You’ve Never Seen the California Coast Like This Before

Laura Plageman Photographs the Pacific, Crumples Up Her Prints, Then Photographs Them Again

A craggy rock emerges in sharp relief out of the ocean. Swarms of birds descend into crashing waves. A blue sky of clouds resembles a crumpled piece of paper, discarded then retrieved. These are some of the striking images in “Response,” an exhibition of photographs by Laura Plageman at the DeSoto Gallery in Venice.

Most of the photos were taken at overlooks on the California coast—popular spots to pull over in the car to snap a photo. Plageman’s take on these views, however, isn’t the sort you could capture on an …

The U.S. Is Almost as Fish Dependent as It Is Energy Dependent

We Import Over 90 Percent of Our Seafood. It’s Hurting the Environment—and the Economy.

The United States is one of the world’s three largest consumers of seafood products, yet we import over 90 percent of our fish and shellfish, and have been experiencing an …

Is the Final Frontier Under the Sea?

Before We Got to the Moon, Americans Made Scientific History Exploring the Ocean Floor

Fabien Cousteau, the eldest grandson of legendary ocean explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, just wrapped up an unusually long underwater stay, logging 31 days living and working at the world’s only undersea …

I’ll Tell You Why They Won’t Find Malaysia Air Flight 370

I’ve Sailed Halfway Around the World—and Few Places Are As Dangerous As the Indian Ocean

Cape Leeuwin represents the southwestern-most point of Australia. Five years ago last month I stood atop its lighthouse, looked at the hostile sea state at the confluence of the Southern …

Don’t Gnash Your Teeth Over Shark Week, Shark Lovers

Yes, Our Chomp-Prone Ocean Friends Get Demonized, But Let’s Take Advantage of Public Interest and Set the Record Straight

When I was a little boy growing up in Pittsburgh, hundreds of miles from the ocean, the only sharks I ever saw were at the aquarium or on my TV. …

Surfboard Shaping Is Back, Dude

The Art of Shaping Survives, In New Forms, After Some Difficulties

I first stood up on a surfboard not long after I learned to walk. But until recently, I’d never shaped my own surfboard, personally molding it and altering its design, …