My parents used to say that when I (Ken) was about a year old, I would say “wawa” as we neared the coast. That was my terrm for the ocean. I could smell it they said before it was ever in sight. I began watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, and Jacques Cousteau’s Undersea World at about age 5 while sitting on my dad’s lap. Don’t tell my brother, but dad would come wake me up after my brother and sister fell asleep and bring me out to watch Jacques Cousteau with him. Even at that age, they knew I loved the sea.
I was born in Bermuda and other than a couple of terms while dad served in the Air Force in Montana and South Dakota, I have always lived near the sea. I made a career out of it, now 47 yerars as a professional mariner. Most of those serving as captain on ocean tugs and coastal tankers on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. To this day, I maintain my Master of Oceans 1600 ton license.
As for photography, I started at about age 8 with an alternative class in photography with a Pentax KM 35mm camera. I shot black and white and learned to develop the film and print photos in the schools darkroom. There have been quite a few cameras since to what I shoot now, a Sony A1 with a Sony 400mm f2.8 lens. Laurel now shoots a Sony 7RIV with a 70-200mm f2.8 lens.
