Trash isn’t Sunken Treasure-Keeping the Ocean Clean

The ocean is a precious resource that shouldn’t be wasted on poor habits.  For those living on the coast and in the coastal lifestyle you know how important the ocean is to your way of life and the recreational activities you enjoy. Sailing, surfboarding, diving, snorkeling, and kayaking are just some of the fun activities in the San Diego area.  Pollution and waste damage the environment for everyone and with a little care our beaches can be cleaned and improved.

Last weekend I decided to take my snorkel and Nexus phone to La Jolla Cove in an attempt to see some of the ocean wildlife. Paddling along the ocean top and diving for interesting objects on the bottom I came across a lady’s sandal. A fairly expensive one at that so I’m sure she didn’t intentionally part with it!

I didn't know Nemo was doing retail?

It didn’t take much to clean up the mishap. I just dived down, grabbed it and came back up to the surface, swam near the shore and flung it onto the beach thinking I would make my way back later.  I was pleasantly surprised that someone obviously saw the relay pitch and picked up the sandal and threw it away. Teamwork among strangers.

A lost sandal is likely to be a tide accident where the water creeps up to a beachgoers gear and snags something to bring to the bottom.  Waves are a little like squirrels in this regard. However, the sandal wasn’t the only thing on the bottom. Plastic bags, cans, and other items do make their way into the ocean floor and add to the collection of growing debris.

There is an estimated 6.4 million tonnes of garbage that enter the oceans every year (Karpus, 2012). Discarded items make their way through the food chain and back onto our dinner plates. Yum! Would you like a side order of silicone with your shell fish? Few things occur in our environment that doesn’t eventually impact us in one way or another. 

Much nicer without the shoe.

The amount of garbage has accumulated to the point that it is changing the ecosystem. According to a study conducted by the Ocean Voyages Institute in Sausalito California there is a floating patch of garbage that adjusts seasonally off the coast of California (1). It moves around in a huge circular pattern being pushed around by ocean currents while fish swim and eat among it.

Not all is lost. Organizations like the San Diego Port Tenant Association conduct dives to collect trash. Coming up on August 24th Operation Clean Sweep that will remove large and small debris from the ocean floor. In 2012 they gathered over 50,000 pounds of junk. If you are a diver and interested you may want to visit their site at http://www.sdpta.com/cleansweep.php

A few tips can be helpful:

-Keep your gear bundled together and away from potential tides.

-Throw away your garbage in the plentiful garbage cans in the area.

-If you see trash, pick it up and throw it in the garbage can.

-Support organizations that focus on clean-up operations.

-Tell your friends not to throw their trash.

-Teach your kinds to respect the environment.

-I understand the water is cold but go fetch your sandal! jk.

Karpus, L. (2012). Plastic in our oceans.  Alive: Canada’s Natural Health & Wellness Magazine, 355.

A Day and Life in San Diego-Leroy and the Sea Lion Tour

In search of ocean breeze and sunny skies we headed downtown to a two hour San Diego Bay cruise.  One of the fastest and convenient methods to the city’s activities is to jump on the famous San Diego trolley. As with all public transportation you will meet people from different walks of life. Some are old, many young, well-dressed professionals, and others flocked together in families making their way to a game. 

As we walked into the trolley we came across an Indiana Jones looking man sitting quietly assembling all types of flowers, animals, and creatures from palm leaves. With only a few seats available we were forced to sit near the street artist. Perhaps too close for comfort. In the back of my head I kept thinking, “I hope he doesn’t ask for change”.  I watched him suspiciously over the top of the chair.

This artist wasn’t just forging palm leaf products but also handing them out to anyone who took interest in his activities. Mothers, little girls, boys…he didn’t seem to care. He just sat diligently making flowers, occasionally looking up, and then reaching out to someone with a flower in hand. A gift without asking for anything!

I sat for a moment scanning his worn face, camouflage hat, half beard and his deep set eyes and wondered, “What is this man’s story?” It can be difficult to strike up a conversation with someone you know nothing about, let alone someone who looks as though they have one foot in homelessness and the other in the underemployed world. 

He seemed friendly enough so I swallowed my reservations and struck up a conversation. He promptly gave me a few palm leaf flowers as though to say “thank you” for noticing him.  It didn’t take much to get him talking. Just a simple question such as, “That’s really great…I should do that as a project. Where did you learn that?” For the next ten minutes we discussed his experiences, his search for a job, and of course where he learned the craft of palm art. 

 

Through the normal course of conversation we eventually came to the business prospects of his endeavors.  On more than a single occasion he earned $300+ from people who needed a batch for weddings and parties. He wanted to do more but was limited by the access to clients and the Internet. He can walk, talk, and make hundreds of flowers in a single day.

That got me thinking about how many other people in San Diego need jobs, a chance to use their skills, and an opportunity to find something meaningful to do. Leroy may be underemployed and his skills underutilized but he had the right spirit. If it was possible to get Leroy access to work opportunities, event planners, and wedding stores he might just have a chance to build a small but lucrative business to support himself.

The palm leaves cost him nothing, has no overhead, and can develop a cash business with no investment. He already has a backpack and a bag to store his product. His fingers work fine and his clothing is clean. Leroy didn’t appear much different than the rest of us except his face was a little tired, his grey hair pulled back into a pony tail, and he wasn’t exactly in the latest fashion. That of course depends on whether or not you like the outback style.  

After mentioning the idea Leroy’s eyes brightened and he began to elaborate on the many such stores he passes on his commutes that would have a need for his art. The flowers Leroy gives out for free are nothing compared to what he really can do. Like an artistic master he can weave bouquets, large flowers, species of flowers, picture frames, and a variety of animals. Perhaps, instead of giving them out on the trolley he can contact wedding stores and pass out samples, obtain orders, and share the profits with those who sell them to clients by the dozens. It is a made-to-order small batch production business.

Perhaps you are more interested in the bay tour and where our final destination lay than the skills of Leroy. The tour is normally $120 for four people but we found a special price online for $70. The two hour trip took us in both directions around the harbor. You will sail near the Navy Base and all the way over to Point Loma. It comes in contact with sea lions, commercial fishing boats, military vessels and plenty of sail boats. 

It is hard to complain about taking a seat on the top of a cruise deck and watching the sites in San Diego Bay. The ocean air will cool you down and the California sun will give you a nice tan. You can lounge and have refreshments while learning about San Diego history.  The speaker will discuss some of the military ships and various historical landmarks. Plenty of tables on the deck and the cruise does well managing the crowd so there is ample room for everyone-everyone except Leroy.

We didn’t see Leroy on the way home. Perhaps he was busy giving samples to stores or alternatively crawled up under an overpass somewhere. He may still be busy giving out gifts to San Diego tourists and asking for nothing in return.  Something to brighten their day. He gave me a gift and I gave him an idea. I guess that is how a society works. Perhaps we can learn something from Leroy.

The Poem "The Secret of the Sea"-A San Diego Boating Experience

Boats have been a fascination for a lot of people throughout history. The boat is the primary long-distance transportation vehicle since the beginning of society. The photographs of boats taken below were from Shelter Island which has a number of nice lookout spots, parks, and other activities. 




Perhaps a poem will help you understand the fascination people have with boats and the sea. 

The Secret of the Sea by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me 
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me.

Sails of silk and ropes of sandal,
Such as gleam in ancient lore;
And the singing of the sailors,
And the answer from the shore!

Most of all, the Spanish ballad
Haunts me oft, and tarries long,
Of the noble Count Arnaldos
And the sailor's mystic song.

Like the long waves on a sea-beach,
Where the sand as silver shines,
With a soft, monotonous cadence,
Flow its unrhymed lyric lines:—

Telling how the Count Arnaldos,
With his hawk upon his hand,
Saw a fair and stately galley,
Steering onward to the land;—

How he heard the ancient helmsman
Chant a song so wild and clear,
That the sailing sea-bird slowly
Poised upon the mast to hear,

Till his soul was full of longing,
And he cried, with impulse strong,—
“Helmsman! for the love of heaven,
Teach me, too, that wondrous song!”

“Wouldst thou,”—so the helmsman answered,
“Learn the secret of the sea?
Only those who brave its dangers
Comprehend its mystery!”

In each sail that skims the horizon,
In each landward-blowing breeze,
I behold that stately galley,
Hear those mournful melodies;

Till my soul is full of longing
For the secret of the sea,
And the heart of the great ocean
Sends a thrilling pulse through.

Photos of Tuna Harbor Park at Night

Last night I walked around Tuna Harbor Park to play with the settings on the Rebel T3I camera and see if I can get some nice photos at night. I have often wondered how the photographers take those shots in the darkness and come out with a soft glow and reflective water. The artistic mastery of some of the photographers have always astounded me.

The P mode is the Program mode offers an opportunity to make those special pictures. It does not allow for the same creative adjustments you might find in some other modes but appears to adjust appropriately for aperture and shutter speed. It may be the amateur’s way of adjusting to the conditions without knowing all of the other camera functions. Take your tripod as keeping the camera absolutely still is necessary in a slower speed to avoid a blurry picture.

The pictures were taken at the bay and Tuna Harbor Park. The park was built to give honor to the fishing industry of San Diego and the Navy’s sailors. Located at the end of the pier is the Fish Market, which is both a restaurant, and fresh fish market. Within that park are four different types of memorials called the USS San Diego Memorial, Battle of Leyte Gulf Memorial, Large Sailor Kissing Nurse Statue and National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military.

 To the south side are the fisherman’s docks. Even at 6pm, you will find some of the fisherman with their rubber boots making their way off of the ships and into their cars. The industry has been stung in recent decades by international competition and depleted fish supplies but it is hoped that they will someday make their way back into the national market. If you are looking for more information on the Fish Market you may click here.

As I stood off the pier, I thought about the history of San Diego reaching back to the Spanish and all the things the generations left at the bottom of the Sea. Most of it is probably junk but there may be things like rings, tools, and other clues to lives long past. Maybe a Spanish shield or cannon ball is buried among the weeds. Perhaps some natives may have left a spear or something they used for fishing.

Treasures of a Night’s Sea

Bays of salty air fresh,

Rippling water on the shore it mesh.

The Sea is a world unknown,

Containing gems long thrown.

Bottles and plastic is most of what it keep,

Among them the fish do play and sleep.

Most of it is useless junk,

Perhaps a treasure trunk.

On the bottom of the sea’s straight,

An entire century’s fate.