Aquarius, Dive Master, and Great White

Around 11pm on July 18th, 2012, I was watching a show on my computer when I saw a message received by my phone. I looked at it quizzically as it read

"Aquarius Reef Base would like to thank you for all of your campaign efforts. We know it's very last minute, but we'd like to extend an invitation for you to come and visit aquarius reef base. Please contact xxxx@email.com if you think you might be able to do something like that. We wil be diving down to Aquarius thru Saturday."

I blinked trying to process what I just read as I was half asleep.

"MOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!" I ran out of my bedroom half asleep, half in disbelief of what I just read. I plopped down next to my mom. She read it. We looked at each other thinking the same thing- Is this for real?

For those of you who don't know- Aquarius is the world's last undersea research habitat in the Florida Keys. Just a day or two before I participated in a Google+ Hangout Chat with the Aquanauts (Dale Stokes, Mark Patterson, DJ Roller and Sylvia Earle). Aquarius' funding has been cut by the President as he has not put Aquarius into his next year's budget (only need a measly 3M$ to keep it running a year). So my mom and I created posters saying "Save Aquarius for the next generation". 

24hours after I got that message, I found myself on a red eye to the Florida Keys. 

The next 72 hours would be the wildest of my life. 

Going to Florida I was told I would probably be able to dive around Aquarius, but no promises. When I was on the boat I was guaranteed to dive.  Right before I went into the water I was told I was going to be able to go IN Aquarius. I was in shock. It was all I could do to preform the bail out bottle skill with my heart pounding with excitement. But I did. And two minutes after descending, I was in Aquarius. 

After getting a safety breifing I found myself face to face with the people I was just chatting online with days before. I can't remember who said it but the first thing I remember hearing one of them say was "Would you like something to eat? We have plenty of food!"

Next thing I know a cup of water is in my hand and a bowl of peanut M&Ms is set in front of me.

I was so in awe of everything that was happening, I could hardly speak. Which is fine because a reporter came down with me and he was interviewing the Aquanauts. Looking out the window next to the table in the galley area I could see all kinds of fish swimming about. It was like looking into a giant tank, except it was really reversed. We were the ones in their world, the ones in the tank. It felt like we were down there for a great while, until we got our 10, then 3min warnings. I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay in that funny can on the bottom of the ocean, watching the fish swim by while being surrounded by some of the top influential people in the marine community. We got a few minutes to swim around Aquarius then had to head to the surface before we hit deco. Upon surfacing I just chuckled to myself. Mostly in disbelief on what just happened. I sat in the water waiting to get out trying to process the last hour of my life.

I am one of less than a thousand people who have been inside Aquarius. I have been where legends and pioneers in the marine community have been. Who has sat where I just did? Whose footsteps have I just followed in?

The next day I passed on going out on the work boat for another dive around Aquarius. 7ft swells were rolling and I knew that means I would be "chumming" instantly. So I stuck around base and got lunch for the returning Aquanauts.

That night was the benefit at the Museum of Scuba Diving. It was really neat there. They had literally everything from the ancient days of diving (no really like Greek empire ancient). There I met Jon Landau- the producer of Titanic and the Avatar movies. Yep. It was pretty awesome.
Oh not to mention people from One World One Ocean aka MacGillivray Freeman Films was there, so met some guys from there... Kinda star struck in those short days to say the least!

So after a whirl wind couple of days I was on my way back home to Cali.

A day later I was on my way to Long Beach to stay on the R/V Sea Watch. Home of my dear friend and mentor- Capt Chris Wade. He was going to help me finish my Dive Master. After working 3 full day shifts at the California Science Center, waking up at 6am and not going to be til midnight or later, I was beyond tired but finally a Dive Master.

This weekend I am actually going out on his boat with several others for some diving and shark snorkeling! Though I have a funny suspicion I'll be put to work as cook or something like that... no complaints here, living the dream!

And finally to round out a week of craziness, I went up to Tahoe with my dad to become a sub pilot! Ok don't go crazy, I'm not talking Navy super stealth submarines or anything, I'm talking about small 1.5 or 2 person submersible (I say 1.5 cause if its 2 you will have to be real comfortable with each other and not eat beans for breakfast)

So after this last weekend I am now a submersible pilot. The sub I flew is named Great White. She belongs to another dear friend and mentor- Scott Cassell (check out the stuff he has done with humboldt squids and sharks!) She handles really well and very basic in controls. Finally, after two years I was in my first REAL submersible and piloted her myself!

So those 12 or so days have easily altered my life. Or at least has set some ripples into effect and I cannot wait to see what kind of tidal wave they will produce.

Here are some pictures from Aquarius and Great White (Sub photos taken by my dad)-

Reminiscing and Advice

Finals week is here. Aka the week of tests that you think you studied enough for but in reality you just gotta wing these things and hope you pass (sorry mom, that's the reality of it!). And as I sit here in the library, partial procrastinating and partially studying, I start to think back on this semester. So much has happened. I won't go into detail on some stuff but what I can go into detail I will....

 Our friend group has grown drastically. Not only in the sense of adding of people but friendship wise we have all grown. The beginning of the semester brought many trials that placed us in some uncomfortable positions at times. Thankfully though we have all grown and moved on from these. It was hard, it wasn't easy. But we got through it.

 On the actual size growth of things I have one word. Norway. Seriously if you thought I was a little Norway crazy before, you should see me now ;) I am literally down at Magnus and Ynghild's apartment close to every day. They are probably sick of me by now x) They have introduced me to How I Met Your Mother and needless to say I am slightly addicted! I love those two to no end and I am so excited that I do get to spend one last week with them in So Cal before they head back home to Norway. All the other Norwegians- Simen, Kristen, Trude, Adrian, Pieter, Jon, Ylva,Anders and Oddbjørn- that I have met and hung out with have all been a blast. Seriously if you had to chose people to befriend from another country, make sure they are from Norway. They will be some of the funniest, most awesome people ever! They are very blunt though, so you have been warned! This brings me to another topic....

 I am planning on studying abroad. Can you guess where? If you guessed Norway you are correct! i don't plan on going until 2014, but I do plan on it. Yes I am partially going there because of the new friends I have made, but also because they do have a marine program and have you seen picture of Norway??? If not go to Google right now and type in Bergen or Tromsø or Oslo. See those gorgeous pictures?? Yeah, not too shabby huh? Besides how many people can say they have been to Norway? Honestly it never struck me to go there, like ever, but now, I really REALLY want to go...
Also check out these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebqdwQzmSHM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76d6JTLCc9g
 If you didn't laugh... I am sorry... you need more Norwegians in your life then!

 Yesterday I went hiking to find some lava. Now before you think I am crazy going to hike into a field of lava then well... No actually I am crazy. Here is the thing, when you see lava in the movies you see it gushing from a mountain or rolling down a hill. Spoiler alert- It is not like that in real life. I mean ya sure SOMETIMES you get to see it all pretty and flowy but majority of the time you don't. Most of the time it is subsurface flow aka in a lava tube. And guess what we were walking on... Ya ~1000C (~2000F) is still hot under a layer of rock. Anyways I didn't get to use my lava poking stick to poke the lava or pop the jiffypop but we did see a faint glow in a lava tube! Though I did get to eat a marshmellow cooked by the lava thanks to Simen! Was super fun though. Seriously you have not lived until you think you are about to fall through the ground into molten rock! Mind you this wasn't a paved trail out to the lava. Oh no, it was 5 miles as the crow flies of tromping and climbing over lava rock. Round trip was about 10hours of hiking (roughly 20km round trip). It was not for the faint of heart and 4L of water, couple scrapes, a blister and slight sun burn later I can say I have seen lava up close and personal! (Sorry Morgan for using not all the proper terms ;) )

 Ok enough of the reminiscing part...

On to the advice! I wish starting off in college someone would have told me about the friends I could make. Normally all I was told about the horrors of having a crappy roommate... Nothing about making and keeping genuine friends. Here is one thing I would recommend- make friends with people who are definitely from another country and are not from your state. Why? Well if you moved away from home to experience something new, nothing screams new like people from another country. If you are staying close to home, even better. You will get to experience a new way of life without having to leave the comforts of home!

But here is a warning- they are going to leave. If they are on exchange, they are going to leave. It's the hard truth I am facing right now. I really don't want to but I have no other choice. It is the reality. People come into our lives, and they leave. They choice you have is how hard are you going to work on keeping them a part of your life. If they are genuine friends, this will be easier. If not, well... Mind you I say easier, not easy. Nothing is easy when trying to keep up long distance friendships. Even trying to keep up with my friends back home has been a challenge. And honestly I only care to keep in touch with a few. Hey the rest of them, well if they haven't said anything to me in my whole 9 months away who cares? Most of them were from high school. Oh! Here is another tip- people from high school don't matter any more in college. Seriously. Those old fake friendships with people going nowhere. Forget about them. They aren't worth the trouble or ibuprofen spent on trying to relieve the headache you are going to give yourself. Sounds harsh I know. But most people who have been through this and those of you who will go through this will agree. There is one piece of advice I cannot give but need to experience myself. And that is saying goodbye. My family knows I hate saying goodbye to places I fall in love with. I have yet to experience a genuine goodbye with people. (Sorry friends back home, but when I know I am going to see you in a couple months and when we are planning for you to come see me or since we live in the same city, state and country, me leaving after summer and Christmas don't count exactly).
When you fall in love with people and have to say goodbye, especially when they are from another country, that is tough. I don't know how I am going to handle it, but I am sure it is going to be a long plane ride home full of chocolate, tissues and sappy music/movie. I hate saying goodbye to place I love. I can't imagine saying it to people.

 Ok I think I got most my thoughts out for the evening, now on to actual studying for finals week!

Oh here is some more Norway/ Swedish fun :)

This song rocks... especially when all the Norwegians start singing it ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6Cn8Gfiz90
And for lessons on how to dance at a rave in Swedish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrctMvIWpG0

A New Year, Looking Forward.

Happy New Year! It's 2012 but it sure doesn't feel like it. Guess I can't believe that a whole 'nother year has gone by. And boy was it an eventful one! I'm pretty sure My New Year's wish last year was to have an exciting year. And that is what I got. Maybe a little more eventful in some ways that I was not planning on- good and bad. I met some new people, made new friends, lost some old friends and grew, A LOT. I graduated high school and started college.

At the end of my first semester of college, I am excited for the next four years, but at the same time I just want it to be over. I know the next four years will be some of the toughest years of my life, but I am excited For those years. I know I will grow in ways I cannot yet comprehend. I will laugh, I will cry, I will learn. The growth of knowledge is what probably excites me most. Mind you, I am not talking about just growing in school, but also outside of it. Ideally, I have three summers between now and graduation.

Those summers are going to be so jam packed with learning also! Mostly concerning diving and hopefully photography/videography.

Last year I had a goal of making 2011 as exciting as possible, even though some of it was not what I was really planning on, it certainly was exciting. This new year, 2012, I don't have to worry about it having any sort of lack of excitement. Rather, I am going to have to learn a great deal of time management.

So I guess that would be my goal/plan/wish of 2012- Manage my time wisely.

Wishing you the best in this next year.

Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

... the end of the semester. You thought I was going to say Christmas huh? Well that too... And I am listening to Michael Buble's Christmas album. Yes it is only the day after Thanksgiving... So? The turkey had its day... Now its Christmas time :)Even decorated our suite with Christmas lights and wrapped our doors with wrapping paper!

Finals are approaching, I have a paper due in the next few weeks and I decided that before things get too crazy that I might take the time and catch up on the latest and greatest, and take some time to reflect on the past few months.


Its hard to believe that my first semester at college is almost done. It really hasn't felt like college because my classes are really small... with the exception on my Chem lecture. But really, most my classes are the size of my high school ones with exception that some of the people in my class can be my age, or even 10 years older! Its fun because no one looks down on you for your age. You are all taking the same class, you are all equal.

Going to a university the size of a public high school is fun because you get to recognize everyone to the point you will say hi and maybe stop and chat. Its like RCS but nobody cares about your drama! Refreshing :) Granted there are a few uhh "air heads" to put it nicely... But there are always a few.


With the semester closing, that means some friends are leaving. I'm really sad about this because the last few months I have met some awesome people and hope I will keep in contact with them. Wish they could stay longer, but I guess that is what Facebook is for! Really gonna miss them that is for sure!

On a happier note, I have done so much! Been on so many adventures- Green Sands beach hike, Mauna Kea summit, hiking into the caldera of a volcano, biked 23 miles, sailed, scuba dived, walked to town, went on photoshoot adventures, and so much more!

Which leads me into my other bit of big new... I got my first job! Yep I have officially entered the working world. As what might you ask? I am an employee of the Outdoor Adventure Staff!!! What does that mean? All the things I just listed up there... Yeah I now get paid to do that... Although I do have to drive the vans and there is office work... So it isn't all fun and games... ;) My coworkers are awesome! Two of which are my suitemates. I swear we do just about everything together. I love the vibe with the staff! Just a fun, relaxed yet a "we get it done" atmosphere.

So far life out here is pretty great... Minus that school work bit ;)

Enjoy the pictures.

Future Happenings of Now

So lately not much has been happening here in Hawaii. Although I'm really falling in love with the culture. It is just so laid back, relaxing, polite and fun. I really wish the rest of the Mainland would get on with the program. America would be a MUCH better place if it did.

Oh! I am going to try to get a job at the Student Life Center as an Outdoor Adventure team member! It would be amazing! I would get paid to go on the weekend trips that I already go on anyways. Granted its not all fun! I have to learn to drive the vans (eek!), make sure the kids on the trips don't do anything dangerous, and there is some office hours that come with the territory... But hey, its a job. I'll even power wash the drive way! (hehe)

Outside o school I have been doing a bit of thinking about internships, diving experience/certs that I want, and what I want to do when I get out of college (yeah I know that's 4 years away but still... )

So just quickly listing dive certs I want:
1) Scientific Diver(in the works)
2) Dive Master
3) Anything else offered here or back home
4) Keep diving at CSC

As for interning...
I have no clue. I know I want to work with Scott Cassell and his sub and what ever projects he has going on. I also want to continue diving at the California Science Center! I love it there. Also I wanna do some time on the R/V Sea Watch sometime (waddya say Capt?).
Ok so as far as "real" internships go... Something with sharks, or animal relocation/tagging/tracking/rehab/etc. Pretty basic. No micro organisms or mollusks for me. Or anything OUTSIDE. DOING something. Lab work drives me crazy (to an extent). All I know is that I am not made for strictly indoor lab work. No way, no how.

As for what I WANT to do when I'm out or what I am working towards... I have no clue. Which is new for me. I'll go for anything that has diving, deep sea exploration, underwater photography/filming, in field research, maybe even work in an aquarium... I have no set idea. I wanna try it all!

Its funny though... I'm not sure that I am too keen on being completely submersed in the PhD society of science. Its too stuffy. Too many limitations. Too many rules. Plus, I have never done anything normally. Granted, I'm not going to completely shun the scientific community, but I'm not sure if I want to be submersed in it.

Two people who I really look up to are Capt Chris Wade and Scott Cassell. If there are two guys that I want to be like, its them. They redefine the "normal" in how to work with the ocean. I consider them two of my mentors. If you ever get the chance to meet one or both, they will change you life. Both have a thirst for life and desire to live it to the fullest. Two different personalities but both share a love of the ocean.

Nothing much else is going on. I'm really enjoying myself here. The friends I have made are super fun and my roommates rock. :)

Boats, divers, cameras. Oh my!

So this weekend to say the least was one whirlwind adventure! I am still seeing the world spin… or maybe it is just the fact that the last two days I have been on a boat. Yeah, that may have something to do about it! Ok so where to begin… I guess when I walked on to Sea Watch Friday morning-

I walk on to the R/V Sea Watch for the second time. My first being for a harbor cruise of sorts. After getting my bunk and putting my stuff away the camera crew from Global Reef started to show up. The most cameras that started to appear were worth $20 THOUSAND dollars or more. After getting whirlwind introduction to the camera crew, Kerry (Scott’s fiancé) and her two kids Shelby and Alec arrived. After they got situated and more introductions by camera crew, Scott arrived and we helped him get all his gear on board. And there was a LOT of gear! We shoved off around 4pm or so.
The ride over to Catalina was fun! I got to know Shelby and Alec some. Since I just met them! They are super great kids! They were a lot of fun to hang around with. I also spent time talking and laughing with Maleno, Will and Ricky who are three of the Sea Watch crew. How I missed those guys!

We docked in Toyon Bay where the CIMI camp is held. They were great in giving rooms for the crew that wouldn’t fit on Sea Watch for the night; also they fed some of us. Scott gave a talk to the counselors about what was going on and of course the cameras followed and recorded his every word.(Side note: If you ever get the chance to hear Scott talk, don’t pass it up! He is a wonderful speaker.)

That night most of the crew did not get to bed until 11pm or later. A few, like Ricky and Capt. Chris (captain of Sea Watch) stayed up throughout the night and made sure some details were cleared up so we did not have to worry about them in the morning. At 4am Scott arrived on Sea Watch after spending the night on shore. The boat came alive, full of cameras and crew, scrambling to get things together to make sure Scott and the camera crew going in the water had all the gear they needed. After 3 hours of mayhem Scott finally jumped in at 7:05am.

Scott took off with the crew of Blue Diver and the RIB (ridged inflatable boat). Sea Watch stayed behind a bit to make sure that the dive bell that Scott was going to be using to change gear and eat would be safe for him. Well after about 4 hours of testing we decided that it would not be. With the water conditions, and Scott’s fatigue that would arise, having him in the bell was just something that was an unnecessary risk. By the time that Sea Watch caught up with Scott and the rest of the boats, we noticed that there was one too many divers in the boat. Scott had to surface. The plan was to go without surfacing. But through a series of technical problems, Scott was forced to come up. The rest of the day ended up being Scott surfacing to exchange tanks or to rest and get some food in him, more than the protein shakes he was going to eat. Towards the second to last surface and equipment exchange things were not looking good. Even though he was faced with severe exhaustion and still another 5 miles to go, Scott still kept going on. For the last bit inside the harbor Scott changed back into his rebreather. Sid, Shelby and myself were “support divers”(Shelby and myself snorkeled because if Scott needed any real help we didn’t want our gear to be in the way) for the last little swim with his rebreather.

Scott surfaced for the last time of the day sometime around 6:15pm (or was it 7:15?) back on the shores of California in Cabrillo.

It was one long day. The hours blurred together, time was around us but did not really seem to exist. My first expedition has been completed. And what an expedition to be a first!

Quite a few things went wrong or broke. But Scott kept pushing through. His dedication to the sharks kept him going (as well as a great medic and support crew).

Let me set this straight- the 30 mile dive was not about making a world record, or being the first to do some stunt. It was to bring awareness to the declining population of sharks and just how endangered they are. This was to show people how sick our oceans are. Before and after the dive Scott talked about how back in the 80s and 90s he dove out there and he would see 20 or more blue sharks in one 45min dive. Over an expanse of 30 miles he saw absolutely no sharks. Scott also talked about how everything is interconnected in our world.

An example he used:
Are declining shark populations responsible for the rise in bear attacks in Alaska? At first I was thinking no. I mean how can sharks and bears be related in any way. In a condensed version this is what he explained- Sharks are the apex predators of the sea. Take them away and a new one comes up. This new one is the Humboldt squid. And these squid are viscous. They eat everything. So as sharks decline, squid rise and have moved north to Alaska to feed on salmon. Oddly the salmon population has been decreasing drastically. Scott mentioned a group of fishermen who were trying to catch salmon in the ocean and oddly kept hooking Humboldt squid and when they did get a salmon it was all chewed up already. Fishermen reported that they only caught 1/6 of what they normally get. So back to the bears… Bears eat salmon. What happens when bears don’t get enough salmon? They get hungry and go looking for other food sources. Just so happens that the nearest source of easy food is in people’s trash. See the connection now? Sure it may not be the primary cause of bear attacks, but do you think it is helping any??

Everything is interconnected. This dive was not about a world record. It was about getting the word out that the oceans are failing. People are not fishing sustainably anymore. Killing 200,000 sharks A DAY is not sustainable! When they have life spans and reproduction rates close to that of humans, they can’t support being killed at that rate! No one would stand by if people started killing off pandas or puppies or something cute and fuzzy. So why should we stand by when sharks are being killed?

Sharks are in trouble. We need to do something. The thing I love most about Scott is that he isn’t afraid to act. He stands up for the innocent and for what he believes in. Scott is a do-er, not a talk-er. It doesn’t take much to talk about facts and statistics. But it takes more to actually stand up and DO something.


Our oceans are in risk of collapsing. They are the life source for our world. He is right- if the oceans fail, mankind won’t be far behind.


For more information about Scott and what he does please check out his website for his non-profit company:
www.underseavoyagerproject.org

Or for more information about the 30-Mile Dive and the movie that will be coming out please visit:
www.30miledive.com

Green Sand and Tallest Mountain

So this weekend was sheer fun in the sun and relaxation!! Saturday we (my suite mates Hannah and Jaidon and I) "hiked" with the Outdoor Adventure Center (OAC) on their trip to the Green Sand Beach. I label it as a "hike" because it really is only a 2.5 mile walk. The only "hiking" was going up and down the cliff to get to the beach! But once down at the beach the waves were these awesome classic "body whompers" that we used to see in Baja! Super fun waves to ride and crash onto the shore if you didn't mind the load of sand in every crevice of your body! And these waves were HUGE might I add! We were getting the full force of a Southern swell so the waves were bigger than their average size... So kinda funny... Most people who went either stayed on the beach tanning (seriously you couldn't have done that at the pool?) or stayed right where all the sand was getting churned up and the waves broke... it was quite entertaining to see people get slammed when they least expected it! I can't laugh too hard though because me and Hannah were trying to go back out after getting some water and got nailed by a wave... but we stayed on our feet!!! So it wasn't that bad! haha We saw a turtle a few times, wondering what he was doing but he kept dipping below so we couldn't really follow the little guy!

Yesterday was soooo much fun! I climbed the world's tallest mountain. And I did not even need a jacket!! For those of you haters- Mauna Kea IS taller than Everest. From base to summit. Mount Everest just gets a head start being in the Himalayas! The view was absolutely breathtaking!! It was actually warm at the top and after you get acclimated, being at such high altitude was actually kinda nice! According to my Norwegian friend Simen it is because your body produces more red blood cells and athletes used to do it before a marathon, but then when they did the blood work test it looked like steroids! The air was so clean and clear I almost did not want to go down!

Well another week of school ahead and hopefully making a trip to Place of Refuge this Saturday!