After spending a few days with Pete Romano and Hydroflex in Los Angeles, I continued my journey up the West Coast. The first stop on the way was a visit to Hollis, a fairly new addition to the sponsor list but an incredible group that brings new and fresh ideas to the dive market. One example of this is their new recreational rebreather, the Explorer.
Hollis hooked me up with their SMS50 sidemount BC as well as the MK1 frameless mask. I was very excited to try this gear out for some cave diving in the Bahamas. Strapping cylinders to my sides rather than on my back gave me greater maneuverability to slink through tight crevices in the caves. It also provided ease of access in case of a cylinder failure. If one were to malfunction, I could feather (open and close) the valve on the problematic cylinder, thus saving precious gas.
Next stop along the way was to check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California. Thanks to Kim Malkoski, I was able to take a behind the scenes tour of the aquarium and learn about the ins and outs of caring for the animals. The aquarium’s mission is to inspire conservation of the oceans and they’ve been doing so for over 25 years. One of the initiatives that everyone should get on board with is the Seafood Watch Program. This program helps consumers and businesses make sustainable choices for the ocean’s health. They have pocket guides you can keep in a wallet or purse that suggest the best seafood choices to make when out at a restaurant or supermarket. Surprise, surprise, they also have an app for your phone if you don’t want to carry around the pocket guide! The app includes more choices as only so much will fit on a little piece of paper. I would highly recommend downloading and utilizing this information, the ocean’s are counting on us to make proper decisions for the future.
Following Monterey, I stopped in San Francisco for a few days and visited the California Academy of Sciences. The Academy is a multifaceted scientific institution committed to cutting-edge research, to educational outreach, and to finding new and innovative ways to engage and inspire the public. It’s a really interesting place that houses multiple exhibits depicting life above and below water and has an entire wing dedicated to scientific research. One of the most unique things about the building is the rooftop which consists of 1.7 million native California plants. The 2.5 acre living roof will absorb about 2 million gallons of rainwater per year. Pretty impressive!
Mark Lane, Assistant Dive Safety Officer (ADSO) of the Academy was able to show me around and speak to me about what his job entailed on a day-to-day basis. He also let me dive in the Amazon Flooded Forest Exhibit which included piranhas! I was notified of this right before getting in but he assured me that as long as they aren’t hungry, I’ll be fine. I did survive and enjoyed the time scrubbing the glass and playing rock, paper, scissors with all of the children passing by.
The final stop along my West Coast road trip was the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon. I spent a couple days visiting and learning from DSO Vallorie Hodges as well as former dive buddy and ADSO, Jenna Walker. The OWUSS AAUS intern Teresa Tymon was also finishing up her time at the aquarium and I was able to do a few dives with her. It was a short trip but I was able to fit in my Guardian Full-face mask training and a PSI-PCI Fill station operator course!
They also let me jump in some of the exhibits, including the Open Sea exhibit that included a few different species of sharks. It was a ton of fun to hang out with this group for a couple days and capped off a great West Coast road trip! I gained a bunch of new skills and new gear to try out, subscribe to the blog if you’d like to follow along with my year long adventure!
