Thought about PM'ing this response to Otter, but others may be interested.
Re: Molas at depth, they are being seen fairly frequently this spring at varying depths. I haven't been so luck and would love to get some footage of them.
Re: how I got to live on Catalina... I never had children. It was a conscious decision that may have saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars! Selfishly I use that "found money" to support my dive habit and teach others about the marine world.
I took a job out here fresh out of college teaching marine biology on SCUBA at a small prep school. Over the time I've been here I've had to take on many different kinds of work to support me- usually in the tourist industry. About 20 years ago I started consulting for the SCICo which owns 11% of the island, writing their tour manuals including all their marine tours. Their crew called me Dr. Bill so I thought I'd make it official and returned to grad school for my PhD. After several years as VP of the Conservancy (which owns 88% of the island) and teaching at UCSB, I decided to use part of my savings to pursue what I really love... diving and producing underwater videos.
Re: the extended dive vacation to SE Asia, Australia and the South Pacific (which is what others might be interested in), the entire 72-day trip cost me a mere $4,500. I bought my air tickets from Airbrokers Intl. (
www.airbrokers.com) for $1,600 (excluding domestic Australian flights). The entire trip was on a backpacker's budget- staying in hostels, bungalows, etc. for the most part. Food was inexpensive, especially in Thailand. Such trips casn be done if one sacrifices tradition western comforts. You can even get around-the-world airfares of $1,000-2,300 from Airbrokers. No connection to them, just a satisfied customer.
I'm looking now to dive South America, then do a trip back to SE Asia, up to the Red Sea and then the Med (around the world!). Remember, we only go around once in life (unless reincarnation occurs). I sacrificed having a family for the freedom to experience other aspects of living. Not a choice everyone would make.
Re: my warped sense of humor, thank you very much!
Dr. Bill