Bluewater Gold Rush The Odyssey of a California Sea Urchin Diver

Kendrick keeps readers entertained with his stories from eighteen years of diving commercially for sea urchins along the California Coast. As an avid surfer, the author had always kept his eyes on the ocean. At first he hired onto an urchin boat just to get a ride to the isolated surf spots in the Channel Islands, but soon he was hooked on the veritable gold rush being paid for urchins. Their eggs or roe were in great demand in Japan––uni was believed to have aphrodisiac properties. Before long Kendrick bought his own boat, eventually moving his dive operations to the colder and more turbulent waters of the North Coast. The money rolled in, but death was always lurking in this dangerous occupation, whether from faulty equipment or shark attack. Kendrick tells a compelling and fascinating story laced with adventure, humor and tragedy. Amazing surfing tales too!