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Kristine Barsky (nee Henderson) was always a water person, who learned to swim early, and swam competitively when she was in grade school. She started scuba diving when she was in college in 1972, and became a NAUI assistant instructor in 1985.
Kristine is a Humboldt State University graduate with a degree in Zoology. She also has an AA in Wildlife Law and Conservation. She started a Master's degree, but the lure of a job in the field, left her advanced degree unfinished. She worked a variety of jobs, some in biology, and others more practical, before landing a permanent job with the California Dept. of Fish and Game in 1979. She was hired as a marine biologist who could dive.
Kristine went through Fish and Game's diving certification program six months after she joined the Department and became an official Department diver. She is still a member of the Department"s diving program, and goes through an annual diving recertification course every year.
Her first two years with Fish and Game were spent doing surveys above and below the surface off the northern coast of Santa Barbara County. A transfer to Long Beach put her on the nearshore invertebrate project for seven years. On that project she sometimes logged over 200 dives a year counting abalone and sea urchins on the bottom along the coast and off most of California's offshore islands. She also spent a lot of time planting juvenile abalones of all sizes.
Kristine returned to Santa Barbara in 1988 when she married Steve and became Kristine Barsky. She became the Department's Unit manager for both recreational and commercial, for the next 12 years. As the Department's liaison in the area, she also interacted with local mariculturists. government agencies, and the public. At the end of 1999, she took a position as the Department' s marine invertebrate specialist.
Kristine has authored scientific papers and is a regular speaker at scientific conferences. She also has given many presentations at sport diving programs.
Steve and Kristine dive the Channel Islands on a regular basis and travel internationally whenever they get the opportunity. She enjoys modeling for Steve, and being out on the ocean. Steve, the naturalist, and Kristine, the biologist, are always checking out the marine life during their adventures underwater.
