This show originally aired on the TWiT Netcast Network on December 23, 2011. Visit the show page at TWiT.tv.

August 15, 2011: Our special guest is National Geographic Fellow and acclaimed chef, author, and speaker Barton Seaver, who seeks to restore our relationship with the ocean, the land, and with each other through dinner. His new book is For Cod and Country: Simple, Delicious, Sustainable Cooking. If you’re not hungry, you will be by the end of this show! Also: A giant sea monster discovered in the UK and a close encounter with the largest animal that’s ever lived.

The Ocean Doctor airs weekly on WebTalkRadio.net. Want to listen on your iPod, iPhone or mp3 player? Download the mp3 file or subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a single episode. Or listen to us on your iPhone, Android phone, WebOS phone, BlackBerry or tablet, including the iPad, with the free Stitcher SmartRadio app. See the complete list of episodes. Follow The Ocean Doctor on Twitter — Become a Fan on Facebook! Submit a question and I’ll try to answer it on the air. Even better, record your question or comment on our special message line and I might play it on the air. Call: (805) 619-9194. You can also leave questions and comments for this episode below. Like the show? Learn how to become a sponsor.

Eating Our Way Out of the Ocean’s Problems — A Chef’s Perspective

Chef Barton Seaver (Photo: Katie Stoops)

National Geographic Fellow and acclaimed chef, author, and speaker Barton Seaver wants to restore our relationship with the ocean, the land, and with each other through dinner.

Seaver’s childhood in Washington, D.C., centered around the family dinner table. After graduating with honors from the Culinary Institute of America, he traveled extensively and found work at a small family restaurant in southern Spain. The casual, ingredient-based cooking style there would prove to be an important influence in his perception of food as an essential part of community.

A transformative trip to Morocco landed him in the seaside village of Essaouiera, where survival is directly linked to the oceans. His experience with the locals, who taught him generationsold fishing methods, helped shape his belief that, at its root, sustainability is both an ecological and a humanitarian issue.

Seaver returned to D.C. in 2005 and began his career as a chef, first with José Andrés at Jaleo, then as executive chef of Café Saint-Ex and later at its sister restaurant, Bar Pilar. In 2007, Seaver became executive chef of the sustainable seafood restaurant Hook in Georgetown, which made Bon Appétit’s Top 10 Eco- Friendly Restaurants and the Washington Post’s Top 50, Washingtonian Magazine’s Top 100. In a single year, the restaurant served 78 species of seafood, and Seaver’s devotion to sustainability led to national media attention.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium recognizes Seaver as a sustainability leader, and in 2008 he received both the Seafood Choices Alliance’s Seafood Champion Award and the title “Rising Culinary Star of the Year” from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. In 2009, he was named Esquire magazine’s Chef of the Year.

The Chef at Work (Photo: Katie Stoops)

Since then, he has focused on using his knowledge and experience to link seafood to broader socioeconomic, ecological, health, and cultural issues. Locally he sits on the board of D.C. Central Kitchen, an organization fighting hunger through personal empowerment, job training, and life skills. He also collaborates with the School Nutrition Association, the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, Future of Fish, and other non-profit organizations supportive of his message that food is a catalyst for restoring health to ourselves, our communities, and our planet.

As a National Geographic Fellow, Seaver works with the global partnership initiative Mission Blue to increase awareness of the ocean crisis and inspire action. In 2010, he gave a TED Talk on sustainable seafood aboard the National Geographic Endeavour in Ecuador. He developed a list of ocean friendly substitutes for popular yet depleted seafood species, and co-created the Seafood Decision Guide to help consumers evaluate seafood based on health and environmental factors. Currently he hosts the National Geographic Web series Cook-Wise, where he introduces the fishermen, farmers, and scientists working to bring more sustainable food to the table.

Click to Order Your Copy of Barton Seaver's, "For Cod and Country"

Seaver’s recipes and insights have been featured in Cooking Light, O: The Oprah Magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Lonny Magazine, ChopChop, the Washington Post, Fortune, TreeHugger.com, American University’s Kogod Magazine, and Vanity Fair. He has appeared on CNN, NPR’s All Things Considered and Weekend Edition, and Bloomberg Radio. He is also a regular guest on the radio show National Geographic Weekend with host Boyd Matson.

His three-part television series In Search of Food tells the story of the locavore movement through local farmers, chefs, and food specialists in New York, San Francisco, and Minneapolis. The series premiered on the Ovation network in May 2011.

A highly sought speaker, Seaver has been invited to give lectures at Harvard University, Yale University, Culinary Institute of America, National Geographic, and Duke University, as well as serve on numerous conference panels, including at the Aspen Environmental Forum, Blue Vision Summit, the National Restaurant Association Annual Convention, the Seafood Choices Alliance Sustainable Seafood Summit, and the Savannah Oceans Exchange. He has been selected to give featured or keynote addresses at annual meetings for Basel World 2011, The Nature Conservancy, School Nutrition Association, American Culinary Federation, and American Fisheries Society.

Like Barton on Facebook and follow him on Twitter

Pink Salmon Cakes with Dill and Mustard This has become a weeknight favorite at our house. The cakes are inexpensive and easy to put together. Add a side dish, and you have dinner for four.Two 7- to 8-ounce cans pink salmonSalt2 tablespoons mayonnaise2 teaspoons whole-grain mustardPinch of ground mace1/4 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs) or fine dried bread crumbs1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill2 tablespoons butterLemon wedgesPreheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drain the salmon. Flake the fish into a bowl, being careful to remove any small bones or skin that may be mixed in. Season with salt and add the mayonnaise, mustard, mace, bread crumbs, and dill. Mix gently with your fingers until it is well combined. Form into four even patties about 1 inch thick and allow to sit for about 5 minutes to allow the bread crumbs to absorb the flavor. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the butter until foaming. Add the salmon cakes and cook until they begin to turn golden on the edges, about 5 minutes. Don’t touch them while they’re browning. Once the edges have browned, transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 5 minutes to heat through. Flip the cakes onto plates and serve with lemon wedges. Serves 4 Photos by Katie Stoops; Images and recipes reprinted with permission from “For Cod and Country” © 2011 by Barton Seaver, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

Steamed Clams and Basil Pesto Steamed shellfish work with so many different flavors. Here I top clams with a bright basil pesto. It is a super-easy preparation and makes an elegant and easy weeknight meal.3 dozen littleneck clams, rinsed thoroughly (discard any that won’t close)1 cup white wine1/2 cup Basil Pesto (recipe below)2 tablespoons butter1 crusty baguette, sliced and toastedPlace the clams and wine in a covered pot over high heat. As the broth begins to boil, gently stir the clams to ensure that they cook evenly.Once all the shells are open (discard any that haven’t opened after 5 minutes), remove the clams from the pot and place them in serving bowls, leaving as much of the broth in the pot as possible. Carefully pour the broth into a bowl, leaving any sand that has collected in the bottom of the pot. Add the pesto and butter to the clam broth and stir to combine. Pour over the clams and serve with toasted bread.Serves 4 as an appetizer or light entrée Basil Pesto 1 cup walnuts 3 cloves garlic, peeled 1 cup canola oil (or, for added flavor, 3/4 cup canola oil plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil) Leaves from 1 pound fresh basil Salt Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 8 minutes. The nuts should be highly aromatic, and the thin skin should be flaky. Allow them to cool. Place the nuts in a colander and toss well with your hand to remove the flaky skin— it’s bitter and doesn’t purée very well, so it is best to get rid of as much as possible. After a minute of tossing, remove the cleaned nuts from the colander and discard any skin that has sloughed off. Place the garlic and oil in a blender. Purée until the garlic is incorporated. (The garlic in the oil will help keep the basil bright green.) Add the basil leaves and purée until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. Add the walnuts and pulse until the pesto is thick. Season to taste with salt. Photos by Katie Stoops; Images and recipes reprinted with permission from For Cod and Country © 2011 by Barton Seaver, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

The Pliosaur “Sea Monster”

The Enormous Pliosaur (Image courtesy of BBC)

A Paddler’s Close Encounter with a Blue Whale

Links

• For Cod and Country – Chef Barton Seaver
• “How we can eat our way out of the seafood crisis” (Featuring Barton Seaver) – Grist
• “Seafood Becoming More Scarce? (Featuring Barton Seaver) – CNN
• “Colossal ‘Sea Monster’ Unearthed” – BBC
• “Gulf Spill’s Effects Unknown for Years?” – National Geographic

August 1, 2011: We visit National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, DC to meet the newest National Geographic “Explorer in Residence,” Dr. Enric Sala and his important work on the “Pristine Seas” program with expeditions to the last remaining pristine areas in the ocean. We also hear the incredible story of a humpback whale, rescued at the brink of death, that said “thank you” to its human rescuers. And we hear the tragic story of the loss of one of our colleagues in Cuba.

The Ocean Doctor airs weekly on WebTalkRadio.net. Want to listen on your iPod, iPhone or mp3 player? Download the mp3 file or subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a single episode. Or listen to us on your iPhone, Android phone, WebOS phone, BlackBerry or tablet, including the iPad, with the free Stitcher SmartRadio app. See the complete list of episodes. Follow The Ocean Doctor on Twitter — Become a Fan on Facebook! Submit a question and I’ll try to answer it on the air. Even better, record your question or comment on our special message line and I might play it on the air. Call: (805) 619-9194. You can also leave questions and comments for this episode below. Like the show? Learn how to become a sponsor.

National Geographic’s Newest Explorer

National Geographic's Newest Explorer in Residence: Dr. Enric Sala (Photo: Josep M. Llenas)

There are two words that still give me a chill down my spine: National Geographic. We would never miss those National Geographic specials and I still remember well the excitement when the stirring theme music would herald the start of a new episode. Today I live and work very near National Geographic and have always felt privileged that I get to work closely with the organization on a range of projects. I’ve been especially grateful that over the past decade, National Geographic  has really ramped up its work on the oceans.

It’s one thing to work for National Geographic. It’s another to have the title, “Explorer in Residence.” It’s a high honor that only a few have reached, and in the show we meet the newest National Geographic Explorer in Residence, Dr. Enric Sala, a friend and colleague and fellow Cubaphile, and someone who has an incredibly important, inspiring message about the oceans to tell, one that involves solutions.

National Geographic Explorer in Residence, Dr. Enric Sala, explores the world's last remaining pristine seas (Photo: Octavio Aburto)

Dr. Enric Sala is a marine ecologist who fell in love with the sea growing up on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Witnessing the harm people do to the oceans led him to dedicate his career to understand and find ways to mitigate human impacts on marine life. After obtaining a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Aix-Marseille, France, Enric moved to the U.S.A., where he worked for ten years at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In 2006 he became a Scientific Researcher at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), and in 2008 a National Geographic Fellow and in 2011, a National Geographic Explorer in Residence. Combining work at both institutions, Enric is actively engaged in research, exploration, and communication of scientific knowledge related to the conservation of marine ecosystems.

Enric’s research aims at providing the essential amount of information needed for policy change. His research includes an important exploration component, searching for the last healthy marine ecosystems that can give us an understanding of the past and the present that can be used to inform the future. His present goal is to help protect the last pristine marine ecosystems worldwide, part of National Geographic’s Pristine Seas initiative. He spends a great deal of time diving in many locations, including the Caribbean, the Sea of Cortés, the Mediterranean, and remote Pacific islands. His scientific publications are widely recognized and used for real-world conservation efforts such as the creation of marine reserves.

Enric is a 2005 Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, a 2006 Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation, a 2007 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and a 2008 Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He also received the 2006 Prince of Asturias Award to Communication and Humanities with National Geographic. Enric’s experience and scientific expertise contributes to his service on scientific advisory boards of international environmental organizations.

A Whale’s Unforgettable “Thank You”

In our news segment, we hear about the rescue of a nearly-dead humpback whale, hopelessly entangled in fishing gear in the Sea of Cortez. Michael Fishbach, co-founder of Earth Island Institute’s, Great Whale Conservancy, and his family and friends came to the whale’s rescue and were awestruck by what the whale had to give them in return.

In Memory of Alonso

Also in our news segment, we hear about the tragic death of one of our colleagues at the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research. Read the tribute to Alonso Ramos.

Links

• National Geographic’s “Pristine Seas” initiative
• Earth Island Institute’s Great Whale Conservancy
• An Expedition Dedicated to Alonso

January 17, 2011: The National  Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling has released its final report. What does it say and what are the lessons from this tragedy? The Ocean Doctor guides you through the highlights. Also: From The Ocean Foundation’s headquarters in Washington, DC, our panel of experts discusses other key ocean issues we should pay attention to this year.

The Ocean Doctor airs weekly on WebTalkRadio.net. Want to listen on your iPod, iPhone or mp3 player? Download the mp3 file or subscribe on iTunes and don’t miss a single episode. See the complete list of episodes.

Follow The Ocean Doctor on Twitter — Become a Fan on Facebook!

Submit a question and I’ll try to answer it on the air. Even better, record your question or comment on our special message line and I might play it on the air. Call: (805) 619-9194. You can also leave questions and comments for this episode below.

Like the show? Learn how to become a sponsor.

This Week: The BP Oil Spill Commission Speaks

We continue our in-depth coverage of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster and take our first look at the Commission’s final report. Also: Our panel of experts and the other big issues we need to pay attention to this year.

On May 22, 2010 President Obama established the National  Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, co-chaired by former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator, Bob Graham and former EPA Administrator, William Riley. The Commission issued its report last week – on time and under budget – perhaps a first for a presidential commission. We take our first look at the report, drawing from last week’s press conference.

Oil Spill Commission Video

Oil Spill Commission Final Report

Hard Copy and Kindle Edition Available at Amazon.com

Links:

National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

Tip of the Week:

See the delightful 1983 movie, “Local Hero” starring Burt Lancaster, and be sure to enjoy the beautiful soundtrack by Mark Knopfler.

The expedition kicked off at Sassarini Elementary in Sonoma, CA. 400 students participated.

We were both anticipating millions of visitors to DC for the Inauguration of Barack Obama, and reflecting on the presidential election. We marveled at the remarkable turnout and engagement of young people in the election and agreed that they weren’t likely to disengage. Our nation’s youth is a major player in today’s political movement. The driver pointed across the Potomac toward the Capitol, “It’s a wakeup call to Members of Congress.” I saw his smile in the rearview mirror.

The Dollar Rent A Car agent at San Francisco International Airport was pushing the extra insurance so hard I felt compelled to deny it, doing my best to beam confidence that his precious Dodge Caliber would stay out of harm’s way. At last at the helm of my first ExpeditionMobile, I journeyed onto the freeway, into the fog, and toward the Golden Gate Bridge. I made the same drive when I was 22, having cashed in all my savings for a TWA plane ticket, a cheap hotel, and subcompact rental car. The ocean was calling me, and I left Philadelphia for the West Coast in search of a career in marine science and conservation. I was lucky enough to find it and spent more than 12 years in California before I left for DC. It still feels like home.

Stop 1 : Sassarini Elementary School: Sonoma, California (January 7, 2009)

If you send an email to Julie Jehly, Watershed Stewardship Coordinator for the Sonoma Ecology Center, you’ll get this autoreply, “Hi – The state has suspended funding the grant that supports my position, and I do not know the date I will return to work.” Julie was the one who reached out back in October to bring me to Sassarini Elementary School. But in the meantime, the California state budget woes had hit her hard. I know from my work running a nature center in Florida that Julie’s work is critically important, helping to mobilize the community to become aware of and protect its environment. She had recently organized dozens of volunteers, which collected more than a ton of garbage in less than three hours from Fryer Creek, Nathanson Creek and other creeks in Sonoma.

She has continued many of her duties – including coordinating my visit – for no pay. Julie, whose job involves recruiting volunteers from the community for the Center, was now herself a volunteer, something that 400 young students should be grateful for.

A beautiful gift from the students at Sassarini School

Soon it was showtime, and the first 200 students, first and second graders, made their way into the cafeteria, which had been hastily converted into an auditorium. They took their places on the floor as Principal Leticia Cruz began the introductions and reminded the students to stay quiet. I was happy that they didn’t. “Ooooooooooo. Woooooowww!,” they exclaimed when the first images of a scuba diver flashed onto the wall. I relished their shrieks of wonder and delight, which went on for a full hour.The third and fourth graders were equally engaged during the second hour. I couldn’t have asked for a better kickoff for the project!

I asked for a show of hands of how many kids wanted to be scientists when they grew up. I was pleased to see lots of hands. Wow…science is cool again. I asked how many were ready to come with me in a submarine to explore the oceans. Just a few hands this time. Perhaps some more time in the swimming pool first.

On the way back to my hotel, I stopped in Petaluma at the studios of TWiT (This Week in Tech), where Leo Laporte, a tech guru who hosts a syndicated radio show (“The Tech Guy”) and a podcast network of tech shows beams his content around the world. I had stopped by to thank Leo personally for his leadership in the podcasting arena, the advice he had provided over the years and for his influence in helping me use the latest tech tools to share my work on the Internet. Dane Golden, the studio manager, unexpectedly asked me, “Do you want to go on the air right now with Leo…live?” I thought about it for half a second, “Sure!” And so I got to thank Leo in a very public way. As I left I heard him speaking into his microphone, “You never know who’ll drop in at the TWiT Cottage.”

Project DeepSearch: A sub capable of reaching the deepest depths of the ocean

The next day I began the long drive south to Ventura County, and as I passed through Oakland realized I had to stop to see the latest technological developments at Deep Ocean Engineering and Research (DOER), under the watchful eye of its president, Liz Taylor. I was excited to hear Liz tell me the latest about Project DeepSearch, the goal of which is to construct a next-generation manned submarine capable of “full ocean depth.” The last and only time human beings visited the deepest part of the oceans was 1960 — we’ve never returned, and no submarines exist today that are capable of the journey.

Stop 2 : Ventura High School: Ventura, California (January 9, 2009)

The ExpeditionMobile at Ventura High School

I would be giving three speeches before the day was done, the first two back-to-back at Ventura High School, close enough to the Pacific to taste it in the morning air. The fog quickly vanished and the magnificent Channel Islands appeared. When I had lived here I served as president of the Friends of Channel Islands National Park. I remember camping on the islands, touring them, and thinking that this is what California must have looked like before freeways and strip malls. Stunningly beautiful, and perhaps the best kept secret in the National Park System because they are usually invisible from shore, blocked from view by even the lightest fog, so that even residents are surprised when these magical islands suddenly reappear.

At Ventura High School, an always-effervescent Linda Southwick greeted me with her bright smile and ushered me to the auditorium. Nearly 20 years ago I had been Linda’s boss at a consulting firm I had co-founded in Ojai, California called EcoAnalysis. Now I see Linda had found her true calling, as a mathematics and AVID teacher.
(AVID [Advancement Via Individual Determination] is a college prep program for students who are often economically disadvantaged and underachieving which enables them to succeed in rigorous curricula, enter mainstream activities in school, and increase their opportunities to enroll in four-year colleges.)

The students were great, full of energy and interest. But that transition from elementary school to high school does take its toll. When I asked how many people thought being a scientist was “cool,” only one young woman raised her hand. (For the record, it really is cool.) Two hours, two lectures and 200 students later, I was in Linda’s classroom, very much enjoying her interact with her students. I was moved by her obvious deep dedication to her students and their success. She’s tough and means business, but she also knows how to make learning fun.

Stop 3 : Ojai Rotary Club: Ojai, California (January 9, 2009)

Booked long before the idea of this expedition, the Ojai Rotary Club became an honorary stop on the expedition, the only non-school stop on the journey. I thanked program chairman, Jack Jacobs (Jacobs & Jacobs, CPAs), one the finest CPAs and tax accountants in the country, for inviting me to my former home, Ojai, nearly a year ago. That’s why the expedition was launched in California. It was a crowded house, and though they didn’t “ooooo” and “aaaahh” like the elementary school kids, they were very engaged with the presentation. Ojai is a special community, sometimes described as an “eclectic artisans community,” a sometimes haven for actors not wanting to live in the Hollywood scene, a place for horse lovers, professionals, and all sorts of interesting cottage companies, including ours, EcoAnalysis, which was started in a garage. Though we didn’t quite become Apple Computer, we did employ 30 people at one point. And, yes, Ojai is where the fictional bionic woman was supposedly from and is where the classic Lost Horizon was filmed.

It was an inexplicably smog-free, traffic-free drive to LAX to board the flight back to DC. I reflected on my interaction with those elementary school kids in Sonoma and chuckled to myself thinking about some of their responses to questions I asked. “What are some of the biggest problems in the ocean?” I asked. A young boy in the second row said, “Giant squid?” I smiled. I called on another boy in the last row, “Sharks?” he asked. But as I thought about it, maybe their answers weren’t so silly. Maybe they were thinking about themselves as part of that next generation of ocean explorers, but feeling a bit fearful of encountering giant squid and sharks down there. Maybe…

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To celebrate my 50th, I’d like you to send me on a journey this year, a journey to visit our next generation, in their schools, and share with them some of the awe and wonder of my experiences in the sea, including the important lessons that go along with them. So I’ll be donating one speech to one school in every state and U.S. territory (accredited schools, public or private, K through college level). I’m waving my speaking fee and travel expenses. I don’t require anything except an enthusiastic audience and maybe a glass of water. (I would encourage a class project to find creative ways to offset my travel’s carbon footprint to your school.) I’ll show my videos, share my adventures, and my enthusiasm for the wonder of the deep blue part of the planet.

I’ll honor the first request I receive from each state and U.S. territory (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa) and, of course, the District of Columbia. If you or someone you know would like to take me up on this offer, just fill out the Book a Speaker Form on the 1planet1ocean web site and indicate that you’re submitting the request for the “Free Speech” project.

I look forward to this adventure and wish all of you a happy 50th, whenever it arrives, or whenever it was.

Esperanza at Dutch Harbor

At 5:15 am, the rear suspension of the taxi to Washington, DC’s National Airport groaned alarmingly under the weight of my five heavy pieces of luggage: A duffel of dive gear, a pelican case with an underwater video housing, a duffel of warm clothing, a backpack of video and camera gear, and a roll-aboard full of hard disks, cables and other geeky accessories. Alaska Airlines Flight #1 took me west across the country to Seattle, then north to Anchorage. As we pierced the clouds on our descent, the youngster seated behind me shrieked to his parents, “It looks like a big park!” Alaska was as I had remembered it: Big, wild, and beyond beautiful.

At 5:15 am, the rear suspension of the taxi to Washington, DC’s National Airport groaned alarmingly under the weight of my five heavy pieces of luggage: A duffel of dive gear, a pelican case with an underwater video housing, a duffel of warm clothing, a backpack of video and camera gear, and a roll-aboard full of hard disks, cables and other geeky accessories. Alaska Airlines Flight #1 took me west across the country to Seattle, then north to Anchorage. As we pierced the clouds on our descent, the youngster seated behind me shrieked to his parents, “It looks like a big park!” Alaska was as I had remembered it: Big, wild, and beyond beautiful.

I made my way to the Peninsula Airways departures and rendezvoused with expedition photographer Todd Warshaw, who was traveling from San Diego. We later ran into Michelle Ridgway, an Alaskan marine ecological consultant and fellow sub pilot, along with Bob Stone, a NOAA scientist specializing in the cold water corals we hoped to study on the expedition. But we weren’t supposed to see Michelle and Bob — they were supposed to be in Dutch Harbor already. Their earlier flight had been cancelled, due to the notorious thick fog that occurs this time of year in Dutch Harbor. The earliest flight for which they could be confirmed was August 1 — more than a week away. They discussed the possibility of missing the first week of the expedition and rendezvousing with us in St. George in the Pribilof islands, certainly less than an ideal situation.

Esperanza at Dutch Harbor

Thankfully, Michelle returned from the podium with a grin — they were on our flight…which was now delayed…and delayed… Finally, we were called and on our way. A three-hour flight along the Aleutian Island chain in a small Saab propeller plane, with a stop for fuel at aptly-named Cold Bay. We arrived at last to Dutch Harbor, met by Timo Marshall, retrieved (thankfully) all our bags, and drove a mile or so to the triple-parked M/V Esperanza. You couldn’t have designed a more bizarre obstacle course for those carrying luggage. First, cross the gangway to the large barge, walk through the TV room where one of the crew was oblivious to our delegation, out the back door of the barge, down an external corridor, up a ladder, and around a huge dry dock structure, more twists, turns, chutes and ladders. Finally, Esperanza’s gang way was in sight, only angled down to the deck from the dry dock structure with a sign indicating “Only One Person at a Time.” Our heavy bags were roped and hauled up to the deck. My first hour in Dutch Harbor and I was overheated, sweaty and out of breath.

A nice reunion with the captain, crew, fellow sub pilots, and the incredible Nuytco crew who oversee all sub operations, and my 16 hours of travel had finally come to an end. Another 16 hours of travel from Dutch Harbor to Pribilof Canyon would begin the next day, but I’d sleep through most of it.

Divers at Millbrook Quarry (Haymarket, Virginia)

As a young teenager, I finally got my wish: Scuba lessons for my 15th birthday! My lessons were in a moldy YMCA pool in suburban Philadelphia, and my first open water dive — my checkout dive — was in a quarry in Reading, Pennsylvania in the balmy month of December. Air temperature 36 degrees F, water temperature 40 degrees. My wetsuit was too big, was full of holes, and to this day I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold. In those primitive days of the early 70s, we didn’t use buoyancy compensators (BCs), vests that you can fill with air from your tank to keep you afloat at the surface or keep you neutrally buoyant at depth. Rather, we used “horse collar” safety vests — virtually identical to what the flight attendant demonstrates the use of for the “unlikely event of a water landing.”

To put air into your vest, you had to grip the tip of the inflator tube with your teeth, push it in and blow until it was full. There were also two CO2 cartridges which would inflate the vest as a backup, but we were warned not to use them unless it was an absolute emergency since replacing the cartridges was expensive.

After surfacing following a visit to the highlight of the dive — an overturned milk truck — I realized I had too much weight on my weight belt and could barely tread water. So, I went to blow some air into my vest, but after so much time in the water, my lips were frozen and couldn’t make a seal on the little inflator tube. Try as I did, the air simply escaped through my lips, making a horrific version of the sound children make to imitate propeller airplanes, so loud that it got the attention of some curious onlookers on shore. The combination of this ridiculous exercise, coupled with trying to tread water in an overweighted condition, exhausted me in no time. I feared the wrath of my instructor for my next decision, but I chose to live and “popped” my CO2 cartridges. In an instant was floating comfortably in a full vest, cold and exhausted, but euphoric. I remember the feeling finally coming back to my feet in a McDonald’s nearly two hours after we left the quarry.

NOAA Diver Wearing a Drysuit

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that, with the exception of the years I lived in California, I’ve been almost exclusively a warm water diver in the nearly 35 years that have passed since that cold day at the quarry, spending 90 percent of my underwater moments in the tropics. But in preparation for this week’s Bering Sea Expedition led by Greenpeace, the cold water — really cold water — awaits us, and while our expedition plan has us exploring from the comfortable, dry helm of small submarines, we will also be scuba diving during part of the trip at some of the shallower sites, and I will be serving as underwater videographer. This means wearing a drysuit, and for that I needed specialized training and a certification. Unlike a wetsuit, which does allow some water to come between you and your suit, a drysuit is completely sealed, keeping you warm and dry inside. The suit itself has little or no thermal properties — you’re kept warm by the thermal underwear you wear underneath. I was excited about finally getting my drysuit certification, but it meant two open water dives in my first quarry dive in nearly 35 years. The first of those dives was a humbling flashback to 1973.

Following the lecture by Technical Instructor, Brian E. McMillan from the top-notch dive shop, Adventure Scuba Company in Chantilly, Virginia, we suited up and walked down the ramp into the waters of Millbrook Quarry in Haymarket, Virginia, along with NAUI Dive Master Jeff McManus and two other students. As I entered the water, I was concerned to feel what felt like water rushing into my drysuit. Brian suggested that I might be feeling my sweat being chilled by the cool water, but it ultimately became clear that something was amiss. Now, if you find yourself putting on a drysuit, it’s important to remember one minor detail: There are TWO zippers, and only the inner zipper seals the water out. In my haste to get into my suit, I had only zipped the outer zipper, so in the first minute of my dive, I managed to convert my drysuit into a very wet wetsuit, proving that even experienced divers are capable of really stupid acts.

Adventure Scuba Company Technical Instructor Brian E. McMillan

Jeff patiently zipped me up and we continued…for about 20 seconds. I was flashing back to 1973, unable to stay afloat on the surface. Air was screaming out of one of my BC valves, and even using the auto-inflator to pump air in resulted in nothing more than a geyser of bubbles. Yes, another self-inflicted act of stupidity. I had forgotten to replace an o-ring in my BC after cleaning it recently and hadn’t fully tested it before leaving for the quarry. My BC was useless

. Fortunately, since drysuits have some air in them, they can help you maintain buoyancy. Like a BC, they have an inflator hose, so at the push of a button, you can puff air into your suit. Brian and Jeff, ever patient (though I’m sure by now were really having some doubts about their problem student) suggested that I continue the dive using the drysuit to control my buoyancy.

So down we went to the underwater platform, where we worked on several drills, including buoyancy control, connecting and disconnecting the inflator hose (an important skill should the valve become stuck). We also practiced recovering from an inverted position where air in the feet of your suit causes you to hang upside down. All was fine, except that as the dive progressed, my weightbelt — which, in keeping with tradition, was overweighted — kept sliding further and further down, ending up at my knees. Try as I did, I couldn’t secure it properly atop my bulky drysuit. It was about then that I noticed that my expensive dive computer had flooded. When the dive finally ended, walking back to the cars was slow as I was probably carrying an additional 50 pounds — of water — in my suit. My integrated booties looked like clown shoes, ballooning with water with each step.

Jeff McManus, NAUI Dive Master, at Adventure Scuba Company

After our surface interval, a burger, another lecture, and some sunshine to partially dry out my thermals, it was time for dive number two. The training of my first dive prepared me well: TWO ZIPPERS! I lightened my weightbelt, and Jeff outfitted my BC with a spare o-ring. I found the “sweet spot” for my weightbelt and it didn’t budge. Everything worked perfectly. I was warm, dry, perfectly trimmed, and beyond happy. Now I understood the appeal of drysuit diving — amazing how much different the experience is when everything works. The water at the bottom of the quarry was very chilly, but I stayed warm.

I expressed my gratitude to Brian and Jeff for their patience and assistance. These are two terrific and highly professional instructors. Both humbly replied, “that’s what we’re here for” and emphasized how important it is to learn to deal with these problems, and to do so in a quarry, not the Bering Sea. They’re absolutely right, and on the drive home from the quarry yesterday, I caught myself thinking what for nearly 35 years would have been unthinkable. “I’d like to dive here again.”