WIRED: Urchin Slayers Are Trying to Save the Underwater Rainforest
Grant Downie had been out of the Pacific Ocean for about 10 minutes when he realized he could no longer see out of his right eye.
The second-generation commercial diver had been deeper beneath the waves than usual searching for his catch—red sea urchins prized by restaurateurs for their uni, or sushi-grade gonads. But the red urchins, which dwell in underwater kelp forests, had gotten harder to find in recent years. And each additional foot of depth forced more nitrogen into his bloodstream, upping his risk for dangerous bubbles lodging in his body or brain.