Anesti Vega's colorful life includes homelessness, combat duty in the US Army, film making, activism for indigenous peoples, and more. But in this podcast episode we hear of Anesti's core passion for scuba diving and the ocean. Anesti takes us through his progression of scuba dive training, making scuba available to military veterans and disabled persons, his love for citizen-based marine science, and his recognized achievements across many ocean-related organizations, and much more. Anesti shares a wonderful perspective on balancing his passion for the ocean with a strong devotion to family and culture. You can learn more about Anesti on his website at https://www.anestivega.com/ and follow his adventures on Instagram @anestivega.
In the relatively niche sport of prone paddling, a few names stand out across the world -- one of those is Lachie Lansdown. As a top finisher of world class events such as Molokai 2 Oahu and The Catalina Classic, Lachie has built an incredible competitive career that has taken him around the world. From top athlete on Team Australia in the ISA World Paddleboard Championships to ripping waves on his 10' race board, Lachie's endurance and skill in the water is only rivaled by his charisma and thirst for adventure and fun. ** Pick up your trash and save the plastic for another day :)
** Interview episode 129 ** Brooke Basse is a legend on and under the water. Growing up in Southern California Brooke has found her calling as part-time commercial diver, part-time spearfisher, and full-time charger. From surfing to blue water breath holds waiting for the right shot on huge fish, Brooke spends her days finding new adventures in her local waters and has tons of stories to share. With the landing of a 200+ lb blue fin tuna under her belt, her own boat, shark encounters, and a true appreciation for the camaraderie that her ocean life has brought her, Brooke shares a humble perspective on her time in the ocean with us. You can check her out on Instagram @brookebasse.
** Interview episode 128 ** I’m really excited to share with you all a figure in modern surfing that continues to evolve and expand his influence in the surf industry, Mr CJ Hobgood. You hear his name, and you may automatically identify CJ with an amazing professional surfing career where he was ASP rookie of the year and former world champion but what I really enjoyed learning was there is so much more to CJ than riding waves. He’s an identical twin to his brother, Damien, CJ is a dedicated family man, he just created a movie, he’s podcasting, he’s helping support a major ocean lifestyle brand, and way more. We play some clips from the movie, And Two If By Sea, where CJ shares his own human experience in the world of professional surfing, we talk about pushing our limits in the ocean, the power of story telling, raising families, and more. Lots of good stuff with CJ that I’m really stoked to share with you all. Be sure to check out And Two if By Sea — it’s available on Amazo...
** Interview episode 127 ** Born and bred in the UK, Sam Clothier has found his calling diving and foraging in and around the ocean. From a young age Sam found his deep connection with the water and has been on a path of pursuit ever since. Honing his skllls in the breath hold and spearfishing on the rugged British Coast Sam has experienced waters and fish around the world from Fiji, Southeast Asia, Australia, and more. With stories of handling sharks in Western Australia to discovering new experiences in his local waters Sam shares a great perspective on sustainably enjoying foods of the ocean that we rarely consider, the challenges of diving alone, and his own personal connection with being in the ocean. To see what Sam is up to go visit his YouTube channel, Wet Mammal, and think about foraging for some new, fresh food straight from the ocean that’s never been on your menu before. Enjoy! If you like what you hear on the podcast today, I appreciate you following This Ocean Life on...
** Interview episode 126 ** Today Vicky Durand takes us through the colorful life of her mother, Betty, charging waves in the 1950’s. From stories she’s captured in her recent book, Wave Woman, Vicky tells the story of her mother finding and thriving in the world of surfing, the legendary Waikiki surf scene, the first international surfing competition for woman, and much more. Vicky takes us through her own teen years of surfing on Hawaii, the characters, the waves, and her own stories of progressing in the ocean, and surfing with her mother. You can find the whole story in Wave Woman, available at wavewomanbook.com and major online book retailers, and if you love hearing about what I consider the golden days of surfing, you’ll love this book. Hope you’re all well and enjoy our time today with Vicky. If you like what you hear on the podcast today, I appreciate you following This Ocean Life on your podcast app and/or sharing with a friend. Hope everyone is well and safe. You can ...
** Interview episode 125 ** Dr Enric Sala grew up in Spain along Costa Brava where at a young age he found passion for the undersea world by watching Jacques Cousteau's Undersea World television series (like so many of us did). Pursuing a life of research and conservation to help protect all of the oceans Dr Sala came to the US and spent years as a tenured professor and researcher with Scripps Institute. We hear the story of his epiphany that his research felt more like writing an obituary of the sea rather than inspiring protection. This took Dr Sala to creating the Pristine Seas Project with National Geographic that for the past 12 years has taken him around the world documenting over 30 remote and untouched areas of marine life with the goal to inspire decision makers in all countries to take strong action to protect their waters. He shares stories of still unspoiled areas of the ocean and stories of areas like the Galapagos struggling to heal themselves from human impacts such a...
** Interview episode 124 ** Today we talk story with Sean McClenahan, skim boarder, surfer, skater, family man, and much more. Sean takes us through his days surfing the left at Jaws, including the story of his personal biggest wave this last winter of 2019. We hear of Sean’s dedication to the sport of skim boarding, his favorite spots, growing the sport in the Hawaiian Islands as a skim boarding ambassador, and through his training business, SkimHawaii. Sean tells a gnarly story of paddling out at Jaws on his skim board for a tow session (which you gotta check out on YouTube). As a dedicated a family man, Sean talks about raising ocean-focused kids on Maui and tells the story of helping his 9 year old son Asher, a full charger in his own right, score an absolute freight train barrel at Honolua Bay (another video clip you’ll lose your mind over). Really great perspective today from Sean, a man well focused on his family, the ocean, and finding new limits in the water. Next time yo...
** Stoked Grom Stories #9 ** Born and raised in the legendary Outer Banks of North Carolina, two great friends, Bella and Leila, share their stories with us today. As young women of the water, Bella and Leila, take us through their local surf scene describing the waves, the community, and the quiver of boards they ride. Bella and Leila share perspective on charging hurricane swells, travel, and representing the next generation of water woman in their area. With their well rounded skills in the ocean, the girls also talk story of freediving local shipwrecks, paddling, teaching surf lessons, and much more. Tons of fun stuff with these two stoked groms today —I hope you enjoy. **** Today's sponsors: LiveCrepic.com-- use the coupon code Ocean20 to get 20% off any purchase of their rad hats, shirts, and more. Mile22.com-- grab a pair of Monster Straps for 20% off when you enter the coupon code TOL15. Check out the This Ocean Life blog now available and sign-up for the bi-weekly newslett...
** Interview episode 123 ** Today, we have Dr Gregory Stone. Career oceanographer, conservationist, author of books, and overall expert on the ocean. Dr Stonetakes us through his transition from ocean researcher to ocean protector touching on the many roles he’s held within his career culminating into today with Deep Green. We learn about polymetallic nodules and the massive potential these undersea rock formations provide for the key materials of cobalt, manganese, nickel and more that we use to create our electric vehicle batteries. Dr Stonetakes us through Deep Green’s mission to extract these nodules from the deep sea as a sustainable and eco-conscious alternative to today’s destructive land-based mining practices. Along the way Dr Stone shares his passion for all things ocean — mammals, sharks, marine reserves and shares his perspective on developing socially responsible and economically viable business models that help protect our natural world. With the continued rise of ...