Ocean Hoptimism

November’s Ocean Hoptimism dove deep—literally and figuratively.

What if the world’s most inspiring ocean stories weren’t unfolding thousands of miles away, but right here in our own backyard? The San Francisco Bay, once dismissed as “too industrial to matter,” is now officially recognized as a Hope Spot, a living example of how science, policy, and community action can breathe possibility back into our waters.

Just across the estuary in Alameda, Deep Ocean Exploration and Research (DOER Marine) has long been one of the planet’s most innovative deep-sea engineering firms. Led by Liz Taylor since 1994, DOER has designed the submersibles, autonomous marine vehicles, and subsea tools that make modern ocean exploration possible—from mapping unknown terrains to supporting critical search-and-recovery work when divers can’t safely go.

During her talk, Liz grounded us first in hometown pride: celebrating the SF Bay Hope Spot, shining light on seagrass restoration gains, and applauding the Wild Oyster Project’s gritty, local magic. She reminded us that recovery is already underway—but that the Bay’s future isn’t guaranteed. It’s a working, industrial estuary facing real pressures, and it will take work, not just hope, to keep it thriving. Her advice for getting started was simple and joyful: grab a mask and snorkel a seagrass bed to see the Bay first hand.

From there, she took us deep into the blue unknown where sunlight never reaches. Liz shared how DOER’s engineering has supported groundbreaking science across Mission Blue’s global network of 167 Hope Spots, opening windows into places few people will ever see firsthand.

And then she looked forward. The future, as Liz presented it, is bright, ambitious, and shaped like Project Honu’s next-generation submersibles—modular, field-ready, community-centered engineering designed to make deep-ocean access more equitable for scientists, storytellers, and the public.

Part hometown pride, part planetary perspective, Engineering Hope showed how innovation in Alameda can ripple across the globe. Because every Hope Spot, whether a kelp forest, coral reef, or our own Bay, starts with people willing to build, believe, and dive in.

           —Liz Taylor