[citation needed] In 1985, he depicted Ernest Hemingway's fishing story "The Old Man and the Sea" in a series of 44 original pen-and-ink drawings and displayed them at an exhibition in Jamaica.

Based on the positive response he received at this show, Harvey began painting full-time and, by 1988, was providing custom artwork for use on a variety of products.

[1] Guy Harvey moved his family from Jamaica to the Cayman Islands in 1999 mostly due to personal security concerns over the high crime rate in Kingston.

[2][better source needed] Harvey's artistic style is mostly to realistically depict warm water marine sport fish in dynamic poses in their natural settings.

[3][4][5] Guy Harvey's Portraits from the Deep is a syndicated television series that combines the showcasing of sport fishing destinations with educational information from marine scientists in an entertainment format.

The institute, which is funded in part by contributions from the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, conducts research on the ecology, genetics, behaviour, physiology, and evolution of fishes.

Christened the Guy Harvey Reef, the ship is a popular dive site and is home to a large number of sharks, barracuda, jacks, angelfish, grunts, and snappers.