Andrea "Andy" O'Neill in Monterey

“The ocean is the closest I can get to an unexplored world, without going into space... I mean, I feel a deep connection to the ocean and its constant rhythms, but when I visit, there's a new discovery or appreciation every time. People should care about the ocean for the same reason we care about the air we breathe and the water we drink - it is an essential part of Life, and the conditions that make it possible everywhere on this planet. No matter where you live, you are impacted by the ocean."
-Andy O’Neill, Oceanographer, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center.

Andy loves the ocean because, “it reminds me that I am small, and the world around me is so vast, graceful, beautiful, and terrifying... So even on bad days when I get caught up in little slights, it remains rumbling and flowing, with forces I can't physically imagine - those little things mean nothing compared to that.”