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Internationally Known Underwater Cave Explorer To Speak On South Coast

(Photo by Wes Skiles)
Cavy Diver Kenny Broad has explored "blue holes" around the world

You could call him the “Indiana Jones” of underwater cave exploration.

Kenny Broad has explored caves on every continent in the world during the last three decades. The UC Santa Barbara graduate is an expert on marine sciences and anthropology.

Broad, who is returning to UCSB to speak as part of the “National Geographic Live” series this week, says exploring the caves is an incredible experience. He's focused on researching what are known as blue holes, which he says are among the most threatened habitats on Earth.

Broad, who’s a professor in the University of Miami’s Division of Marine Affairs, says exploring the caves is important. It helps us learn more about water, which is the lifeblood of our planet. His expeditions have also led to archaeological finds.

The researcher admits he didn’t start cave diving out of scientific curiosity. He grew up in Miami, and loved the ocean. Broad meet one of the pioneers in cave diving, and started doing it because of the adventure, which led to his interest in science.

Broad admits the expeditions can be dangerous. They swim through often tiny, mazelike passageways with limited visibility. He says there’s extensive preparation before every dive.

The University of Miami researcher will speak this Sunday at UC Santa Barbara’s Campbell Hall. The UCSB Arts and Lectures event begins at 3 p.m., and is open to the public.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.