Apoya a Under the Blue Line

Greetings fellow underwater enthusiast! If you've arrived at this page it is because you are interested in donating funds towards our project development. We have been in the negatives these past couple of years, so any contribution is hugely appreciated :).

Here is a quick blurb about our mission and our work to date:

The premise of Under the Blue Line is to increase ocean accessibility and connection through the utilization of virtual reality (VR) technology and interactive algae art. Underwater VR education modules highlight current scientific research and restoration projects led by Scripps graduate students.

By documenting our work on tropical coral reefs and nurseries, temperate kelp forests and seagrass beds, we utilize VR to immerse community members into these ecosystems and foster their connection with all that lies beyond the coastline. Importantly, we aim to increase the imaginative capacity of students by diving underwater with them to conduct scientific research and restoration work, inspiring future careers in the marine sciences and restoration. Both access to the ocean and access to education are a privilege; through this project, submerging community members "under the blue line” that is our ocean’s surface, we hope to change that.

In 2019, we developed a unique and interactive Marine Biology curriculum, teaching at John Adams Middle School in LA. This included immersing students into our underwater world through low-tech virtual reality (VR). By 2020, we were awarded a Women Divers Hall of Fame grant to further develop the VR portion of this curriculum. Today, Under the Blue Line presents the culmination of this work as a collection of underwater education modules.

In 2022, Under the Blue Line launched in San Diego and has since been a massive hit! In year one, we participated in several community tabling events including Preby’s Play Day at Museum of Contemporary Arts, San Diego; Barrio Logan Science Art Expo; Scripps Day; and Walter Munk Day. Additionally, our headsets enabled SCUBA exploration in a local elementary classroom and two visiting high school groups at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Overall, we took ~1500-2000 community members under water on SCUBA and convinced a similar number of humans to touch and press local algae.

Now in 2026 we have expanded our ocean community. This year Under the Blue Line,

1. Tabled at Barrio Logan Science Art Expo, the CA Seaweed Festival, the Bro-am, and the Southeast San Diego Science Art Expo.

2. Ran the 2nd annual summer pop-up VR exhibit at Birch Aquarium.

3. Visited classrooms, teaching marine biology to budding students at Central Elementary School, as well as high school and college students at UCSD and Mesa College.

4. Partnered with Coastal Defenders and Un Mar de Colores to share local ocean connection with young ocean stewards.

Stay tuned for 2027!