On June 19, Ben Pitterle and Penny Owens of Santa Barbara Channelkeeper completed a SCUBA dive in the Naples protected area to survey any possible damage from the Refugio oil spill. Brandon Fastman of The Santa Barbara Independent accompanied them on their journey to Naples Pinnacle Reef, located about a mile off the Gaviota Coast and renowned for its biological diversity. He wrote about the experience, but lacking in both diving qualifications and legal indemnity, remained on the boat during the actual dive, unable to see the rich community of marine life below the water’s surface. Channelkeeper, however, has provided video footage from the dive, a colorful visual reminder of sensitive habitat that shares liquid real estate with our nation’s energy infrastructure.
