Hi—We are Bill and Gayle. We grew up in Florida and were introduced to SCUBA diving and marine biology in High School then went on to get degrees in marine biology in college. We worked in aquaculture, fisheries, pollution assessment, invertebrate taxonomy, and the chemistry and biology of the deep sea. Both of us have enjoyed leading field-trips and giving presentations on marine life to groups of all ages. Upon retiring in 2011, we hopped aboard our EndeavourCat 44, Spiraserpula, and began cruising the Bahamas and Eastern Coast of the US. Naturally we went diving and snorkeling wherever we were and found ourselves sharing our knowledge of marine life with other cruisers and with friends and family through our pictures.
Throughout our travels we have found places to dive and snorkel that many people would not think to go to—these places are often full of surprises. Many are shallow and easy for children and beginners to experience and learn about reef life. For each site there will be a picture “tour” where we will point out things to look for when you dive it or maybe just sit back and enjoy an “armchair dive”.
We hope to gently introduce you to the more technical information—it can be somewhat overwhelming since many of these creatures have body plans and life histories which have served as models for alien lifeforms. Scientific names are included (when known) to help you find further specific information on the internet quickly. Later on, we hope to include more on the organisms themselves.
Oh–By the Way–What IS Spiraserpula?
The boat’s unique name is the result of Bill’s desire to follow the time honored tradition of naming a boat after a wife, girlfriend, or daughter, with a “logical” twist (as in If A=B and B=C, Then A=C). The logic follows that If a worm is named after Gayle AND the boat is named after the worm, THEN the boat is named after Gayle. Indeed Gayle has a marine worm named after her, Spiraserpula plaiae in recognition of her discovery of the species-specific structures found in the worm’s tube. The logo shows the structures in the tube for Gayle’s worm. The tongue-twister name is often perceived as Sarsaparilla which we have learned to respond to. So far we have heard of but not met a boat named Sarsaparilla.