Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover’s Soul
CHICKEN SOUP
FOR THE
OCEAN LOVER’S
SOUL
Amazing Sea Stories and Wyland
Artwork to Open the Heart and
Rekindle the Spirit
Jack Canfield
Mark Victor Hansen
Wyland
with Steve Creech
Health Communications, Inc.
Deerfield Beach, Florida
www.hcibooks.com
www.chickensoup.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chicken soup for the ocean lover’s soul : amazing sea stories and Wyland artwork to open the heart and rekindle the spirit / [compiled by] Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Wyland, Steve Creech.
p. cm.
eISBN-13: 978-0-7573-9400-3
eISBN-10: 0-7573-9400-0
1. Marine animals—Anecdotes. 2. Human-animal relationships—Anecdotes. 3. Ocean—Psychological aspects. I. Canfield, Jack date. II. Hansen, Mark Victor. III. Wyland, date. IV. Steve Creech, date.
QL121.C45 2003
508.3162—dc21
2003051125
© 2003 Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
HCI, its Logos and Marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
R-11-06
Original paintings on cover and insides by Wyland ©2003
Cover design by Larissa Hise Henoch
Inside formatting by Dawn Von Strolley Grove
We dedicate this book
to ocean lovers everywhere . . .
To our parents who taught us lessons of life among
the beaches, tide pools and rolling waves . . .
To the scientists who have guided us . . .
And, finally, to the writers, poets and
artists who remind us that as much
as we know, the sea will always remain,
first and foremost, a place of
infinite beauty and mystery.
Warm Tropical Paradise
Original painting by Wyland © 2003.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Share with Us
1. LIVING IN HARMONY
Raising Cecily Nan Lincoln
Surrogate Mom and Pup Roxayne Spruance and Michelle Staedler
Hooked on Mahogany Mike Lipstock
Picasso of the Sea Wyland
The Blind Diver Joycebelle Edelbrock
In Harmony Martha Gusukuma-Donnenfield
Encounter with a Sperm Whale Gaie Alling
Swimming Surprise Joseph Hallstein
If You Could Touch a Whale Paula McDonald
Back to Sea . . . the Story of J. J. Jack Hanna
Keiko the Whale Wyland
Angus Florian Graner
Sound Behavior Abby Murray
2. THE POWER TO HEAL
Anna’s Miracle Linda Schnecker Erb
Manatee Tranquility Paul Dragon as told to Steve Creech
The Art of Healing Wyland
A Signal Is Worth a Thousand Words Linda Schnecker Erb
The Fishermen Stephen Byrne
A Day on the New Hampshire Shore Nicole-René Rivette
A Forever Ocean View Liz Zuercher
3. CELEBRATING THE BOND
Crab Lessons Jennifer Zambri-Dickerson
Ebb and Flow Eve Eschner Hogan
The Friendly Isle Tal Aviezer with Jason Cocovinis
Dream Vacation Jennifer Lowry
Letters Michael Geers
Goddess Danette Rivera
The Guide Wyland
Octopus’s Garden Eve Eschner Hogan
I Found a Tiny Starfish Dayle Ann Dodds
After the Beach Nancy V. Bennett
Sea Dog Jon L. Rishi
What Do You See? Gary Riedel
4. OCEAN WISDOM
A Lesson from the Sea Walker Meade
A Prayer for the Ocean Wyland
The Perfect Shell Jennifer Zambri-Dickerson
The Day at the Beach Arthur Gordon
Octopus Odyssey Mike Lipstock
The Sea and the Wind That Blows E. B. White
The Driftwood Queen Anne Carter
A Sign of Love Warren Iliff
Sand Castles Max Lucado
Sea of Curiosity Dr. Sylvia A. Earle
5. FRONTIERS OF THE SEA
Who’s Watching Who? Joe Moran
The Jonah Factor Mark Conlin
Strange Discovery Steve Creech
Close Encounter of the Squid Kind Mark Conlin
Finding His Way Home Clive Cussler
Eyes in the Dark Thor Heyerdahl
The Specialist Dr. Sylvia A. Earle
Fred’s Big Adventure Mark Conlin
6. SAILING SPIRITS
Last One Standing Phil Lansing
Geriatric Genocide Warren Miller
A Shot at the Title Jim Kravets
Father Time Matt Walker
Surfer Mark Twain
Two Battleships Maurice Ricketts
The Bond Between a Captain and His Ship Vincent Gaddis
Sailsmanship! Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo
First Homecoming Leslie Smith
7. ON COURAGE AND ADVENTURE
Lost in the Atlantic Deborah Morris
One Hundred and One Atlantic Nights Jan Meek with Daniel Byles
as told to Janet Matthews
A Miracle Between Sea and Land Alan Ebert
Pedaling over the Atlantic Jamie Kageleiry
Fear of the Unknown Maggie Stapp-Hempen
Exploring the Sunken Wreck Dr. Robert D. Ballard
Using His Teeth Lester David
8. SAVING THE SEA
This Magic Moment Jennifer Anderson
A New Dawn for Whaling in Taiji Wyland
Fighting for Their Lives Maris Sidenstecker
Everything I Needed to Know About the Ocean
I Learned in the Second Grade Wyland
Do You Hear It? Tiffany Pope
Life Imitates Art Wyland
More Chicken Soup?
The Wyland Foundation and Wyland Ocean Challenge
Who Is Jack Canfield?
Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?
Who Is Wyland?
Who Is Steve Creech?
Contributors
Permissions
Acknowledgments
This book would never have come to be without the input of thousands of ocean lovers from as far away as New Zealand, Ireland, Iceland, Mexico, Norway, Canada, England, South Africa, Germany and Australia. It seemed as we were developing this book that ocean lovers knew neither political nor geographic boundaries, not even in the heartland of America, and flooded us with marvelous stories of experiences with sea life and family seaside vacations.
But beyond those who submitted such incredible stories, there are many, many more people to be thanked, without whom the completion of Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover’s Soul would never have occurred.
To Jacques Cousteau, who inspired the career of Wyland and a whole generation of people to care about ocean conservation.
To ocean icons like Dr. Sylvia Earle, Dr. Bob Ballard, Dr. Roger Payne, Ll
oyd Bridges, Sir Peter Blake, Bob Hunter and many others who have dedicated their lives to preserving the world’s oceans. They are certainly among the more visible advocates for ocean awareness, but many more conservation organizations support them. We hope you will lend your support by giving generously to their campaigns.
We would like to thank the Wyland Foundation for bridging the worlds of art and science, and working with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Birch Aquarium on a world-class, clean-water curriculum to be presented to 60 million students in the coming year. To the board of directors of the Wyland Foundation for ten great years and the many Wyland Foundation members who give unselfishly of their time and energy to help with its programs.
Wyland would like to personally express his great debt to the many scientists who have worked with him over the years, instilling in him a passion for sharing his message of ocean conservation and art with the world.
To Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield, Peter Vegso and the entire family at Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises and Health Communications (HCI). These two fine organizations are to be truly commended for giving such a beautiful gift to the world as the series of Chicken Soup for the Soul books.
Big thanks to Angela Needham for spearheading this project from the very beginning. Even after six years, Angela always had the faith to see this project completed.
To Steve Creech, Wyland’s cowriter and publicist, who shaped and formed the book with the support of the dedicated staff at Wyland World Headquarters. Steve’s adventures collecting stories took him as far away as Valdez, Alaska.
To the entire Wyland family: Wyland’s parents, Darlene and Robert, and his brothers, Steve, Bill and Tom.
To Darcy Pinon, Julie Edwards and Liz Zuercher—each gave extensive amounts of their personal time to assist with editing, compiling and rereading stories.
Thanks to Virginia Lenac for her tireless support and efforts. Virginia always went the extra mile, always with a smile, to keep this book organized and on track.
To the entire Wyland design team, including Jonathan Dupree, Gregg Hamby, Nicole Hill, Karla Kipp, Kathy Gordon and Gino Beltran. They deserve a special nod of appreciation for ensuring that the look and feel of this book met the high standards of Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises and HCI.
To Julie Guerrini, who read and read and read, providing valuable insight about many of the stories in this book while never complaining, even when yet another batch of stories was given to her “just to check out.”
Thanks to all the people who evaluated, commented upon and helped us improve our story selection. The panel of readers included: Sheri Arnett, Suzanne Beukema, Marie Clark, Grace Compton, Janet Creech, Robin Davis, Terrie Druehl, Sherry Eaton, Tammy Eaton, Jeanice Glenn, Shannon Glenn, Dana and Jerry Gonzales, Gretchen Hausman, Debby Helm, Alice Jensen, Diane Johnson, Joan Kretchman, Kirstyn Molina, Shirley Morrison, David Norcross, Barbara O’Neill, Jennifer Paul, Sue Paul, Sue Pinkham, Eartha M. Reed, Pam Richmond, Jennifer Scardino, Stan Stern, Lisa Trampe and Cathy Wood.
To the drive of Jack Canfield and Patty Aubery to push this book through to its completion.
And, of course, thank you to the folks at HCI, including Lisa Drucker, Susan Heim and the entire team of editors, publicist Kim Weiss, and the terrific sales teams headed by Terry Burke and Tom Sand.
We would also like to acknowledge and express our appreciation to the authors of the more than 3,000 stories that we received to make this book possible.
And, last but not least, we would like to thank you for purchasing Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover’s Soul. It has been a labor of love, more than six years in the making as we’ve searched the planet to find stories that touch the heart and ignite the ever-growing passion for preservation of our oceans and the wonderful life within. Best fishes!
The Wyland Foundation would like to acknowledge the following organizations for their contributions to ocean conservation. We hope you’ll support their fine work.
American Oceans Campaign
American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals
Animal Planet
Animal Protection Institute
Animal Welfare Institute
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
California Marine Mammal Center
Caribbean Conservation Corporation
Center for Action Endangered Species
Center for Coastal Studies
Center for Environmental Education
Center for Marine Conservation
Center for Whale Studies
Citizens for a Better Environment
Clean Islands International
Clean Water Action
Coastal Alliance
Coastal American Foundation
Coastal Conservation Association
Coastal Ecology Learning Program
Coastal Society
Conservation International Foundation
Coral
Cousteau Society
Cultural Survival
Defenders of Wildlife
Discovery Channel
Dolphin Research Center
Earth Day Resources
Earth Trust
EarthCare Network
Earthsave International
Environmental Defense Fund
Florida Oceanographic Society
Friends of Bermuda Aquarium, Ltd.
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Sea
Friends of the Sea Lion
Friends of the Sea Otter
Fund for Animals
Great Whales Foundation
Greenpeace Foundation
Greenpeace U.S.A.
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Hubbs Sea World Research Institute
Human Dolphin Foundation
The Humane Society
Institute for Earth Education
International Fund for Animal Welfare
International Rivers Network
Island Resources Foundation
Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research,
Education and Conservation
The JASON Project
Kids for a Clean Environment
Kids for Saving Earth
Marine Environmental Research Institute
Marine Life Preservation Society
Marine Mammal Center
Marine Mammal Fund
Marine Mammal News
Marine Mammal Stranding Center
Maui Whalewatchers
Mote Marine Laboratory
Mystic Aquarium
National Audubon Society
National Geographic Society
National Marine Institute
National Marine Life Center
National Marine Sanctuary
National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation
National Wildlife Federation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Nature Conservancy
The Ocean Conservancy
Ocean Institute
Ocean Research & Educational Society
Ocean Society
Ocean Watch Foundation
Oceanic Society
Oceanworks
Orcalab
Pacific Marine Research
Reef Ball Foundation
Reef Environmental Education Foundation
Reef Relief
Restore America’s Estuaries
Save Our Seas
Save the Manatee Club
Save the Whales
School Power
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
The Sea Turtle Center
Seacoast Science Center
Sierra Club
Society for Marine Mammalogy
Surfrider Foundation
United Nations Environment Programme
W. Quoddy Marine Research Center
Waikoloa Marine Life Fund
Wetlands In
stitute
Whale Adoption Project
Whale Center
Whale Conservation Institute
Whale Museum
Whale Protection Fund
Whale Research and Conservation Fund
WildAid
Wilderness Society
Windows on Our Waters
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
World Wildlife Fund
Worldwatch Institute
Wyland Foundation
Introduction
All of us, at one time or another, find ourselves drawn to the sea. For some, it’s a place for reflection or romance. For others, it’s the thrill of watching surf crash against a sandy white beach or studying the kaleidoscope of life among a tropical coral reef. This ability of the ocean to change our lives, to inspire and fascinate us, is what led us to create Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover’s Soul, a collection of stories from around the world that celebrate the magic of our ocean planet.
I first embraced the ocean on a family vacation to Southern California many years ago. I was only fourteen years old and experiencing the cool waters of the Pacific for the first time. Amazingly, as I looked out across the endless expanse, lost in its sheer size, two fifty-foot gray whales broke the surface and spouted right before my eyes.
After that encounter I dedicated myself to the preservation of these gentle giants and the oceans they needed for survival. I truly believe that when you see a whale you become a better human being. Over the years, I have talked with many people who have told me of encounters with marine mammals, and they all have experienced similar transformations.
I had the honor of meeting Mark Victor Hansen at one of my gallery shows in Kona on the big island of Hawaii. We connected immediately as I felt Mark’s commitment with Jack Canfield not only to create a fantastic book filled with wonderful stories of the ocean, but also their commitment to the conservation of this precious resource. As we continued to discuss the possibility of creating this unique book, it became clear to us that the oceans have been the source of many inspirational stories over the years.
Now, after diving with these two ocean lovers, we are ready to share these uplifting, engaging and, above all, true stories from people such as renowned wildlife expert and television personality Jack Hanna, ocean researcher Dr. Sylvia Earle, writer Clive Cussler and many others. This beautiful book and the series of marine life paintings it contains reflect the rare beauty of the sea for the ocean lover’s soul.
A portion of all proceeds from Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover’s Soul will go the Wyland Foundation, which has partnered with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, to create a free, nationwide marine life art and science educational program for every school in the nation. This program is designed to teach children everywhere about the importance of our marine resources. Your purchase of this book will help make this program a great success.