Meet our OD staff:
Brendal Davis
Todd Cameron
Omar Mulla

Meet our advisory board:
Amanda Cotton
Annie Crawley
Bill Bushing Ph.D.
Mike Dunmyer
Peter Kater
Shaun Monson
Wallace J. Nichols Ph.D.

Doctor of Philosophy PhD- Ecology, Evolution and Marine Ecology,

Introduction
addition to being a fixture on the west coast of California Dr. Bill is also a brilliant marine mind. We asked Dr. Bill to be involved with Oceanic Defense because of his infectious passion for all things aquatic. Ask him anything ocean related and you will be entertained and educated beyond your expectiations.

Bill's Bio
Dr. Bill Bushing is a kelp forest ecologist and marine educator who lives on Santa Catalina Island where he has dived and studied giant kelp for over 40 years. Bill first used SCUBA in 1961 and logs as many as 350 dives a year for research and to take underwater video for his cable TV shows, educational DVDs and weekly "Dive Dry with Dr. Bill" newspaper column.

Dr. Bill as he is known received his undergraduate degree from Harvard and conducted scientific research with his major professor for eight years after graduation. He developed a 10-course field oriented science curruculum for his students when he taught at the Catalina Island School. During this time Bill also worked closely with Jean-Michel Cousteau, Dr. Richard Murphy, Dr. Sylvia Earle and others on Cousteau Institute educational programs. Bill later worked for Jacques Yves and Jean-Michel Cousteau on a two-hour TV documentary as part of their "Rediscovery of the World Series."

Bill's research interests focus on the role of detached and drifting kelp rafts in dispersing marine invertebrates and fishes across the open ocean. This work centered primarily on marine invertebrates which lack a pelagic larval dispersal stage. Bill later received his Masters and Ph.D. in marine ecology from U. C. Santa Barbara, working under noted phycologist Dr. Mike Neushul. His research utilized remotely sensed satellite images and a geographic information system (GIS) to look at changes in the distribution and persistence of giant kelp beds over a period of 70 years.

After graduation, Bill served as Vice President for Science, Education and Ecological Restoration for the Catalina Island Conservancy, owners of most of the island. He also taught satellite remote sensing at UCSB.

Bill's interests in education and the marine environment led him to begin taking underwater video in the kelp forests of southern California for a series of educational DVDs and two cable television shows on kelp forest ecology. He has also filmed great white sharks off Guadalupe with Dr. Guy Harvey and provided underwater footage for PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC, The Weather Channel and other television networks.

Bill has logged thousands of dives on four different continents and hopes to dive South America and Africa in the near future to pave the way for a trip to Antarctica. You can learn more about his educational products from his website,.