This Ocean Life Podcast

In Episode 61 we speak with George Peterson, a man of the water who has spent almost 2 decades years educating the world about our oceans through scuba diving. George takes us through his youth in Iowa, finding scuba diving in Colorado, and ultimately moving to the island of Utila, Honduras. We hear the story of George and friends building the first eco-friendly dive resort on Utila, stories of whale shark pods, and George finding his true passion for education and conservation of the oceans which he pursued back to California where he joined the Monterey Bay Aquarium. George talks about the amazing work the aquarium does for our oceans, young people, and the disabled through the Underwater Explorers program and Day of Discovery, talks about their white shark program, and shares his recent trip to Oman where he witnessed some of the most pristine and amazing underwater life he has ever seen.

Thanks for sharing George's ocean life with us. You can find pictures and video of George on his Instagram page and Facebook. Check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium youth dive program as well. There is also some fun stuff on the This Ocean Life Instagram and Facebook pages. We are also on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

This episode is sponsored by Burnout Suncare. A family-owned company based in Santa Cruz, CA that specializes in chemical-free, environmentally-friendly, reef-safe sunscreens for water sports athletes and health conscious families. Check them out at www.burnoutsun.com.

In Episode 60 we speak with Tom Wegener, a legend in the world of surfboard shaping who has spent the last 4 decades building and riding boards. Tom takes us through the story of his youth surfing and shaping in Southern California, the influence of Donald Takayama that helped guide Tom to pursue the art of shaping and find the spirit of "ohana", or family, that is a key part of longboard surfing culture. Tom describes the evolution of his shaping from fiberglass and foam into wooden boards and his shares his passion for the traditional "Olo" and "Alaia" wooden boards that he continues to focus on building, and teaching others how to build, today. We hear Tom's perspective and excitement for a transformation happening in longboarding with a convergence of high performance and traditional riding he recently witnessed at the famous Noosa Festival of Surfing. A ton of great history and perspective on longboard surfing culture from a man who has been front and center within it for decades. 

Thanks for sharing Tom's ocean life with us. You can find pictures and video of him on Facebook, his website, and Instagram. There is also some fun stuff on the This Ocean Life Instagram and Facebook pages. We are also on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

This episode is sponsored by Mile 22, makers of surf and paddle board straps — including world famous Monster Straps (which I LOVE and use regularly) — designed in California by folks who surf and paddle every day. Check them at www.Mile22.com.

In Episode 59 we speak with Maddi Leblanc, an amazing young woman from Ontario, Canada who continually shares her passion for standup paddling / SUP. We hear of Maddie's discovery of the sport of SUP as a young girl, the evolution of her paddling in local rivers and Great Lakes. Maddie shares her story of how the loss of 2 women close to her inspired her to create her non-profit event, On Board, to raise money for cancer research through standup paddling. Maddie takes us through her competitive racing in the Ontario area and tells the amazing story of being invited to represent Team Canada in the ISA World Paddleboarding Championships in China and the challenges she faced during the event. Maddie shares some great thoughts on what SUP and being on the water means to her from a spiritual and environmental perspective and how she is actively sharing that with others through her own college thesis project and active speaking engagements. 

Thanks for sharing Maddi's ocean life with us. You can find pictures and video of Maddi on Facebook, her website, and Instagram. There is also some fun stuff on the This Ocean Life Instagram and Facebook pages. We are also on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

This episode is sponsored by Mile 22, makers of surf and paddle board straps — including world famous Monster Straps (which I LOVE and take on surf trips) — designed in California by folks who surf and paddle every day. Check them at www.Mile22.com.

In the third episode of Stoked Grom Stories we speak with Levi and Judah Mulder, two young men who enjoy a life in the cold ocean around Santa Cruz, California. We hear of the brothers surfing together, competing on the middle school surf team, and growing up steps from Steamer Lane with a great group of friends. Levi and Judah take us through their move from Chicago to Santa Cruz as young kids, their stories as Junior Lifeguards and both being on the fastest paddle relay teams in California. The boys share their stoke for helping disabled persons enjoy the ocean with their time volunteering with Ride A Wave, tell us a shark story, and do an amazing job handling the dreaded lightning round of grom questions. Great stuff from two great, young watermen.

Thanks for sharing Levi and Judah's ocean life with us. You can find good stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

This episode is sponsored by Shearwater Paddleboards, a family-owned company that hand-crafts prone paddle boards and surfboards in rugged Northern California. Now offering a line of open water GROM PADDLE BOARDS! If your grom wants to be fast, smooth, and comfortable in the water check them out at www.ShearWaterPaddleboards.com

In Episode 58 we speak with Alice Henley, a woman of South Florida who thrives on land and ocean endurance challenges. Alice shares her stories of finding her passion for prone paddling, her evolution as a competitive racer, and her mind-set to pull through the heavy mental challenges endurance sports present. Alice takes us through being seasick in the 2017 M2O race, and the incredible story of her 2018 M2O solo crossing where almost everything went wrong -- except her will to finish (this may be the gnarliest M2O story I've heard so far...). We hear of the marine rescue scene in South Florida, Alice's well-rounded cross-training regimen, and Alice's major focus on Crossing For A Cure where she plans to paddle 80 miles from Bimini, Bahamas back to Florida to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis in June, 2019 (link to donate is below!!!)

Thanks for sharing Alice's ocean life with us. You can find pictures and video of her on Instagram , Facebook, and support her Crossing For A Cure paddle by donating on her fundraising website. You can also find good stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

This episode is sponsored by Shearwater Paddleboards, a family-owned company that hand-crafts prone paddle boards and surfboards in rugged Northern California. Now offering a line of open water GROM PADDLE BOARDS! If you want to be fast, smooth, and comfortable in the water check them out at www.ShearWaterPaddleboards.com

In Episode 57 we speak with Max Montgomery, a surfer, diver, board paddler and man dedicated to helping others through ocean events. Max shares his stories of volunteering time for Ride A Wave and others that focus on getting persons with disabilities into the ocean. We hear of multiple events that Max has started himself including Paddle4Good and BestDay Foundation which continue to thrive around the USA. Max recounts an incredible story of a heart attack on the beach then surviving after 15+ minutes of no pulse with 6 defibrillator shocks and incredible hands-on effort from his wife-to-be and others on the beach. It's an epic story... Max continues today to put full effort into helping others and shares his current project with the first-ever SUP film festival due in March 2019.

Thanks for sharing Max's ocean life with us. If you've been thinking about volunteering to help less fortunate children and adults enjoy the ocean, Max will give you the inspiration to get out and do it. You can find pictures and video of Max on Facebook, SUP Film Fest website, Paddle4Good, and BestDay Foundation websites. There is also some fun stuff on the This Ocean Life Instagram and Facebook pages. We are also on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

This episode is sponsored by Burnout Suncare. A family-owned company based in Santa Cruz, CA that specializes in chemical-free, environmentally-friendly, reef-safe sunscreens for water sports athletes and health conscious families. Check them out at www.burnoutsun.com.

In Episode 56 we chat with Kailyn Winter, a 15-year old woman of the water who represented Team USA in the 2018 ISA World Paddleboard Championships. Kailyn shares her story of training and qualifying in rough water for the USA Team in Santa Cruz at the legendary Jay Race, the excitement of making the team, and her months of dedicated training and preparation for the ISA event. We hear of Kailyn's travel to the island of Hainan, China, her perspective on representing the USA on this international stage, and competing in both team and individual board paddling events. Kailyn shares a gnarly story of losing her water bottles at the start of the 12-mile distance race and overcoming physical and emotional challenges to be part of an incredible photo finish at the end of a grueling event. Huge congratulations to Kailyn for her success at the ISAs and for being an amazing representative of USA paddle sports.

Thanks for sharing Kailyn's ocean life with us. You can find pictures and video of her on Instagram and the ISA website. There is also some fun stuff on the This Ocean Life Instagram and Facebook pages. We are also on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

This episode is sponsored by Buell Wetsuits. Driven by their passion for surfing, Buell Wetsuits & Surf was born out of Ryan Buell's garage and today creates quality products for core surfers the world over. From frothing groms to touring pros, Buell Wetsuits are trusted and worn in line-ups from Steamer Lane to Sebastian Inlet and beyond... For your next wetsuit go to buellsurf.com or stop by Buell Surf Shop at 912 41st Ave in Santa Cruz.

In Episode 55 we speak with Ted Harty, a man dedicated to helping freedivers around the world stay safe and and enjoy this great sport.Ted takes us through leaving his 9-5 corporate job for a life of scuba diving in the Florida Keys and ultimately finding his passion for freediving. We hear of Ted's pursuit to improve his freediving skills, training with some of the best in the world, and becoming a highly successful competitive freediver where he set a US National record for dynamic apnea. Along the way Ted became the US National Freediving Coach and found another passion for helping others to be safe in the water. Ted takes us through his approach to developing his Immersion Freediving training program that provides both in-water and online components intended to educate divers anywhere on how to dive safe. Ted also shares the recent launch of www.FreeDivingSafety.com, an amazing online resource of information for all freedivers.

Thanks for sharing Ted's ocean life with us. You can find pictures and video of him on Instagram and Facebook pages. View all of Ted’s online freediving classes www.onlineclasses.ImmersionFreediving.com -- enter coupon code OCEANLIFE to receive 20% off all online courses!!

You can also find good stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

In episode 54 we speak with Stefano Ulivi, a man of Italy who has devoted his life to raising awareness of ocean conservation through underwater filming. Stefano describes the underwater world of the Azores, an island group off the coast of Portugal, where he leads scuba diving tours and films the amazing animals of this special place. We hear of Pico Island, a relatively new volcanic island that hosts huge schools of manta rays and many species of marine mammals. Stefano shares his story of finding his passion for the ocean and his perspective on the evident decline in shark populations due to overfishing and poor management. We hear of trips to Tonga and Baja California where Stefano interacted with a 2-week old humpback whale and a 'tornado' of huge fish. Stefano shares a ton of enthusiasm for protecting the ocean that we can all be inspired by.

Thanks for sharing Stefano's ocean life with us. You can find pictures and video of Stefano on his Instagram page and Facebook. There is also some fun stuff on the This Ocean Life Instagram and Facebook pages. We are also on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

This episode is sponsored by Burnout Suncare. A family-owned company based in Santa Cruz, CA that specializes in chemical-free, environmentally-friendly, reef-safe sunscreens for water sports athletes and health conscious families. Check them out at www.burnoutsun.com.

In episode 53 we continue our conversation with Jenn Lee, a woman of Oahu who raced across the Kaiwi Channel on 4 different paddle craft in 2018. Jenn picks up toward the end of her race season as she joins a novice 6-man outrigger canoe team to battle the best teams in the world in the Na Wahine O Ke Kai race. We hear the story of Jenn's team challenging the field, working through the always gnarly Kaiwi Channel, and taking an epic inside line through the surf at Waikiki to make an amazing finish. Jenn then takes us to California where she immediately competes in SUP races of Battle of the Bay and Pacific Paddle Games, capping an incredible year of paddle racing. And of course, we talk pet chickens as well :)

Thanks for sharing Jenn's ocean life with us. You can find pictures and video of her on Instagram and Facebook pages. You can also find good stuff on the ThisOceanLife.TV Instagram and Facebook pages. We are on Twitter ranting about anything cool happening in the ocean.

This episode is sponsored by Shearwater Paddleboards, a family-owned company that hand-crafts prone paddle boards and surfboards in rugged Northern California. If you want to be fast, smooth, and comfortable in the water check them out at www.ShearWaterPaddleboards.com