I was born with a lot of hair.  Always a point of pride for my mom, as it is said that children inherit their hair mass from the mother's side.  I didn't give it much thought, except on really hot days when I would overheat, which was almost everyday in Fresno.  Yuk!  At times I wished I did not have this much hair.  Anyway, as I was trying to stay awake during a really boring school session, the Aquaravan arrived, and with it a really magical ocean world! That woke me right up.  The Aquaravan came from cool Monterey, and the aquarium located there, by the same name, Monterey Bay Aquarium.    Touching all the critters was fun and different. This was turning out to be a really neat day, until the person holding an otter pelt amusedly pointed out the similarities between my head and the pelt.  From that day on, I was known as Otter Head, and I regretted that I hadn't stayed home sick on the day of the Aquaravan's visit!

During my middle school years, the family moved to Monterey.  I had almost gotten used to the heat, oh well!  During a picnic at nearby Lovers Point, I spotted a cat in the kelp, it looked like it was laying on its back, throwing its arms into the air and   hitting its chest.  Who threw a cat in the water?! As I was trying to figure out if I should call someone for help, my mom told me that I was seeing my "namesake" for real! Otter Head? So that was an otter for real? I ran out to the small pier to get a better look. I wanted to jump right into the water and check the thing that made my elementary school life miserable.  Not only one otter head, but many, and babies too! I was so in awe of this animal that I had never seen before. I felt like the Crock Hunter observing his subject! I couldn't move. My mom brought me my lunch on the pier and  I didn't move the rest of the afternoon.  My mom should have also brought me sunscreen with the sandwich because when we started to pack up at the beach to go home, I literally had third degree sunburns. These otter heads were really the root of lots of discomfort in my life, but now I didn't seem to mind so much.

I had to stay home for almost a week.  I couldn't sleep, I couldn't sit…my skin was on fire.  My mom felt a bit guilty for not being more careful about the sunscreen.  Feeling guilty, and at the same time seeing the light of interest in my eyes, she surprised me with my first official visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and made me a bonafide member.  Since the Aquaravan days, I hadn't really paid much attention to the aquarium.  Once I arrived at the aquarium, I could watch otters all day, indoor, and not worry about a sunburn. Somebody peel me off the tank window.  I could see the otters swimming, flying in the water.  Playing, swooshing by my face.  I think I stayed for all the otter feeding shows.  While watching the "otter girls" feeding those whirly brown things, I learned so much new stuff, not to mention conservation items like what to do with cat crap!  When I thought I couldn't flatten my face anymore against the window, my mother dragged me to the Kelp Forest.  Zillions of animals.  It was like being a little bug on the floor of the Amazon jungle, and that beautiful canopy above.

I was on overload!  I just couldn't get enough of this place.  Just throw me into one of the tanks, please!  After that visit, I was proud to be known as Otter Head.  My family was so glad to know what to get me for birthdays and Christmas.  Anything to do with the ocean and otters would be just fine, Thank you very much!

For my high school graduation, I skipped the dorky "grad trip" and did my own tripping! My family gifted me with Science Under Sail, aboard the Derek M. Bayliss, a very cool sail boat in the Monterey Bay, and a very cool program. Being that i was a member I was at the Aquarium at least twice a week! I even started becoming friends with the aquarist and other staff on a first name basis!

I was so into the vibe at the Monterey Bay Aquarium that I decided to focus all my energy on becoming an employee. I made it through my baschelor of science degree and was hired as an intern while I copleted my masters. I am the official Otter Head in my family.  Little Otter Heads have followed in my footsteps, and always, when they come from hot and sunny Fresno, I am right there to lead them while they uncover the wonders of the vast body of water that brought life to this planet. Guess what the next featured exhibit is going to be at the Aquarium? Coming Soon: "Wild About Otters", I'm in heaven!

PS: Help save sea otters in the wild by learning about the negative effects of cat crap and what you can do about it!