I have always been a lover of the ocean, since the first time I laid eyes on it in Florida. Formerly a scuba diver, I went as far as getting my cavern diving certification. I am awed by the “water universe” on our planet. I view it as a separate world from our land world and so do many, as I can’t tell you the number of beer cans I brought up for recycling in tourist areas. “Out of sight, out of mind” garbage dump is how WAY too many people think of the ocean. And yet it is a magical universe where strange and wonderful creatures live. I honestly think some of the human race, frustrated at the fact that when in the ocean, you are not master of your domain, other creatures are… have sought to dominate it by blasting, laying of cables, over fishing, using it for warfare and dumping toxic waste. Yes you may have dominated the mighty whale and the oceans vast reaches, yet in doing so you have destroyed much of the “alternate universe” that actually keeps most of us alive.
(Deep thoughts, I know. I have a baseball cap with a dive flag that says the same thing.)

So, naturally, with these horrific fires that have left toxic, burned waste at the edge of the ocean in Malibu and the Pacific Palisades – my fear is that for convenience, clean up crews will just bulldoze and dump it all into the ocean…. causing lasting damage.

BUT WAIT! Just as I have my darkest fears start to emerge, here come the helpers! The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Marine Fisheries Service to the rescue! You can read more about their heroic efforts to save what they can in areas that have been contaminated. This will be a long recovery process however I am hopeful with people who have the right mindset about our waterways… we might be okay. Grateful for the helpers as always.