Dr. Mia Tegner
1947 - 2001
"Riding the Tiger"
Dr. Mia Tegner, of San Diego's Scripps Institute of Oceanography,
died January 7, 2001 in an accident while diving San Diego's Wreck Alley. As
detailed by Scripp's
description of her, Mia was in a class apart in the world of today's marine
science. Her speciality was kelp forest ecology and she is widely recognized as
one of the world's foremost experts on the nearshore marine environment,
abalone and sea urchins. Her scientific reputation drew her into today's marine
management battles where the combination of her knowledge, passion, integrity
and eloquence made her a precious advocate on behalf of California's marine
environment. I cannot adequately express the magnitude her loss represents in
that arena alone.
I didn't know Mia well. We met in 1997 and it was my privilege to
watch her in action during legislative and regulatory hearings related to the
abalone resource. Later, we worked together as members of the Recreational
Abalone Advisory Committee. Though initially intimidated by her stature as a
scientist, I came to learn that she was exceptionally approachable and always
willing to take time to explain her understanding of how things are. I will
very much miss her patient and enlightening perspectives. California has lost a
real, modern-day hero.
The circumstances surrounding Mia's accident cannot be fully
known. While her husband and friends were diving recreationally, Mia took the
opportunity to collect fish count data on the artificial reefs of San Diego's
wreck alley. In that pursuit, she was necessarily diving solo as she has done
thousands of times before. When she surfaced following the second dive, she had
the boat hand her a tank and insisted on immediately dropping back down to
complete a safety stop. A few minutes later, the second tank bobbed back to the
surface. Mia was nowhere to be seen. She was ultimately recovered from the 90'
sandy bottom on which the El Rey rests.
In a letter to the editor of the San
Diego Tribune, Mia's husband (Eric Hanauer) expressed his belief that Mia
became so engrossed in her work that she failed to check her gauges, ran out of
air and had to make an emergency ascent. With circumstances stacked against
her, the subsequent events left no margin for error.
Eric closed his letter to the Tribune with the
observation that "sometimes we get so comfortable
underwater that we forget we are riding a tiger".
My sincerest wish from this sad event is that, during pre-dive
preparations, we strive to never forget we're about to ride a tiger. |