I am passionate about ocean conservation, helping scientists on research expeditions, diving and documenting extraordinary places underwater on film, paper, or in face-to-face or zoom presentations. As a research diver, photographer, writer, now filmmaker, I share news and publish stories about swimming, diving, citizen science and ocean conservation. I love exploring in and on the water and filming sharks, whales, dolphins, rays, sea lions, shipwrecks, coral reefs, and California’s kelp forests.
I just completed the curriculum for an Associates Degree in Film Production at City College of San Francisco which allows me to pursue a film production degree at a 4-year institution if I so choose. But my film classes are not about credentials. For me, my classes are about gathering skills to bring stories about the magical and fragile nature of our oceans. Globally, the ocean and marine life are under assault by humans where warming, acidity, plastics, fertilizers, and overfishing are threatening the life support systems for everything on our planet.
At UC Berkeley, as an undergrad, I taught research diving under the supervision of local diving pioneer Lloyd Austin. The scientific dive course was required for anyone hoping to conduct underwater research at U.C. Berkeley.
In 2015, I began assisting researchers on shark tagging trips to Cocos Island 340 miles Southwest of Costa Rica in the Pacific. There I volunteered and tagged a tiger shark, using a speargun 120 feet below the ocean surface. I have assisted reseachers on six trips to Cocos Island, two trips to Revillagigedo (aka Socorro) 240 miles offshore in Mexico, and Malpelo, 310 miles off the Colombian Coast . I was also certified as a volunteer diver to conduct surveys on the California coast with Reefcheck.
I joined the Board of Migramar, a group of 25 marine scientists who successfully pushed their respective governments in the Americas to create, expand, and connect marine protected areas. I currently help not-for-profits develop strategic and marketing plans to present their stories for public consumption.
Background: I grew up in California where, as a child, I spent hours scouring California beaches for washed up sea creatures. Later, I learned to surf, windsurf, kayak, scuba dive, freedive and swim in open water off the Golden Gate in San Francisco.
Education: I earned two business degrees from U.C. Berkeley and worked in two sectors: 1) construction/real estate 2) software and hardware technology before deciding to dedicate my time to assisting researchers, photographing marine life, making films, and telling stories about the ocean, marine life, and people dedicated to marine protection.
Many of my 3000 dives have in California, in the Pacific, or in the Caribbean. I have enjoyed photographing sea creatures and underwater shipwrecks in the Galapagos (Ecuador) , Cocos Island (Costa Rica), the Archipelago of Revillagigedo (Mexico), Colombia, Tonga, Truk Lagoon (Micronesia), Palau, Fiji, Indonesia, Thailand, and South Africa.
If you have a moment, drop me a note to say “hello” on the contact page if you have a minute. Let me know how the ocean inspires you.