Without the amazing sponsorships, the OWUSS Rolex Scholarship year would not be possible and these past weeks I was lucky to visit some of these sponsors.
My first stop was Santa Ana, where I visited Ocean Technology Systems and got the grand tour from Renee Pelissier. I got to learn about all their different full-face mask products, their applications, and how the company got started. Later that week I went diving with the OTS crew off of Catalina Island and got immersed in the full Guardian Full-Face Mask + Buddy Phone experience! 

Continuing south, I stopped by Aqua Lung in Vista, located along the aptly named Cousteau Court. Historical diving pictures and artifacts line the walls, from a shot of Jacques Cousteau donning his first completed SCUBA set-up, to hardhat helmets that probably weighed more than a full set of current SCUBA gear put together. Wetsuits, tech gear, dry suits, military, rec gear… you name it – they make it. It is spectacular to see the diversity of equipment designed by this company and the care and attention to detail that goes into every single item. 

San Diego was the final stop of this SoCal trip, where I spent some time with the great folks at DUI. The DUI factory is a pretty spectacular sight – drysuits in different stages of manufacturing lie on every table, with each person in charge of a different essential part of making a watertight drysuit – from cutting to sewing, sealing, and installing zippers. 

In addition to getting a sneak peak into the production process, I also learned the essentials of drysuit repair and, most importantly, finally learned how to dive dry!!

While in San Diego I also took some time to visit the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), a place where all kinds of top-notch research regarding the oceans is conducted as well a place that has continuously been at the forefront of underwater exploration.