"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)-
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)-
