How Surfing Lead One NatGeo Explorer to The Depths of The Ocean | National Geographic

My first experience with the ocean started out as a surfer. I just loved being in the water. I loved riding waves, I loved the energy of the ocean, and there was no cost to entry to surfing. You know, once I had a surfboard, I could just ride waves all day. That love for the ocean really started from being in the ocean.

But, of course, one thing leads to another. It became time to get a job, and when I wasn't good at unloading trucks or other jobs, I went back to what I really love to do. What I really love is to be in the ocean. I looked at the list of majors; oceanography just came out. So, at first, it was about finding the best surf spots. I would use my knowledge of physical oceanography to find the best wave breaks.

I kind of would look underneath my board and I'd be like, "There are all these animals down there." I started freediving, and that kind of just seeing all the animals down there really turned me on. Just the amount of life! Then, I learned how to scuba dive. One of the things that I guess I learned early is that scuba diving at night was just phenomenal.

Because, one, not many scientists or not many people go in the ocean at night. For me, the ocean at night just transforms into this whole other universe. I like to go to places where other people don't go. So if everybody's studying one thing, that's not what I'm going to go for. I'm not going to go study there. I'm going to go to the place where no one's going.

It didn't seem like there were that many people studying glowing animals at the bottom of the ocean, so that's where I went. [Music]