Latest / How To Protect The Ocean / Explore the Ocean Floor: Why Mapping the Deep Matters and How You Can Get Involved

Transcript

Explore the Ocean Floor: Why Mapping the Deep Matters and How You Can Get Involved · How To Protect The Ocean

• 0:00
  Have you ever wondered why it's so difficult to explore the ocean floor?
• 0:04
  It's a lot.
• 0:05
  It's the deep sea.
• 0:06
  There's a lot of pressure down there.
• 0:08
  It's, you know, 3000 meters deep at some points and even more at others.
• 0:13
  It's a very difficult environment to work in, but there are people around
• 0:17
  the world who are trying to map the ocean floor, who are trying to find
• 0:21
  ways to know more about the ocean floor, and I am very delighted to have on.
• 0:26
  Tim Kerns, executive director of MAP the Gaps, who is putting on a conference
• 0:32
  that is called Ocean Floor Explorer.
• 0:35
  It's happening at the end of October from the 26th to the 29th
• 0:38
  in Victoria, bc. It's gonna be open and it is open to international.
• 0:42
  People who are interested in exploring the ocean floor and mapping the gaps, we're
• 0:47
  gonna talk about some of the major topics like funding, technology and storytelling,
• 0:53
  and getting people interested around the world of how they can get involved in
• 0:57
  finding out what's part of the ocean.
• 0:59
  All on this episode of the How to Protect the Ocean Podcast.
• 1:02
  Let's start the show.
• 1:05
  Hey everybody.
• 1:06
  Welcome back to another exciting episode of the How to Protect the Ocean Podcast.
• 1:09
  I'm your host, Andrew Lewin, and this is the podcast where you find
• 1:11
  out what's happening with the ocean, how you could speak up for the
• 1:13
  ocean, and what you can do to live for a better ocean by taking action.
• 1:17
  You know, it's really interesting when things come full circle in 2003, 2004,
• 1:22
  back when I was a young lad and just getting into, you know, the ocean and
• 1:27
  ocean conservation and ocean science.
• 1:29
  I did an advanced diploma doing a GIS analyst, and I did this diploma.
• 1:34
  It was an eight month diploma on the other side of Nova Scotia.
• 1:36
  I was doing my master's in and around the same time at Kid University on the
• 1:40
  Bay of Fundee side, and I can't happened to come across this advanced diploma.
• 1:44
  My supervisor's like, Andrew, you gotta take this.
• 1:46
  You should take this.
• 1:47
  I was like, it's a long drive.
• 1:48
  Compared to where I was living in Halifax was an hour and a half there and back,
• 1:52
  and I had to go every day of the week.
• 1:54
  It was a big investment, but it was probably the best investment that I
• 1:57
  made in my life because not only did I get an advanced diploma, that's helped
• 2:01
  me stay employed for a long time.
• 2:03
  But also I met some great people, and one of those people was a teacher that taught
• 2:06
  me remote sensing, and that's Tim Kerns.
• 2:09
  Over the years, Tim and I kind of, you know, we parted ways
• 2:12
  after he taught me for a year.
• 2:14
  He went down to California, he stayed on the West coast and he did
• 2:17
  a number of different things, which we interviewed him on last time.
• 2:21
  He was on the podcast earlier in the summer.
• 2:23
  And I'll link to that interview down below in the show notes.
• 2:25
  But you know, we kind of reconnected through this project and it was through
• 2:28
  the podcast that I was able to learn about, map the gaps through a couple
• 2:33
  of friends and the networking that I've done through the podcasting.
• 2:36
  Then we got to reconnect and knowing that, hey, I know Tim Kerns, he's the
• 2:39
  executive director of Map to Gas, but he is also used to be my teacher when I was
• 2:43
  doing an advanced diploma in GIS analysis.
• 2:45
  And so I was like, this is really cool.
• 2:48
  This is gonna be such an easy interview 'cause we've known each other for so
• 2:50
  long and just haven't talked in a while.
• 2:52
  So, you know, we spent a number of hours on the phone and
• 2:55
  over Zoom and over Riverside.
• 2:57
  Not only recording podcast episodes, but just discussing the importance of
• 3:01
  mapping the ocean floor and what that is going to look like and how to fund it.
• 3:05
  And now we're talking about a conference that he's helped put on for a number of
• 3:09
  different years, and it's a symposium and now a conference, and it's in
• 3:13
  BC and it's bringing people from all over the world together to discuss.
• 3:16
  How we're gonna map the ocean.
• 3:18
  We're getting closer and closer to doing it.
• 3:20
  We need to move faster and faster to do it.
• 3:22
  So this is getting even more important each and every year to start understanding
• 3:26
  how we could map the gaps, looking at different models from marketing to
• 3:29
  storytelling, to investing to funding.
• 3:32
  To actual use of technology and then mapping the gaps and
• 3:34
  then what to do with the data.
• 3:36
  After that, it comes on the heels of the High Seas Treaty being ratified
• 3:40
  by 60 countries, which just happened a couple of days ago, or over the
• 3:44
  weekend, or just before the weekend.
• 3:45
  As of recording this podcast, September 22nd, and it is awesome just to see how
• 3:51
  everything is coming together full circle.
• 3:53
  And I love this, and I love the fact that I've been doing this podcast for
• 3:56
  so long, for 10 years and being able to.
• 3:58
  Reconnect with people that have been in my life that are doing new things and
• 4:02
  being able to bring their story and story of the stuff that they're working on, the
• 4:06
  projects that they're working on to you, to the audience who've been listening
• 4:09
  to me for whether it be 10 years, one year, less than a year, a couple of
• 4:13
  weeks, you be able to understand what's happening in the ocean and how we're
• 4:17
  trying to not only map the ocean, but just understand it and just in general.
• 4:20
  And I think it's such a big thing that we have to do.
• 4:23
  It's something that I'm looking forward to being able to bring you
• 4:25
  and the information to bring you.
• 4:27
  So with all that said, this is gonna be a great interview,
• 4:30
  learning about the conference.
• 4:31
  If you want to go to the conference, please, you can register below.
• 4:35
  I would love to see you there.
• 4:36
  I'm gonna try and get to there as well.
• 4:38
  So if you want to do that, just register below.
• 4:41
  But here's the interview with Tim Kerns.
• 4:43
  Enjoy and I'll talk to you after.
• 4:45
  Hey Tim, welcome back to the How to Protect the Ocean Podcast.
• 4:48
  Are you ready to talk about mapping the ocean floor?
• 4:52
  I am always ready to talk about mapping the ocean floor, especially when it
• 4:55
  involves undiscovered discoveries.
• 4:57
  Oh, I love it.
• 4:58
  I love it, man.
• 5:00
  Being prepared.
• 5:00
  This is awesome.
• 5:02
  Uh, Tim, this is great to have you back on.
• 5:03
  We talked last time, uh, about Map the Gaps, the organization
• 5:07
  that is here, uh, that we're gonna be talking, focusing on today.
• 5:10
  But actually we're gonna be focusing on the conference that map the
• 5:12
  guests puts on, uh, and it's, it is Explore the Ocean Floor and it's
• 5:16
  happening at the end of October.
• 5:18
  In Victoria, bc Beautiful of Victoria, bc. Uh, and we're gonna
• 5:22
  talk about what's gonna happen there, why we think people should go.
• 5:27
  Uh, and I think this is a, a perfect opportunity for the audience that we
• 5:29
  have here to go to a conference, to, uh.
• 5:34
  Kind of network with a number of different people across different sectors of marine
• 5:39
  science, conservation, ex exploration, and so in technology, um, plus investors
• 5:45
  and funders and all these different types of people who are going to be there.
• 5:49
  Um, it's gonna be great.
• 5:49
  So we're gonna be talking about that, but Tim, before we get into
• 5:52
  that, can you just remind people of who you are and what you do?
• 5:56
  All right.
• 5:56
  Well, thanks Andrew.
• 5:57
  It's great to be on your, uh, podcast again.
• 6:00
  Yes.
• 6:01
  Uh, and I feel like we've known each other a really long time now.
• 6:04
  A really long time.
• 6:05
  I've gotten to know you, uh, very well in the last couple months, which has
• 6:08
  been a real pleasure and a treat for me.
• 6:09
  Uh, so yeah, my name's Tim Kerns.
• 6:11
  I'm the Executive director of MAP the Gaps.
• 6:13
  I've been involved with Ocean Floor Exploration my whole career,
• 6:16
  going back to the late nineties.
• 6:19
  And uh, it's something that I'm very passionate about.
• 6:21
  And one of the reasons that I am is people sometimes ask, why do people like you?
• 6:25
  Do what you do?
• 6:26
  And part of it is that, uh, innate sense of discovery and exploration
• 6:30
  that almost all humans have, right?
• 6:31
  Yes.
• 6:32
  Of being able to see and visualize something at the bottom of the ocean.
• 6:35
  That I know no other human has ever seen before.
• 6:40
  It's absolutely wild.
• 6:42
  And then the other part of why we do it, of course, is for the discoveries.
• 6:45
  Uh, either anthropogenic or cultural, or scientific mm-hmm.
• 6:48
  That can be, um, uncovered.
• 6:50
  Right.
• 6:51
  Really, I, I would say unearthed, but I think it's un oceaned and, uh, un oceaned.
• 6:55
  Absolutely.
• 6:56
  Yeah.
• 6:56
  Yeah.
• 6:57
  Rex plane wrecks, canyons, hydrothermal vents, volcanoes,
• 7:01
  you know, interesting features.
• 7:03
  Sand dunes, uh, super wild marine life that may live down there.
• 7:08
  So yeah, we haven't even discovered before, like there's so many things.
• 7:12
  We often say 75% of the oceans are unexplored, but really thinking
• 7:16
  of it of another way, 50% of Earth hasn't been explored.
• 7:20
  Like that's, yeah.
• 7:21
  Imagine buying a house and then af being in it for a while and realizing, yeah.
• 7:26
  I've never been in half this house before.
• 7:28
  Yeah, that's wild.
• 7:29
  Yeah.
• 7:29
  And uh, so that's how I like to look at it.
• 7:31
  I, and I love that now, you know, why do you like, you, you, we know
• 7:35
  why you love the ocean bottom.
• 7:37
  Like, we know why you want to discover and explore and you want
• 7:40
  other people to do it as well.
• 7:42
  What's your biggest pitch when somebody's like, why should I
• 7:45
  care about the ocean bottom?
• 7:47
  Like, what's the, how's it gonna benefit us?
• 7:50
  You know, in the long run?
• 7:52
  Well, there's, there's two big drivers for that I think.
• 7:55
  And, uh, and sometimes we would call that the value proposition, right?
• 7:58
  Mm-hmm.
• 7:58
  What's the mm-hmm.
• 7:59
  Economic return on investment for me to invest in mapping the oceans?
• 8:05
  And it sort of depends on who you talk to.
• 8:08
  There's definite, um, uh, blue economy.
• 8:11
  Mm-hmm.
• 8:11
  That's what we refer to technology and innovation, uh, and the economic, uh,
• 8:15
  benefits from around this type of effort.
• 8:18
  Uh, there's just been a recent study published by the United
• 8:20
  Kingdom Hydrographic Office in June.
• 8:22
  I invite people to check it out.
• 8:24
  Um, I'll give you the link and we can put it in the, in the comments below.
• 8:27
  Absolutely.
• 8:27
  Um, and that describes how much of a return on investment
• 8:31
  there is, which is substantial.
• 8:33
  So from an economic standpoint, whether that's around better understanding, uh,
• 8:38
  the ocean for the resources that may be.
• 8:41
  Uh, realized from it, understanding tidal energy and tidal currents, um,
• 8:46
  how the ocean moves benthic habitats.
• 8:48
  Mm-hmm.
• 8:49
  Um, of critters that live in the ocean, of course.
• 8:52
  Um, but then there's also that other side of it, which is the discovery side,
• 8:57
  and I think that provides a lot of.
• 8:59
  Maybe.
• 9:00
  Maybe it's not a direct economic value.
• 9:02
  Mm-hmm.
• 9:03
  But there's a real human value to that, which is knowing that we're
• 9:06
  exploring what's in our own backyard and knowing that the data that
• 9:11
  goes from that, particularly if it ends up in the public domain and
• 9:15
  is used for conservation purpose.
• 9:17
  Then we can better protect what we don't yet understand.
• 9:20
  And that, I would say that's the number one driver for most humans to get
• 9:23
  involved in this effort, which is how can we possibly protect the oceans if
• 9:28
  we don't understand the characterization of what they look like on the bottom?
• 9:32
  Yeah.
• 9:33
  And it affects so many things from climate change to, uh, sea level
• 9:38
  rise to conservation and marine life to better protecting, uh,
• 9:44
  potential mining sites, right?
• 9:46
  Uh, which is making a lot of news headlines these days.
• 9:50
  Yeah, it's amazing.
• 9:51
  You know, when we, when we look at the, the ability that we have to do so
• 9:55
  to actually map the ocean bottom, the effort it takes that we think it'll
• 10:00
  take to do so, the challenges that we have to face or that we will face.
• 10:04
  To map the ocean bottom.
• 10:05
  It's big, it's vast, it's expensive.
• 10:08
  There's a lot of challenges with depth and pressure and so forth.
• 10:11
  Um, there's a lot of stuff going on.
• 10:13
  I no doubt know that there is technology and people there who want to do this
• 10:18
  together to be able to map the ocean bottom for our collective wellbeing as,
• 10:23
  you know, humans who live on this planet.
• 10:26
  Um, but when we talk about such a a, a, a large.
• 10:30
  Thing to do, uh, knowing, like last time when we spoke, we talked about
• 10:33
  doing it in, in like small sections and then continue to make it larger
• 10:37
  and larger and build upon that, uh, and look at funding models and everything.
• 10:41
  But when we, when we discuss an idea like this, it's not
• 10:44
  just one person has this idea.
• 10:46
  There are many other people around the world, pieces around the world who are
• 10:50
  just like, we want to do the same thing.
• 10:52
  This is how we're gonna go about it.
• 10:53
  This is how we're gonna go about it.
• 10:54
  And the best way to bring those people together to discuss and to for everybody
• 10:58
  to like share those ideas is a conference like, you know, ocean Floor explore.
• 11:02
  Like this is, you know, a conference where that'll help bring people
• 11:06
  together so that they can actually discuss all the different aspects of
• 11:11
  what it will take to map these gaps.
• 11:13
  Right?
• 11:14
  What it was gonna take to explore that, that ocean floor.
• 11:16
  And so.
• 11:17
  To do this.
• 11:18
  Like, I, now we know why we're doing this.
• 11:20
  We know why you like, map the gaps is hosting this conference, uh,
• 11:25
  in, in collaboration with, with other organizations, but really
• 11:28
  it's map the gaps driving this.
• 11:30
  I like, how are you bringing all these together?
• 11:33
  How are you?
• 11:34
  Like, is this, you know, 20 years of you?
• 11:37
  Decades of you like being in the business and, and meeting people,
• 11:41
  uh, and saying, okay, these are the people would be good for this.
• 11:44
  Or I know this organization out here is working on this, or this
• 11:46
  investor is interested in this.
• 11:48
  How do you start bringing people together like this and, and
• 11:51
  how do you get the word out?
• 11:53
  Uh, that's a great question.
• 11:54
  Well, uh.
• 11:57
  I am sure you've heard the term, the network effect, right?
• 11:59
  Yes, absolutely.
• 12:00
  And uh, and I'm fortunate that I've worked in a number of different
• 12:04
  organizations over the course of my career and I'm a reasonably
• 12:07
  social and outgoing human being.
• 12:09
  Yes, you are.
• 12:10
  And I've met a lot of people and I have good relationship
• 12:12
  with lots of people as well.
• 12:13
  I've also been running a Map the Gap symposium since 2016.
• 12:17
  And I've been fortunate to have attracted a bit of a following, not me personally,
• 12:24
  but Map the Gaps has attracted a following, has a lot of relationships
• 12:27
  with companies and organizations who are familiar with the symposium
• 12:30
  series and have had interest in the past or have attended in the past.
• 12:35
  Uh, I also in the people who attend the conferences.
• 12:40
  Uh, often it was 70, 80% was the first time they'd been
• 12:43
  to a mouth to cap symposium.
• 12:44
  Mm-hmm.
• 12:44
  Although this event has remained relatively small in terms of
• 12:48
  numbers being a hundred, 150 people, it's small enough that it still
• 12:53
  becomes more of an intimate affair.
• 12:56
  Where the networking opportunity is really, really good.
• 12:59
  Mm-hmm.
• 12:59
  Which ultimately ends up amplifying the message of what we're trying to do.
• 13:03
  And I've also been fortunate through the math the Gap series to partner
• 13:07
  with different host organizations each year and have the benefits
• 13:11
  of sponsorship that come with.
• 13:14
  Uh, different companies and organizations that wanna support the event.
• 13:17
  So ranging from National Ocean National Oceanography Center in
• 13:22
  Southampton a couple years ago.
• 13:24
  International Hydrographic Organization in Monaco in 2023.
• 13:29
  Um, uh, in the Chilean Navy in 2016 was the first one, uh,
• 13:34
  that I was involved with doing.
• 13:36
  And then other organizations sponsoring, like Geosciences
• 13:40
  Australia, uh, geosciences Australia, noaa, uh, seabed 2030.
• 13:44
  Mm-hmm.
• 13:45
  Key Carta Gro Schmidt Ocean Institute, Kongsberg, you know, there's all these
• 13:50
  ocean mapping related tech, and that's just a few of them who, who have
• 13:54
  come and supported these events now.
• 13:57
  I'm limited in my sphere because I'm not connected with.
• 14:01
  Wealthy individuals or investment firms or hedge fund managers and stuff, right.
• 14:06
  So I'm part of what we're doing through Ocean Floor Explorer, and
• 14:10
  that's what makes this conference different from the other map.
• 14:13
  The GAP symposium is really trying to develop this message of how can we
• 14:18
  expand the funding footprint and the mechanisms for ocean floor exploration.
• 14:24
  But it's not just the money, it's also how would we go about doing it?
• 14:28
  And the how then brings in the technology, but also the people.
• 14:33
  Because sometimes people say, can you map?
• 14:36
  Can't you map the ocean from space?
• 14:37
  Or why can't you map the ocean from space?
• 14:39
  And the simple answer is, well, you can map some of the ocean from space.
• 14:43
  We need to rely on something called satellite derived bathymetry.
• 14:47
  Companies like Te Carta who will be here, are speaking at the conference, right?
• 14:51
  They have amazing algorithms and technologies for being able to produce.
• 14:55
  High resolution maps of the ocean floor from space, right?
• 14:59
  However, that technology is limited to a certain water depth and water clarity,
• 15:04
  so well then we have to rely on other technologies that can transmit sound
• 15:09
  from vessels to the bottom of the ocean.
• 15:11
  But even that is limiting because not all sonar equipment can go all
• 15:16
  the way to the bottom of the ocean.
• 15:18
  So then you need bigger sonar equipment with bigger vessels
• 15:22
  that need to go further offshore.
• 15:23
  And so I like to think of this and my good friend Vicki Farini at uh, Lamont
• 15:29
  Dougherty Earth Observation would say it's a puzzle and we all need to
• 15:34
  contribute our own puzzle pieces to, uh, to this, whether it's funding,
• 15:38
  participation, technology, approvals.
• 15:42
  Right.
• 15:43
  Even ideas.
• 15:44
  Mm-hmm.
• 15:44
  This is where the startup communities come in.
• 15:47
  We've got index tech from, uh, the UK is coming.
• 15:50
  A very, very young startup company, but amazing ideas.
• 15:54
  Uh, I think they're still in university, in fact, but that's the
• 15:57
  startup, that's the younger generation perspective with new ideas, new
• 16:01
  perspectives that we need to embrace.
• 16:03
  Yeah, because if we keep relying on the same people and the same organizations
• 16:08
  doing it, it's never gonna happen.
• 16:10
  So that's part of the purpose of the conference, is to bring all these
• 16:13
  people together and let's have the conversation about what do we need to do.
• 16:17
  I love it.
• 16:18
  It, it's, it's, uh, it's one of those things where there's
• 16:20
  so many different aspects.
• 16:22
  Me as like a, as a marine scientist, right, and loving technology and stuff,
• 16:26
  I see the benefits from a research standpoint, from a conservation standpoint
• 16:30
  to know as much information as possible.
• 16:33
  But I find sometimes when I'm in that I might, I get this tunnel vision
• 16:36
  where I'm just looking at, okay, what's good for marine research?
• 16:39
  What's good for the benefit of conservation?
• 16:42
  You, you have come from a very different background than I have in terms of,
• 16:46
  you've coming from, uh, you know, you, you taught remote sensing and GIS and coming
• 16:50
  and, and you've, you've had a very, uh, interesting and diverse background, you
• 16:55
  know, going forward, like after that, uh, when we met in, in, in 2003, 2004, uh,
• 17:00
  working for ESRI and then, and then having a couple of your own, uh, co co-founding
• 17:05
  and founding companies of your own, what was the most surprising aspect of.
• 17:11
  Uh, this of of exploring the ocean and trying to get people,
• 17:15
  more people to map the gaps.
• 17:17
  What was the, the, the most surprising part that is a big part of, you
• 17:22
  know, the, the symposium now?
• 17:25
  Well, one surprise I have, and may, may sound a bit negative, is
• 17:30
  it's actually hard to get people excited and I think that speaks to.
• 17:37
  The lack of awareness of a, how big the oceans are.
• 17:41
  And, and I don't mean that, uh, you know, critically of people.
• 17:44
  I think people, of course, it's hard to appreciate just how big the oceans are.
• 17:50
  Uh, I think some people don't appreciate how unexplored they really are.
• 17:54
  Mm. And that's because other mapping platforms like Google Earth, right, where
• 17:59
  you, you can see base maps of the ocean.
• 18:02
  Some of them are derived by interpreted measurements over.
• 18:06
  Um, dozens of kilometers, which is fine to give us a general picture.
• 18:10
  Yeah.
• 18:10
  But go to any Google Earth and zoom into a few spots of the ocean
• 18:13
  and you'll see how degraded and pixelated, uh, quickly it gets.
• 18:18
  Mm-hmm.
• 18:18
  But many people don't realize that, that it's already been mapped.
• 18:21
  In the 1960s, national Geographic produced an artist rendition.
• 18:24
  It's very famous, of course, was on the cover.
• 18:27
  Uh, and many people thought back then, well, the oceans have been mapped because
• 18:30
  of this, this beautiful illustration.
• 18:32
  And it was really, that's exactly what it was.
• 18:35
  It was an illustration of what the depths looked like.
• 18:38
  Yeah.
• 18:39
  In part, based on, uh, uh, in part, based on measurements.
• 18:43
  Um, but nonetheless it was still, uh, largely an illustration
• 18:47
  and an artist rendition.
• 18:49
  So that's a couple of big challenges.
• 18:51
  And then I think a third challenge, of course, is getting people to get
• 18:54
  excited enough about getting involved.
• 18:57
  Mm. And that's, that takes maybe some commitment or passion or investment.
• 19:03
  And that's part of what Ocean Floor explore is about, which
• 19:06
  is how do we ex excite people?
• 19:09
  Yeah.
• 19:10
  Whether they be people with money or people with ideas, or people
• 19:14
  with technology or people with approval and regulatory processes.
• 19:17
  How do we get them ex excited and involved?
• 19:20
  So to me those are kind of the challenging parts of this conference.
• 19:23
  I would love it if this conference was 500 people or a thousand people.
• 19:26
  Right.
• 19:26
  Um, and maybe the next time we do it, it will be.
• 19:29
  Mm-hmm.
• 19:29
  But for now, we're, uh, I feel like we're at the beginning of a conversation
• 19:34
  for how do we get serious about exploring the ocean floor and how
• 19:38
  do we take the power of what Seabed 2030 has been doing for the last, uh,
• 19:43
  eight or nine years, and convert that.
• 19:46
  Uh, energy into actionable exploration.
• 19:50
  And, uh, that's the, to me, the really exciting part about the next decade
• 19:54
  I think, of what we're moving into.
• 19:55
  And I think there's like a, a, a push and pull or an advantage and disadvantage of,
• 20:00
  of getting more and more people involved.
• 20:02
  You know, when you get more people involved, it's great 'cause you get more
• 20:06
  eyes on it, more years on it, more ideas.
• 20:08
  And it's, and it's great to, to put those ideas forward and evaluate those ideas.
• 20:12
  But then you get some, like, again, the, the conservation side coming out and you
• 20:15
  get people who want to, you know, exploit.
• 20:17
  The ocean for a lot of different things.
• 20:20
  Like, like we've exploited land in the, in the past, and that could
• 20:22
  have consequences, uh, in that.
• 20:24
  So I, there's, there's advantages and d disadvantages, of course.
• 20:28
  Um, but right now the advantage of just is, is, I, I agree with you.
• 20:31
  I, I feel like sometimes the deep sea, just like sometimes in space.
• 20:35
  It's so out of context for us.
• 20:36
  It's like a lot of us don't, probably won't go to space in our lifetime, um,
• 20:41
  some more than others, but it is cost a lot of money a apparently to go, to go
• 20:44
  to space if you want to go to space now.
• 20:46
  Uh, and that's for like two minutes, but it even like the depth of, of the
• 20:51
  sea, it's very difficult to get there.
• 20:53
  It's expensive to get there and so it's very difficult to tie that.
• 20:57
  To people's and understanding of like, Hey, this is why this is important.
• 21:02
  Um, and I feel like storytelling comes in to that aspect too, of,
• 21:07
  you know, having great stories to.
• 21:09
  Discuss the importance of the deep sea, uh, discuss the mystery of the deep sea
• 21:14
  and, and what we don't know yet about, you know, the bottom of the ocean that
• 21:18
  could help us in the future, or just the knowledge of that could help us in the
• 21:22
  future, even protecting it in the future.
• 21:24
  Do you find that, like, I know you, you have been, you, you and I have
• 21:28
  a, a common, uh, a common friend and colleague, uh, Natalie Gilson, who's
• 21:32
  been, you know, is, is a big part.
• 21:34
  Of the storytelling context of a lot of, of Canadian organizations,
• 21:38
  uh, working for Pisces.
• 21:39
  And do you find that's like putting in it in that context, do you think
• 21:45
  that's like a gap that people have?
• 21:47
  Not only just in in ocean in general, but especially in like exploring the deep sea
• 21:51
  and trying to bring that out, that emotion out for people to say, Hey, you know
• 21:56
  what, like this is why this is important.
• 22:00
  Yeah, a hundred percent.
• 22:01
  That's a great question.
• 22:03
  Uh, we have a whole session called, uh, communication strategies, uh,
• 22:08
  uh, at Ocean Floor Explorer, uh, moderated by Sophie Silks from coast.
• 22:13
  And then, as you mentioned, Natalie Gilson from Pisces is on it, as
• 22:16
  well as Joy Ani from Schmidt Ocean and Heather Manix from Compass.
• 22:20
  Um, that's precisely the purpose of that session is to talk about
• 22:24
  communication methods and strategies.
• 22:27
  How do we reach people?
• 22:28
  How, how do we get people excited?
• 22:31
  Because not everyone gets excited by science, uh, or science for the sake of
• 22:37
  science, especially if it's not in context to something that they're familiar with.
• 22:41
  Mm-hmm.
• 22:42
  And whether those stories are.
• 22:45
  Here's an example.
• 22:45
  Just, uh, Dr. Don Wright from Esri.
• 22:48
  She's the chief scientist and, uh, uh, first woman of color to go
• 22:52
  to the deepest part of the ocean.
• 22:53
  Yeah.
• 22:53
  With Victor Vivo. Uh, a few years ago, she just recently did an interview with
• 22:58
  NPR, and as part of that, one of the NPR illustrators made a, a comic strip,
• 23:04
  uh, describing her journey, but also the importance of deep sea mapping.
• 23:10
  Yeah.
• 23:10
  And it was a great way to illustrate and communicate.
• 23:14
  Uh, something that's so important to so many people.
• 23:17
  And, but it was also a unique perspective because you don't see a
• 23:21
  lot of comic strips or comic style, uh, you know, presentation pieces or
• 23:26
  media assets on, on this, on this topic.
• 23:29
  And that's just one.
• 23:30
  I think another one is, and maybe we will learn at ocean floor explorers,
• 23:34
  can we do something with mass media?
• 23:36
  Mm-hmm.
• 23:36
  Can we leverage social media more?
• 23:38
  To make people aware, get people excited, and get people interested
• 23:42
  and, and, uh, invested in this either financially or, or, or otherwise.
• 23:47
  And, uh, so I, I think that's a huge part.
• 23:49
  That's probably one of the biggest challenges is, is identifying
• 23:52
  that's, that's another gap map.
• 23:53
  The gaps isn't just about the physical mapping, it's also about
• 23:58
  bridging those gaps of who's doing what and who's involved.
• 24:02
  Yeah.
• 24:02
  Uh, that's why the tagline for the company is Connected Oceans and Connected
• 24:06
  People, because really this is a people, this is, this is a human mission.
• 24:10
  This is not a science mission.
• 24:12
  No.
• 24:12
  Absolutely, and I, I think something that always gets me, you talk about
• 24:15
  storytelling and getting people interested in deep sea, there's, uh, I,
• 24:19
  I, I doom scroll quite a bit on online.
• 24:21
  I try and keep it to oceans and football that's in hockey.
• 24:23
  That's my, that's what I try and keep it to.
• 24:26
  But every once in a while, I come across this.
• 24:27
  This, this video, and it's these deep sea biologists.
• 24:30
  They're in a ROV and they're like, they find these animals and they're like,
• 24:35
  oh, look, it's such and such animal.
• 24:37
  Or it's like a new octopus species, or this is, we haven't
• 24:40
  seen this one in a while.
• 24:41
  And, and there's really cute little animals and like really interesting
• 24:44
  shapes and sizes and colors and bioluminescence and everything like that.
• 24:48
  And they're, you hear like the, the geekiness in the science of like
• 24:51
  the nerdiness in the scientists being like, oh, look what we have
• 24:54
  here and it's all this kind of fun.
• 24:55
  And I feel like that helps.
• 24:57
  I feel like when people can see that there are actual animals that are living at
• 25:00
  the bottom, when there's actually things and, and there's characteristics that are
• 25:04
  similar to what we see on land or even in the oceans, like in the shallow oceans.
• 25:09
  People really get involved in that.
• 25:12
  And I feel like there's a component there for.
• 25:15
  Uh, you know, for, for just mapping the ocean bottom in almost like a, a, a double
• 25:19
  benefit or as they're mapping the bottom, people can take these types of pictures
• 25:23
  and take these type types of videos and be like, look what we found in this area.
• 25:26
  And nobody would've known this if we didn't, if we weren't
• 25:28
  down here, and stuff like that.
• 25:29
  And really just generate the curiosity and, and really, uh, inspire the curiosity
• 25:34
  of more people to get, to get to the deep sea, uh, and be able to like.
• 25:38
  Hear from the people who are exploring it from yourself and others who will
• 25:41
  be at this conference who are like, no, we're gonna go to the bottom,
• 25:44
  or we're gonna see the bottom.
• 25:45
  We're gonna send ROVs at the bottom and we're gonna be talking about them.
• 25:48
  And I think that's like.
• 25:49
  One of the big, big storytelling grabs that we can take and take advantage of
• 25:55
  when, when people are gonna the bottom to get people interested in funding
• 25:59
  more projects or just like, Hey, I wanna see this area in the Indian
• 26:02
  Ocean or this area in the, in the Mid-Atlantic bite, or something like
• 26:05
  that to see what's there, you know?
• 26:08
  Um, right.
• 26:08
  I think that would be, I think that would be a really, a really cool
• 26:11
  thing, um, to have in, in that aspect.
• 26:13
  Right.
• 26:14
  Well, let me speak to that.
• 26:16
  So, uh, one of the, the keynote for Monday, October the 27th is Moron
• 26:20
  Harris, uh, also known as, uh, the imaginative scientist, right?
• 26:25
  And she's got hundreds of days at sea, a very accomplished human being
• 26:29
  as an oceanographer and a researcher.
• 26:32
  And she'll be speaking specifically at the conference about those.
• 26:37
  Perspectives of discoveries on the ocean floor and, and maybe she'll talk
• 26:41
  about how some of them could even be used for advancing medical science.
• 26:45
  Mm. So imagine if we can make discoveries on the sea floor that
• 26:48
  would ultimately end up benefiting humans from a medical perspective,
• 26:52
  either through treatments for diseases or medicines or whatever it may be.
• 26:58
  And that's a whole unique perspective, but it makes it extremely relatable.
• 27:02
  To humans, of course, of the importance of doing this on the second day.
• 27:05
  Then we've got Victor Visco, of course, another phenomenal and accomplished
• 27:09
  adventurer and human being will be talking about technology that he's developing,
• 27:13
  which would help aid this effort.
• 27:16
  And, uh, so once again, two very different mm-hmm.
• 27:19
  Keynote speakers, but helping, uh, add perspective in that human dimension.
• 27:25
  Um, to this, we've got a number of other companies who will be showcasing
• 27:29
  their technologies at Ocean Tech Live.
• 27:31
  The demo Day, which is hosted by Coast, uh, the Center for Ocean, uh, applied
• 27:36
  Sustainable Technologies here in Victoria.
• 27:39
  And that's, uh, just across the street from the Victoria Conference
• 27:41
  Center, and there'll be a dozen and a half at least companies there.
• 27:45
  Presenting technologies.
• 27:46
  Not all of them related to ocean floor exploration, but, and that's okay.
• 27:51
  I mean, right.
• 27:51
  A lot of the technologies that are being developed in the blue economy space,
• 27:55
  um, ha, have in some part be, are able to survive because of the bathymetry
• 28:01
  that's been mapped in these areas.
• 28:03
  We've got seaweed, uh, technology companies.
• 28:05
  We've got technologies making semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles.
• 28:09
  We've got telecommunication companies.
• 28:12
  Um, companies that are making really important sensors that need
• 28:15
  to go on vehicles that go under the bottom of the ocean, you know?
• 28:17
  Yeah.
• 28:18
  So all of this relates to ocean exploration and ocean discovery,
• 28:23
  and, uh, they're a part of this event because of what we're trying to do.
• 28:27
  So I think there's, once again, that networking effect of amplifying
• 28:30
  the message, getting more people interested and excited about
• 28:33
  ocean, and ocean technology and ocean floor exploration is real.
• 28:37
  The real key here.
• 28:38
  It is such a key.
• 28:39
  And, and again, there's so many different types of people coming, like with a lot
• 28:43
  of different backgrounds, international backgrounds, uh, not just Canadians,
• 28:46
  where, where this is taking place, uh, which is, which is really impactful things
• 28:50
  because people are gonna bring their own stories, their own, uh, style of, of,
• 28:55
  uh, doing professional projects and, and getting together and speaking together.
• 28:59
  How big is it for, for the conference and for the symposium?
• 29:04
  Um, to get people from different backgrounds, like from all over
• 29:07
  the world to come together.
• 29:09
  I think we mentioned before, before we record, there's gonna be people
• 29:12
  from like the Middle East, from, from Asian countries, from South America,
• 29:17
  from all over the place, uh, to come together and, and be able to exchange
• 29:21
  ideas and then at the conference.
• 29:23
  How is that gonna be facilitated other than just.
• 29:25
  You know, having dinners together and lunches together and so forth,
• 29:28
  and just being in the same room.
• 29:30
  But are there any, uh, parts of the, uh, of, of the conference that are gonna be
• 29:34
  dedicated towards just exchanging ideas?
• 29:37
  Uh, yeah, so that's a great idea.
• 29:39
  There's.
• 29:40
  Pardon me.
• 29:41
  A great question.
• 29:41
  Uh, it's fantastic having international representation.
• 29:45
  Uh, it really speaks to the diversity of who's involved mm-hmm.
• 29:49
  In this activity, this global activity.
• 29:51
  It's not a, not a North American or right.
• 29:54
  Western Nation initiative.
• 29:56
  This is a global initiative.
• 29:58
  Uh, really being led by CBE 2030.
• 30:00
  I mean, and they've got over 200 companies that are from all over the world who are
• 30:04
  part of this, in addition to national governments and academic institutions
• 30:08
  that are part of CBE 2030 as well.
• 30:10
  So, CED 2030 has done a great job and they of course, will be representing
• 30:14
  the, um, their organization.
• 30:16
  And their efforts, they're bringing the Bathie sphere, which is this inter
• 30:20
  interactive physical globe display.
• 30:22
  So members of the public could potentially come, or maybe people
• 30:25
  who are attending the conference could interact and learn about that
• 30:28
  and visually see what's happening.
• 30:30
  International representation also brings different perspectives and different
• 30:34
  ideas, and there is a, in addition to the networking and the questions
• 30:40
  after the sessions, uh, there's a whole workshop on Tuesday afternoon.
• 30:44
  That's October the 28th.
• 30:46
  Called aspirational funding mechanisms for mm-hmm.
• 30:49
  Floor exploration.
• 30:50
  And that's co-hosted with, uh, Jeb Co, which is the general bath metric
• 30:54
  chart of the oceans and map the gaps.
• 30:56
  Bring together thought leaders to spark conversation.
• 31:00
  No presentations, no long monologues here.
• 31:03
  This is about asking a few hard questions.
• 31:05
  Getting some unique perspectives and then getting people in
• 31:09
  the room to talk about it.
• 31:11
  Mm. To talk about their experiences, their crazy ideas or new ideas or perspectives,
• 31:17
  and, and then hopefully convert that into an action plan that we can then
• 31:21
  carry forward beyond this conference.
• 31:23
  Uh, it's, it's no good just to talk about this stuff.
• 31:25
  You have to capture the ideas.
• 31:27
  Yeah.
• 31:27
  And then you have to put, you know, an action plan.
• 31:29
  Uh, so I'm very much looking forward to that Aspirational, uh, funding
• 31:33
  models, uh, workshop with, uh, Jeb bco.
• 31:36
  I think it's gonna be a really interesting perspective.
• 31:38
  There's two lenses to that.
• 31:40
  One is inside national jurisdictions and another is outside because
• 31:44
  mapping in inside territorial waters.
• 31:47
  Carries, uh, a different price tag for one.
• 31:51
  Yeah, a different level of complexity when there's, uh, national governments
• 31:55
  involved, there could be levels of national security permitting,
• 31:58
  bureaucracy, who knows, right?
• 32:00
  There's lots of different reasons for why it's challenging to
• 32:03
  map inside national waters.
• 32:06
  Conversely, there's also lots of reasons why it's challenging to map outside of.
• 32:10
  National waters.
• 32:11
  Uh, just because it's the high seas doesn't mean it's easy.
• 32:13
  Yeah.
• 32:14
  Yeah.
• 32:15
  Um, and so we'll be talking about, uh, strategies for
• 32:19
  how to explore that as well.
• 32:20
  Well, and, and just to mention, uh, the, the.
• 32:23
  The Highs Seas Treaty just got ratified.
• 32:25
  They just hit the 60, 60 country mark, so that could be more of a
• 32:29
  conversation than ever because they, there might be some rules, uh, in that
• 32:34
  treaty around mapping the ocean floor.
• 32:36
  So hopefully there could be some benefits to discussing that in this conversation
• 32:40
  when it just, just got ratified this past weekend as of recording this.
• 32:44
  So, uh, in, in September.
• 32:45
  So this is, this is good news and it's good to be able to have an international
• 32:49
  audience that are probably interested.
• 32:51
  I mean, we're obviously, we're interested in mapping.
• 32:52
  All of the oceans.
• 32:53
  So it's not just the ones within the exclusive economic zones,
• 32:56
  but uh, but even in the High Sea.
• 32:57
  So it's good to have some rules and, and regulations around that and getting
• 33:01
  countries to, uh, put that into place.
• 33:04
  So that'll be, uh, that'll be really nice.
• 33:06
  So, right.
• 33:06
  Yeah.
• 33:07
  So that'll be good.
• 33:08
  Um, okay, so, so just to, to move on a little bit too, is getting more
• 33:12
  into the funding because I feel like that's a real, obviously a really
• 33:16
  important part that a lot of the times.
• 33:19
  Uh, may considered not as sexy in terms of like, it's better to like watch a video
• 33:24
  of someone going down to the bottom of the ocean and being able to see what's
• 33:26
  on the bottom and map the bathymetry and, and all that kind of stuff.
• 33:30
  Um, but funding is, is essential in that, uh, we're not talking
• 33:35
  about funding just from.
• 33:38
  Foundations and grants and so forth.
• 33:40
  We're looking at like private companies, investors, venture capitalists that
• 33:45
  will be attending these, this conference and having these discussions and, and
• 33:50
  you know, trying to understand the dynamics of what could come out of this.
• 33:55
  What's the, like, we, we talked a little bit about the funding mechanisms
• 33:59
  and, and things like that, but.
• 34:00
  What do you hope to, at the end of this conference to have, uh,
• 34:04
  an idea of or better understanding of when it comes down to funding?
• 34:10
  Uh, that's a great question, ed.
• 34:11
  At the end of the conference, what I would really like to have an understanding
• 34:16
  is inside national jurisdictions or.
• 34:20
  What are the top five pathways to funding?
• 34:24
  Is that through high net worth individuals?
• 34:26
  Is that corporate donations?
• 34:28
  Mm-hmm.
• 34:29
  Is that, uh, people like my mom who want to give a hundred dollars?
• 34:33
  Right.
• 34:34
  Ocean floor discovery.
• 34:36
  Is it school groups that want to be able to, uh, identify or adopt a little
• 34:42
  piece of the ocean floor as their own?
• 34:44
  In exchange for a great map that they get to hang on their wall.
• 34:48
  Mm-hmm.
• 34:48
  Uh, is it a high net worth individual that wants to make a name, a lasting
• 34:53
  legacy for themself by, uh, sponsoring 1% of the Indian Ocean or something?
• 34:58
  Yeah.
• 34:59
  Um, is it, is it a, is it an approach to national governments to share the, uh,
• 35:07
  share the investment and everyone chip in.
• 35:09
  Um, across the board.
• 35:11
  And so we can have sort of an international collaboration maybe at the
• 35:14
  UN level, and we have representatives of the UN who will be at the meeting
• 35:19
  to talk about internationally, how can national government support this.
• 35:23
  Mm-hmm.
• 35:24
  Maybe people chip in, maybe, so there's, that's another strategy.
• 35:27
  And all of these may take.
• 35:28
  Many years to execute, but at least it would be more clear than what we
• 35:32
  have today, which I think is not a coordinated or consolidated list of the
• 35:37
  different vehicles that are available for funding this type of initiative.
• 35:41
  Uh, so that would be my.
• 35:43
  Probably single largest, uh, takeaway from that is the identification of
• 35:49
  realistic funding mechanisms that could be then further explored.
• 35:54
  Yeah, at subsequent conference, sub subsequent workshop, or maybe more
• 35:58
  targeted events that say, all right, well if we're gonna do something
• 36:02
  with national governance, all right, then how do we work within.
• 36:05
  The, um, uh, intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the
• 36:08
  International Hydrographic Organization to work together with these national
• 36:12
  governments to up their contributions.
• 36:14
  I, I don't know the answer.
• 36:15
  Mm-hmm.
• 36:15
  Of course.
• 36:15
  Mm-hmm.
• 36:16
  That's hopefully what we're gonna get out of.
• 36:17
  Or maybe the answer is, well look, every day people would be interested
• 36:23
  in this, so how do we reach them?
• 36:24
  Maybe we need to develop a campaign, a marketing campaign.
• 36:27
  Yeah.
• 36:27
  To get them excited about this and give them an opportunity and a pathway.
• 36:31
  To get involved, to get excited to make an investment or a, or a donation, I'm sure.
• 36:37
  And Tim, I see a perfect opportunity to talk about corporate donors as well.
• 36:40
  I see a perfect opportunity for the NHL team, the Seattle
• 36:43
  Kraken, they're deep sea species.
• 36:45
  They're trying to represent.
• 36:46
  This is a perfect opportunity for them to maybe get some right
• 36:49
  off the coast, you know, off the coast where they are in Seattle.
• 36:52
  Like, let's, we'll just send this clip out to them and see if they're,
• 36:55
  they're interested in, in investing into the deep sea and protecting
• 36:58
  their crack and their deep sea, uh, their deep sea squids, because I
• 37:01
  mean, that's, that's just perfect.
• 37:03
  It's right there.
• 37:03
  It's, it's right there.
• 37:04
  They can come to the conference, send their mascot, whatever they want to do.
• 37:07
  Just an idea.
• 37:08
  Just an idea.
• 37:09
  Wow.
• 37:09
  That's perfect.
• 37:10
  And, and to add that the Kraken probably don't realize that Map the Gaps is
• 37:13
  actually registered in the state of Washington, uh, as a nonprofit company.
• 37:16
  So there you go.
• 37:17
  It's perfectly appropriate.
• 37:19
  Absolutely a hundred percent agree.
• 37:22
  Uh, and, and you know, speaking of like what we want, like what you want
• 37:25
  to get out of this or what you want the conference to get out of this,
• 37:28
  um, you know, when we talk about funding, obviously we can probably
• 37:31
  go into each and every category.
• 37:34
  Um, but what do you want, like when, when the people come, you
• 37:38
  know, we're looking at about 150 people, maybe a little bit more.
• 37:42
  Um, if we can get 200, great.
• 37:44
  Uh, what do you.
• 37:46
  Want them to get out of this conference?
• 37:48
  Like the people who attend, what do you, what's the goal
• 37:51
  when they go to this conference?
• 37:53
  What, what thought process should they be in and, and what mindset should they
• 37:57
  be in to say, Hey, I'm gonna get as much as I can out of this conference?
• 38:02
  Uh, well, uh, as long as I've been doing these conferences, Andrew, 2016, I've
• 38:06
  had a little, uh, catchphrase or what you call it, um, for what the purpose is.
• 38:12
  And the purpose is to listen and to learn.
• 38:15
  And engage.
• 38:16
  So ultimately that's what I'm hoping attendees will get out of
• 38:19
  the event, is to be a part of it.
• 38:22
  Yeah.
• 38:22
  And not feel like they're just attending and, and being an observer.
• 38:25
  Mm-hmm.
• 38:26
  But actually engaging and being able to take that either back to their homeowner
• 38:31
  home organization or back to their school or back to their community, whether it's
• 38:36
  technology or investor or whatever it is.
• 38:39
  Um, and be able to noodle on that and then eventually translate
• 38:43
  that into some sort of action.
• 38:45
  Yeah, maybe there's their own, uh, individual contribution.
• 38:48
  Maybe it's an organizational contribution, maybe it's influence that they have
• 38:52
  over some politician or group to affecting policy or investment.
• 38:56
  Um, and then I think the other thing that I always try to do at these
• 39:00
  conferences is really instill a sense of community, uh, the professional
• 39:04
  and personal networking that you get.
• 39:06
  These are the types of events.
• 39:07
  Like I said, it's small enough that you can meet everybody, you can approach
• 39:12
  anybody, uh, and hopefully walk away with a new colleague or a friend.
• 39:16
  Mm-hmm.
• 39:17
  Um, that's part of the purpose of these events as well.
• 39:19
  And we provide lots of networking time, lots of coffee breaks, lunch breaks,
• 39:23
  social events and receptions in the evening, and those are 100% dedicated to
• 39:29
  people using that opportunity to network.
• 39:31
  Meet new people, uh, learn from others, listen to them,
• 39:35
  and, uh, and ultimately engage.
• 39:37
  No.
• 39:37
  Amazing.
• 39:38
  And I, I think it's interesting too, like one of the things that I always
• 39:41
  tell people is, is especially in a, in a conference like this where you're
• 39:45
  getting so many different types of sessions and topics, is to go into
• 39:50
  the sessions you're not familiar with.
• 39:52
  And learn from them.
• 39:53
  Learn what's happening in the funding areas, learn what's
• 39:55
  happening in the tech areas.
• 39:57
  Learn, learn what's happening during the pitch fest and, and the investor,
• 40:00
  and see how people are tr are, are, you know, pitching themselves
• 40:04
  and, and what discussions are happening in each of these sessions.
• 40:08
  That they can get the most and get a whole, a comprehensive
• 40:10
  understanding of what's happening.
• 40:12
  Don't just sit in your niche, in your topic area and just do that, you know,
• 40:16
  do that, but also explore others.
• 40:19
  Um, if there's time and you're able to go to those sessions, it
• 40:21
  looks like there's plenty of time from the schedule which is up.
• 40:24
  I'll put the link in in the show notes, but it's uh, ocean
• 40:27
  floor explore.org/schedule.
• 40:30
  And you can see what you can test out at the beginning and be like, okay, I'm
• 40:33
  gonna go to the funding model because I don't know a lot about funding and I
• 40:36
  wanna be a part of this conversation.
• 40:38
  Like you said, you know, you know, it is just, you're there.
• 40:42
  You, you soak it up and then you engage.
• 40:44
  And I think it's really important for people to do that and have the confidence
• 40:46
  to do that and, uh, 'cause the people will be open to any kind of ideas.
• 40:50
  And I think that's really, uh, really important.
• 40:52
  But Tim, this has been such a great.
• 40:54
  Uh, privilege to have you on and to be able to share, uh, ocean floor explore,
• 41:00
  uh, with, with the people of this audience, which I, which I love to death.
• 41:04
  And so I want to thank you so much for, for coming on and would love to
• 41:07
  have you back on, of course, to talk.
• 41:09
  Uh, about the conference and, uh, what happened at the conference.
• 41:12
  So we'll do like a follow up one.
• 41:14
  I think it'll be a lot of fun.
• 41:15
  Um, but if people want to go, they haven't, they haven't, uh, thought about
• 41:19
  doing it yet as of now to, to register.
• 41:21
  But if they wanna register, um, is there a, a specific link that they can go to?
• 41:26
  Um, I'm looking on the website here.
• 41:28
  It looks like it's ocean floor explorer.org/register.
• 41:32
  Is that the, that's the right link.
• 41:34
  That's correct.
• 41:34
  And there's still room, there's still time to register up until,
• 41:38
  uh, around, uh, October the 15th if you haven't registered yet.
• 41:41
  Okay.
• 41:41
  I do know that the hotel room blocks are pretty much sold out, almost sold out.
• 41:45
  So if, uh, people are interested in booking that at the Grand Pacific Hotel,
• 41:48
  then they need to get on that quickly.
• 41:50
  Uh, that's ocean floor.org/slash travel, uh, to find out the details on that.
• 41:56
  There's also a discount with Alaska Airlines and FRS
• 41:58
  Clipper coming up from Seattle.
• 42:00
  Okay.
• 42:00
  So there's, there's still opportunities and for people to get involved.
• 42:04
  Um, and it's a single track conference, uh, meaning that all the sessions,
• 42:10
  you don't need to choose that they'll, they're all sequential.
• 42:13
  Perfect.
• 42:13
  And, uh, I look forward to having hopefully lots of
• 42:16
  people, uh, sign up and attend.
• 42:18
  Yeah, I think it'll be, it'll be really great.
• 42:19
  So we'll put the link there.
• 42:20
  Sign up, uh, let them know when you signed up that you heard it from
• 42:23
  How to Protect the Ocean Podcast.
• 42:25
  This is all done for free.
• 42:26
  Folks.
• 42:27
  I'm not getting any money outta this.
• 42:28
  I, this is something that's just super interesting to me and I
• 42:30
  want people to attend and, uh, and, and get the most out of it.
• 42:33
  So go sign up@oceanfloorexplore.org slash register.
• 42:37
  And Tim, thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing this.
• 42:40
  And I look, I look forward to attending and, and being a part of the conversation.
• 42:45
  Great.
• 42:45
  Thanks Andrew.
• 42:45
  Always a pleasure and I look forward to the next one.
• 42:47
  Alright, see ya.
• 42:49
  Thank you, Tim, for joining us again on the How to Protect the Ocean Podcast.
• 42:52
  It was great to have you on.
• 42:54
  Great to learn more about the conference.
• 42:55
  Now that the schedule's out, I think it's gonna be interesting for everybody
• 42:58
  to go and learn about what's happening.
• 43:01
  As Tim said, it's a one track type of conference where everything, you know,
• 43:05
  you're not gonna miss out on anything.
• 43:06
  A lot of times conferences put on so much that the sessions are at the same time
• 43:09
  and you have to like, oh, how do I get to this one and this one at the same time?
• 43:12
  I can't do it.
• 43:13
  This is one track.
• 43:14
  You just learn everything right off the bat.
• 43:16
  You have that ability to join each and every session and
• 43:19
  take part and participate.
• 43:21
  I think it's gonna be really interesting to do that.
• 43:23
  So I want you guys to head out there, go to Ocean Floor explore.org/register
• 43:30
  to register for the conference.
• 43:31
  It's not an expensive conference if you're on the West Coast
• 43:33
  already, it's right there.
• 43:35
  If you're international, there's ways to get there.
• 43:37
  I'd hope to see you there.
• 43:38
  And if you do get there and people say, Hey, how did you
• 43:40
  learn about this conference?
• 43:42
  Say is from how to protect the ocean.
• 43:43
  I love to just get that name out there and be like, oh, I don't know what,
• 43:46
  how to protect the ocean is, it's a podcast that you need to listen to and
• 43:49
  get more and more people listening to the podcast as I try and get more and
• 43:52
  more people to go to these conferences.
• 43:54
  So I think that's gonna be something that's extremely important and I
• 43:57
  would love to see you guys get there and be able to be there and be able
• 44:00
  to take part and be able to have.
• 44:02
  A say in mapping the ocean in the future.
• 44:05
  So that's it for today's episode.
• 44:06
  If you have any questions or concerns or comments, please let me know.
• 44:09
  You can put your comments in the comments below if you're watching this on YouTube,
• 44:13
  or you can go ahead and get ahold of me on Instagram at how to Protect the Ocean.
• 44:17
  Just DM me.
• 44:18
  At How to Protect the Ocean.
• 44:19
  And if you really want to get access to me, go to speak out for blue.com/contact
• 44:25
  and you'll be able to fill out the form.
• 44:26
  It goes right to my personal email.
• 44:27
  I'd love to get back to you as soon as possible.
• 44:29
  I wanna thank you so much for joining me on today's episode of the
• 44:32
  How to Protect the Ocean Podcast.
• 44:33
  I'm your host, Andrew Lewin from the True Norstrom and Free.
• 44:36
  Have a great day.
• 44:36
  We'll talk to you next time in Happy Conservation.