12 Facts About James Talacek

James Raymond Talacek is an American professional aquanaut with the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

James Talacek serves as Oceanographic Field Operations Manager at Aquarius Reef Base, the world's only undersea research laboratory.

James Talacek earned his first diving certification while attending UNCW.

James Talacek earned a United States Coast Guard Captain's license and Divemaster certification.

James Talacek began running dive charters on weekends from Carolina Beach.

James Talacek serves as Oceanographic Field Operations Manager at Aquarius Reef Base for the National Undersea Research Center.

James Talacek is a certified trimix diver, emergency medical technician and advanced diver medic.

Missions aboard Aquarius in which James Talacek has participated have included a 2001 mission researching mantis shrimp, a September 2007 coral reef research mission called "If Reefs Could Talk", and a June 2006 mission with the US Navy Specialized Research Diving Detachment during which NURC divers investigated the possibility of using rebreathers during excursions from Aquarius.

In July 2012 James Talacek served as Lead Habitat Technician for "50 Years of Living Beneath the Sea", an expedition commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Jacques Cousteau's Conshelf I project and co-led by Dr Sylvia Earle.

James Talacek has taken part as a habitat technician in eight of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations missions, a series of NASA-NOAA missions which use Aquarius as an analog environment for space exploration.

James Talacek served as a habitat technician during the following missions:.

James Talacek is an enthusiastic skydiver, having made more than 400 jumps as of 2012.