Photo by James Maragos, 1984

Katherine's newly-adopted mantra,

"No Child Left Dry", happily includes

herself!  Mala Moana (Ocean Garden),

her pilot project in Kaua'i, allows her

to satisfy her need to swim every day

in the salty, sunny, clear blue sea. 

Here she is with "Honi", a green turtle

which is gradually habituating to her

daily presence.

Diving the entire Ryukyu Archipelago from 1981 to 1988, her research concluded that an alarming nearly 85% of the coral reefs were dead or dying, owing to crown-of-thorns invasions and extreme sedimentation from poor development practices on land. Although trained as a marine taxonomist (specializing in octocorals), she instead became devoted to environmental education.

Katherine Muzik has enjoyed ocean life for more than 65 years. 

(At a Puerto Rico beach with brother Steven, mother Margaret.)

Photo by Erk Burton, 2015

Photo by Thomas Muzik, circa 1950