“Professor of the Sea” Shekuwe became a good friend of mine while snorkling together off the coast of Wasini, his home village in Kenya. Together we took joy in meeting the sunrise in his small fishing boat and swimming among the reefs. He is a great man, larger than life. It was easy to understand why island villages up and down the coast would gather in their communal areas to listen to him speak.
He and Seacology field representative Dishon Murage came to stay at my house in Oakland several months later and I returned the hospitality. The Pacific was too cold for us to swim, but I showed him some of our natural wonders. We went to Yosemite and hiked up Vernal Falls. He and I exchanged hats. I keep his hat in a shrine at my house to this day. The very next year, Professor went in for a knee operation and died due to complications. RIP Professor. I will always remember you.
