The History of Diving Museum will hold a virtual “Immerse Yourself” presentation on the Monterey abalone divers on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. The museum will also have extended hours to see the exhibits, with the last ticket sold at 6:15 p.m. (Wednesday update: Due to ongoing road construction, a viewing room at the museum will no longer be available).
Tim Thomas, a fourth-generation native of the Monterey area, is an author and fisheries historian who has researched the fisheries of Monterey Bay for close to 30 years. He has written and lectured extensively on Monterey’s fishing communities, and for 16 years he was the historian and curator for the Monterey Maritime Museum. He is also the historical consultant for the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
In this talk, Thomas will take attendees through the history of Monterey Bay’s Japanese abalone divers. Once a part of a thriving industry, these divers used traditional methods as well as diving helmets to hunt for abalone in the cold waters of the California coast.
His presentation will begin on the evening of Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. over Zoom, with a viewing room available at the museum. Thomas will be broadcasting remotely.
Visit HDM’s website for a virtual signup link at divingmuseum.org. This session will also be recorded and posted to the Museum’s YouTube channel. The Immerse Yourself sponsors this month are museum members Bob Murray and Barbara Overton.
