Born, Raised, and Certified
I was born among the walnut orchards of Alamo, California, and until I was 4, I thought that trees were the coolest thing on Earth. Then one day, we took a vacation to ‘the ocean.’ And gadzooks! I was bowled over by this body of water. It was completely different than my bathtub at home. I mean this water had power. It ebbed and flowed with a life of its own, it played games with me, and it was salty!
From that moment on, I sought out the sea wherever I was –– be it at UCLA stuffing in Oceanography classes alongside Politics and Economics and hanging in Malibu; or while in DC as a congressional aide, slipping away to Rehoboth Beach, DE for midnight swims; or on our honeymoon on St Barths, where my husband, Randy, and I got certified in the early 1990s. Fast forward to today, I was recertified in Kona in 2024, and am now delighted to dive with the Marin Scuba Club.
Favorite Destinations?
So far, these include Grand Cayman, Bonaire, and now Cozumel –– currents and all! But also St. Barths because back in the nineties, it was a lush, sleepy island where a few crazy big yachts would dock for the astonishing French cuisine. Our favorite hole-in-the-wall burger joint overgrown with trees and vines called “Le Select” — on this now uber-ritzy French-Caribbean island -– inspired Jimmy Buffet’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”
What Did You Experience When You First Dove?
My very first experience diving was at Club Med, Playa Blanca, Mexico. I’ll never forget that first electrifying moment when you force yourself to do the one thing in life you’re told never, ever to do: Put your head underwater and take a breath!
But I did, and in an instant I was beamed into a new world –– a secret garden busy with beings that could be from Star Wars. There was a cacophony of life that I’d never seen before. I was hooked.
How Many Dives to Date?
55
Latest Dives?
· Kona, Hawaii – Including the fabulous Manta
Ray Night Dive — May 2025
· Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean — April, 2026
· Cozumel, Mexico, with the inspirational Marin
Scuba Club divers! — June, 2026
What’s Next?
I’m planning a quick trip to Cabo to score my Advanced Open Water Diver certification.
Thoughts For The future?
I’ve been studying climate science recently, and my novice opinion is that the ocean is bearing the brunt of global warming, absorbing the lion’s share of carbon and heat –– forestalling planetary catastrophe –– but threatening the extinction of one-third of that cacophony of ocean life.
As a result, in this next chapter of my life, I want to spend as much time as I can UNDER the water and the rest of it helping to protect this vast, still mysterious, endlessly fascinating blue heart of our planet.
