Ocean Hoptimism

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

What if the world’s most inspiring ocean stories weren’t happening thousands of miles away, but right here in our own backyard? The San Francisco Bay, once written off as “too industrial to matter,” is now officially recognized as a Hope Spot—a place where science, policy, and community action converge to restore life and possibility to our waters.

And just across the estuary in Alameda, Deep Ocean Exploration and Research (DOER Marine) has quietly become one of the planet’s most innovative deep-sea engineering firms, designing the submersibles and subsea systems that make ocean exploration possible. Led by Liz Taylor, DOER’s president since 1994, the company has built vehicles for science, discovery, and even art: turning imagination into hardware for hope.

In this talk, Liz will guide us from the Bay’s rebounding shallows to the blue unknown, showing how engineering, ecology, and everyday citizens are connecting through Mission Blue’s network of 167 Hope Spots worldwide. Then, she’ll offer a glimpse beneath the surface of her next big project: the Honu Submersible Program, a vision for the next generation of accessible ocean exploration launching in 2026

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

Raise a glass to invention, inspiration, and a hometown hero helping map a world of hope. 🍻.

           —Liz Taylor