A new direction - A Fascination for Fish: Adventures of an Underwater Pioneer - page 306

of one simple fact: the view from the aquarium decks looking out to-
ward the Bay and beyond to the open ocean is, indeed, our best ex-
hibit. The ocean waves, floating kelp beds, busy sea otters, seals and
barking sea lions, the salty smell of the ocean air, and the underwater
world are beyond compare. Bringing the natural environment closer
to each person has been the motivation behind the adventures of my
adult life.
As Ratty dreamily said about mariners in The Wind in the Willows,
“Yes, it's the life, the only life, to live.” That is definitely true for me.
BRANCHING OUT
Throughout my career I've received a number of invitations to con-
sult on other aquarium projects, advising on exhibit design and ani-
mal collection techniques. I've taken advantage of several such requests,
and in so doing I've traveled to many interesting places—and been paid
for it!
Often, when such invitations come along, I feel I'm given more credit
than I deserve, and expected to come up with more than I'm capable
of o¤ering. Some aquarium planners even seem to believe that, with
my answers to their questions, they can build an aquarium as success-
ful as Monterey, only in less time and for less money.
The most unusual opportunity began with an inquiry from the U.S.
State Department asking if I would go to China to help design the first
modern aquarium in that country. Although the Chinese would cover
only travel and living expenses, I accepted because I was sure this would
be the only chance I'd ever have to visit China. David Pittinger of the
National Aquarium of Baltimore was also invited, and we were allowed
to bring our wives, though we paid all their travel expenses.
The aquarium was to be located in the coastal city of Dalian in north-
east China, near the border of North Korea. We had no advance in-
formation about their aquarium plans or even about the city. We re-
ceived a travel itinerary and airline tickets on Chinese National Airlines,
departing San Francisco on New Year's Day 1988. Because it was the
middle of winter, we knew it would be cold in north China. Betty and
I packed what cold-weather clothes we had, and, with our passports