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
My wife calls me “the lake guy” because I grew up in Chicago, swimming in Lake Michigan and in places like “Plum Lake” in northern Wisconsin and used to get a little nervous when we swam near her stomping grounds in Cape May, NJ. But, after living in Miami Beach, I became an “ocean guy.” In South Florida, you really have no choice, the ocean is a part of everyday life. People don’t take it for granted…the ocean makes itself known too often.
Life in the Ocean
My favorite ocean creature is the dolphin. I like them because they are smart and playful but also because they are misunderstood. I overheard a lady at the Seaquarium – home of the original Flipper — ask a trainer, “it is true that wild dolphins will save you if your ship goes down?” “No,” the trainer told her, “they’d just ignore you or bite you.” Boy, that lady was disappointed to find out that Flipper was not that friendly. I was a long time scuba diver. I started diving in cloudy water in Rhode Island and eventually graduated to diving in better diving (mostly in Belize). I like scuba diving because it is like flying in a different world- you get to move up and down as well as sideways.
Protecting the World’s Oceans
As Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications, I am in charge of getting the message out for Oceana. This is important because one of our main jobs here is to make people aware of how important the oceans are and how much they need our help.
