator crabs and staring at rockfish during safety stops. He earned his Divemaster certification through the University’s recreational program and also completed their scientific diving course, allowing him to work as a research diver. But it was while working at the Monterey Bay Aquarium that he found a passion for sharing and teaching others about marine ecosystems and while working there he also discovered how underwater photography was a perfect avenue to combine his passion for education with marine exploration. Several years and Monterey Underwater Shootouts later, he had begun working as an underwater videographer and expedition guide, primarily for National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions. He continues to share and teach about our Ocean Planet in this capacity aboard vessels sailing around the world. He has been lucky enough to explore the ocean from Alaska to Norway and down to the Antarctic Peninsula. His work has also expanded into the realm of wildlife filmmaking, allowing him to help showcase the beauty of Monterey and elsewhere for professional wildlife productions for Netflix, Disney+, and the BBC and now he looks forward to continuing to share stories of conservation, marine science, and ecosystem-led storytelling. Above all diving in the kelp forests of Monterey is still his favorite place to dive and shoot.