Join Us in the Race to Find and Protect Deep Sea Corals!

I was introduced to our ocean at age 7 by Rinaldo Urbani, a retired commercial fisherman out of Fort Bragg, CA. "Rex" would take me wading for abalone during early morning minus tides and regale me with stories of the ocean, saying he saw something completely new every day at sea. I've loved the ocean ever since, becoming a scuba instructor, and later an ocean engineer to help avert the inevitable strip mining of the sea for marine minerals. The threats are here, and it is us- as I've witnessed declines in fish populations from salmon to rockfish, the ban on abalone harvest, and the unwitnessed massacre of our hidden deep-sea coral nurseries.  We are also the solution, and this is where you come in:  join me in supporting this critical expedition to save the "old growth forests of the sea".

Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE) and Marine Conservation Institute (MCI), two non-profits, have joined together to find and protect sensitive deep-sea corals and their inhabitants. Together, we are raising funds to support our 2018 mission off the coast of Southern California.

The 14 May expedition will embark from Santa Barbara to discover never before seen deep-sea corals. We will deploy an unmanned robotic submarine to document this vital habitat.  With only 3% of the ocean explored - this expedition will bring back critical information about our oceans! 

We only have until May 10th to reach our goal - so lets do this!

Join Us for A DAY AT SEA!!

- Dirk