Tag archives: ocean
I’d never been so popular before, as dozens of northern fur seal pups surrounded me while mugging my kayak with demonstrative splashes and harmless bumps into my boat in the dense kelp forests of Adams Cove on the western fringe of San Miguel Island. It was quite possible that these raucous eared fur seals – […]
Construction crews are carrying out important cleanup work on two of Summerland’s leaky, abandoned oil wells located just offshore. The work should be completed by November 15, but in the meantime a portion of Lookout Park’s parking lot and the beach area are temporarily being used. Thanks to Heal the Ocean and former longtime Summerlandian […]
She is the Ocean, the new documentary from Inna Blokhina, the director of the award-winning film On the Wave, is an in-depth exploration of the lives of nine women from around the world who share a love for the sea so profound that they have chosen to make the ocean the center of their physical, […]
The Ocean Renegades at the Miramar Things Fall Apart; the center cannot holdMere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywherethe ceremony of innocence is drowned;The best lack all conviction while the worstare full of passionate intensity. WB Yeats Miramar oh Miramar, you are an icon of beauty, a tribute to […]
Condor Express Celebrates its Roots Early on, local legend Fred “Captain Fred” Benko, developed a keen interest in what was in the Santa Barbara Channel: the fish, the birds, the oceanic wildlife. A half century ago, that interest led Fred to buy sports fishing operation located in the harbor across from the Navy Pier beneath […]
The kelp forests found along the Californian coast harbor abundant marine life, reduce ocean acidity, and even help support the plankton so vital for ocean health. While historically the Central Coast has been an area of lush kelp forests, the impact from damming of rivers, repeated droughts during El Niño years, and other environmental factors […]
Looking Back / Looking Forward Santa Barbara is often referred to as the “birthplace of the Environmental Movement.” It is true that back on April 22, 1970, Santa Barbara had become a key catalyst for the first Earth Day, having galvanized public outrage a year earlier when it experienced the worst oil spill in U.S. […]
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is riding the crest of a wave having been designated Nonprofit of the Year. The harborside museum, which has received the accolade from the Chamber of the Santa Barbara Region, opened 20 years ago with the mission of interpreting the colorful maritime history of the Santa Barbara Channel. It was founded […]
A note from longtime Summerlandian Hilary Hauser of Heal the Ocean informs that their offices in Santa Barbara are closed, but that the leaking Summerland oil wells are still being capped in June/July. “The fishes of the sea don’t know what we humans are doing up here,” Hilary notes in her inimitable cheerful style in […]
Friends and neighbors Dottie Allen and Carole Shafran have turned their love of creating beautiful things into a business, opening Reflections in Montecito’s upper village. Located between Wells Fargo and Montecito Village Grocery, the small space showcases the ladies’ love of the sea. The space was originally built out for an area in which to […]
On the evening of one of the most important holidays in Theravadan Buddhism – Magha Puja – Santa Barbara Buddhist Meditation Meetup is hosting a mini mindfulness retreat outdoors by the ocean. Under the gorgeous, silvery full moon, participants will practice sitting and walking meditation, talk about the history of Magha Puja, and reflect upon […]
Writer-director-producer Jason Wise – whose previous documentaries include the much-lauded SOMM trilogy, had little idea what he was in for when he started making his latest film, The Delicacy, about Santa Barbara’s urchin diving industry. “Urchin is my favorite food, and I wanted to spend more time up there,” said the L.A. resident who did […]
The latest program at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) was a film called The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island. California 4th graders learn about her from a book called The Island of the Blue Dolphins. The story is true with a young woman and her son being left behind on San Nicolas Island […]
Heal the Ocean (HTO) goes annually to the El Paseo Restaurant for fun and to raise money to “Heal the Ocean.” It never looked better. The decorations were smashing, all done up in blue and white light reminding one of the ocean. At each guest’s place was a travel bag by Aloha that was also […]
I love surprises when Mother Earth serves them up. A few years ago when I kayaked from Santa Cruz Island to tiny Santa Barbara Island, at the end I just wanted the 42-mile slog to be finished. In 2015, at 8 pm on a crisp, cool October evening, all I wanted was to see the […]
On Saturday September 21, from 2 to 5 pm in the sun-dappled environs of the Music Academy of the West, Jack and Laura Dangermond will be honored with the Gaviota Coast Conservancy’s (GCC) Coastal Legacy Award for 2019 – a festive and deeply grateful acknowledgement of the couple’s show-stopping rescue of 24,000 long-contested acres with […]
Every beach and ocean’s friend, Hillary Hauser, celebrates her big 75th this week. Thanks to this founder of Heal the Ocean, who is also an amazing writer, artist, musician, raconteur and not-to-be-messed-with advocate, our local ocean is clearer and cleaner. So, what blessings shall we bestow on this hard-working mermaid? She says all she wants […]
Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) is the keeper of our maritime history, some of it unique in the world. Marine biologist, educator, and naturalist Holly S. Lohuis recently shared with us stories and images from around the world showing why it is critical we understand both the ocean’s influence on us and vice versa. Throughout […]
Q. Dear Dr. Brill. I have appreciated much of what you have written. I understand that you are interested in what produces change. With the crises in our ocean, could you say something about that? . . . Marlene in Carpinteria A. Thank you, Marlene. I thought I would try to answer your question in […]
Last January, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival considered cancelling the city’s premiere cinematic event in the wake of the Thomas Fire and the devastating Montecito debris flows before ultimately deciding to go ahead, partly as a healing offering. This Wednesday, SBIFF 34 kicks off with a locally-produced opening night film catalyzed by another Montecito-related […]
