Kayaking Christmas Bay

The Earth Church that resides on the ocean’s edge 

To open and close the documentary with visuals of Jim’s passion for the coastal environment, we filmed him on a kayak fishing trip to Galveston Bay in October. It is here he often retreats to recharge and visit what has become his Earth Church—the place where he best finds spirituality in nature. 

The trip featured an area in Christmas Bay, a place  west of the city of Galveston where freshwater inflows mix with the salinity of bay waters between the mainland and the barrier island of Galveston and create a perfect nursery for fish, shrimp, oysters and coastal fauna. It is not just a beautiful place, but also a critical commercial asset for the health of the local economy. 

Although the day’s cool clear weather ushered in a welcome escape from a brutal summer, good fishing was more elusive—but then, isn’t it always. As we followed Jim, he followed the many clues that might lead him to pockets of fish. Often it wasn’t directly spotting the fish themselves, but the behavior of birds in the area looking for the same thing. Specifically, the pelicans have always been one of Jim’s touchstones along the Texas coast, as they course the bay waters for subtle signs of activity that could lead them to the next meal.