Deb Fugitt loves to travel. A few years ago she sold her house, left her job as a large computer systems analyst, (the systems were large, not the analyst), packed a bag and became "homeless" for 16 months. Europe was great, but in her eyes it didn't compare to the thrill of hiking in the Amazon rainforest or remote mountains of New Guinea. Diving became a major part of the travels, especially in places like the Red Sea, Indonesia and the South Pacific.

As the only guest at a dive lodge on a small island north of PNG she decided to try an underwater photography course. In Cairns, Australia several weeks later the film was developed. The results were surprisingly good. The photo shop owner printed enlargements and hung them in the window.

When she returned home to Texas and to her regular occupation, she sold her sailboat, bought an underwater camera system and kept working on the photography. A week long course with Cathy Church is the only formal training she received. The rest is self taught using books from Howard Hall, Norbert Wu, Jim Church and other great photographers as guides. Encouraged by co-workers and friends, she began entering her photos in local and international contests and won many competitions.

In 1994 she started City Seahorse, a company initially devoted to underwater photography, writing and education. In 1996, she made the business a full time venture and incorporated web page work into its services, leaving behind over 20 years in the corporate world of computer systems support. Her extensive background in operating systems, database, telecom and client support combined nicely with her interests in diving, photography and graphics to produce interactive web-based systems for the dive industry that are informative and visually stimulating. After discovering that there are so many underwater photographer hobbyists who give away their images for free, she dropped the idea of becoming a full-time photographer, but still enjoys underwater photography as a hobby herself and writes the occasional article for dive magazines around the world.

Deb comments "This new career allows me the flexibility to travel more often and to communicate with divers all over the world. It sounds like a permanent vacation, but the office work is a killer!"

Deb lives in Fort Worth, Texas where she is still (after 10 years) in the Internet marketing business. She organizes 3-4 group dive trips per year taking divers and underwater photographers with her to her favorite dive destinations around the world.