A Naturalist, Writer, and Pioneer in Mexico
He was an underwater diver, a former cameraman with Captain Jacques Cousteau, a naturalist, a writer, and one of the first Americans to live in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero. Owen Lee helped bring fame to Zihuatanejo and promoted conservation in the area for over 40 years.
Owen transitioned in 2020, but he will always be one of Zihuatanejo’s most endeared personalities. He had an amazing life and career!
Born in Miami, Florida in 1928, Owen Lee went to Paris in 1950 to study, where by sheer chance, he met Captain Jacques Cousteau. He later worked as an underwater cameraman for Captain Cousteau aboard his famous ship, the Calypso. He was a lecturer and spokesman, presenting Cousteau’s Adventure programs to audiences in over 300 cities throughout America, and wrote the first three books on diving in the English language for Doubleday and Company.
Owen Lee and Captain Jacques Cousteau in Paris in the early 1950s.
Owen came to Zihuatanejo, Mexico to live in 1968, after retiring from the Cousteau Team. He created a Nature Study Center on Las Gatas Beach to promote Cousteau’s ideas about reintegrating mankind into the global ecosystem. Own produced an hour-long documentary film titled “The Endless Sea,” narrated by actor James Mason and astronaut Scott Carpenter, and published two books about his experiences, “A Prisoner in Paradise” and “Mother Nature, My Nature.”
Many of Owen’s friends from around the world were invited to share their memories and stories about him. The response was so great that space doesn’t permit publishing all of them. Everyone, however, shared a common sentiment – “We love you, Owen!”
Owen’s books are still available on Amazon.com
A Prisoner in Paradise: The True Adventures of a Forbidden Love Affair in Zihuatanejo, Mexico:
If you ever dreamed about living, working, or investing in an exotic, tropical paradise, “A Prisoner in Paradise” is a fast, funny, and informative preview of what kind of adventures might await you!
Listen to Owen’s introduction to this book.
Mother Nature / My Nature: A look into man’s evolutionary past to discover the causes of our present conflicts with Nature and to define the ways to our collective survival in the near future.
Dog Gone! A sweet, family-oriented story about two pre-teenagers who volunteer to raise a guide dog puppy for their local school for the blind.
Owen Lee will always be missed but never forgotten. RIP
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