Ernie Steven Lopez

Hello,

My name is Steven. I am from the suburbs of Los Angeles, California (from a valley right outside of LA called Chino). I am of Latin and Native American decent. I have a Bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Biola University in La Mirada, California and a Master’s Degree in maritime archaeology from the University of Southampton in Southampton, England. I love to SCUBA dive. I have 16 different SCUBA diving certifications that I have acquired over the years, including professional scientific diving recognition from the AAUS and ESDP. For me, scuba diving can be like traveling to a different country, as it does not matter where you dive, it is always drastically different to the terrestrial landscape you have previously been walking on.

I have been traveling around the world for the last few years, working in underwater archaeology and enjoying the unpredictable adventures that come with traveling. In 2015 I was fortunate enough to visit 7 different countries, some of which differed drastically from others. I have spent at least a month in a lot of the places that I have visited due to my profession as an underwater archaeologist. I am usually able to get a good feel for a place in that time and engage with it as a local rather than just a tourist. This is my passion outside of work, to experience the reality of other individuals, who are living in different places around the world.