Sponsored by SEIKO, Scuba Diving’s Sea Heroes Awards recognize undersea activists who are on the front lines of ocean and marine-life conservation. They’re everyday divers who make an extraordinary difference, and inspire the rest of us with their compassion and dedication.

 

 

YEAR DIVE CERTIFIED: 1975
AGE WHEN CERTIFIED: 20
DIVE CERTIFICATION LEVEL: PADI Rescue Diver
WORDS TO LIVE BY: "If all you see when you look at the sea is nothing more than a mere blue horizon line, while you may find solace is its expanse, you have no idea of the complexity of the life cycles that abound and flourish below. Perhaps there is something to be witnessed, something to be learned, by us, their neighbors above."

Q: You were one of a passionate group of divers who worked hard over many years to preserve Florida’s Blue Heron Bridge for future generations, and your books Under the Bridge and the BHB Companion have been cited by public officials as well as divers as instrumental in that fight. Can you tell readers a little bit about why BHB is so special?

A: Blue Heron Bridge is a unique tidal nursery/muck dive. The beauty of it is, you never know what you’ll see at the BHB! Manatees, mantas, fish with feet like hairy frogfish, sea robins, seahorses—even schools of cownose rays have graced the BHB. Every month there is a different migration to be observed—you just have to become macro-aware. You could spend your entire life diving and never see half the creatures that we find at the bridge. While it isn’t a lush tropical reef, it is a great place to study marine biology, or practice your underwater photography. Because diving here is tide-dependent, this refreshes the seascape with each tidal exchange.

Q: You have a statement on your web site that we loved: “Ocean life has feelings, families, rules and society structures.” How have you seen this circle of life play out at Blue Heron Bridge in particular?

A: I recall becoming fascinated with a small school of bluelip parrotfish juveniles playing a game of tag with a piece of crystalized tube worm stem, much like you may have seen dolphins with a piece of seaweed playing capture the flag. If you stay put and just watch a specific spot, you may also soon come to realize that many juvenile fish have “cleaner fish duty,” sort of a rite of passage in their life cycle. I have often wondered if they must do this to develop respect for their elders and other species, or if it is to form alliances for their life as adults. Likewise, you may observe large fish guarding younger fish, regardless of species—it’s quite endearing. As for feelings, one of the most amazing moments for me was being close by the wall; up top, a little boy was lowering a rusty old hook to see if he could catch a fish just as I was trying to photograph a seaweed blenny. It saw the hook before I did, and it cringed as the hook lowered into sight. I was amazed at what I had witnessed; the blenny seemed to recognize the hook and bristle fearfully at what it represented. Another amazing moment was on one of the worst-viz days; I found my way to a yellowhead jawfish to see if it had eggs. There were no other divers around, but there was a very pesky barracuda poking its nose into the sand and threatening the jawfish’s domicile. I hunkered down, trying to determine whether or not he had eggs. The proud daddy popped out of his escape hole close to me and, much to my surprise, presented his eggs to me. It was as if he wanted me to know he needed help defending his den and realized I was friend, not foe. When I waved the barracuda away, the jawfish stayed right next to my port, allowing me to get an incredible shot—almost a thank you for the ring of protection.

 

Q: You have been focused of late on blackwater diving, which is spreading around the globe including on Florida’s east coast where you are based; how does your approach to photographing this unique environment play into your mission to spread global change and what you have called “evolutionary education”?

A: The black-water realm is truly the beginning of life in the oceans, which in turn supports all life on land. It’s about documenting planktonic creatures of the “vertical migration”—the largest migration on Earth, which occurs underwater every night around the globe. Through my imagery and stories, my mission is to motivate global change and encourage others to do the same. By introducing children and families to the unimaginable and never-before-seen creatures that exist beneath the horizon, I hope to inspire a visual experience that spurs curiosity and cultivates a thirst for knowledge. Knowledge is power. Hence photographers’ images become what I call “evolutionary education.” I say to the planet, “Evolve with us.” As photographers learn more and share, so do you. Inspiration plants the seeds of discovery, especially about the health of our planet.

 

We share the planet with this water world that covers 72 percent of Earth, and produces 50 percent of the oxygen. As we evolve our global intellect, shouldn’t we all clearly understand what impact ocean acidification has on the tiniest of creatures at the beginning of the food chain? More importantly, what control do we have in reducing that impact? The air we breathe depends on it.

What harm can carbon emissions do to our little friends? In short, plankton consumes carbon dioxide and, together with sunlight, photosynthesizes, creating its bi-product, oxygen. When there are abnormally high levels of carbon emissions in the ocean from runoff from cities—such as from the oil from your car—the additional carbon is absorbed into the shells of plankton and phytoplankton. This disrupts their ability to grow properly. The thinning of their shells lowers their ability to produce oxygen at the same levels as they have for millions of years. They are also the main food source for smaller animals that are eaten by larger animals, and so on up the food chain.

Besides the fact that the black-water realm is just chock-full of some of the coolest creatures we’ve ever seen, it has opened an entirely new substrate of underwater photography. Scientists have joined our mission through Facebook pages and are having a field day with data we are providing, just from our photos—how cool is this? We are overcoming barriers to underwater discovery through photography, joining citizens, scientists and photographers to bridge the gaps and unilaterally evolve the understanding of our world underwater to protect our natural resources.

Q: Underwater photographers have a unique ability to spread the word of ocean conservation much farther and more quickly than the average diver — what advice would you give to budding underwater shooters about making that mission their own? And how to succeed in spreading the word? 

Q: What do you view as the greatest challenges in marine conservation today? How are these challenges reflected in your own work? 

Q: What's been your most satisfying moment? 

Q: What's been your most surprising moment? 

Q: Who are your "sea heroes"? 

Q: Is there anything we did not ask that you would like readers to know?