Diving with the ‘Seahorse Whisperer’ of LA

Roger Hanson was born far from the ocean in America’s mid-west. A schoolteacher for years, he discovered diving after his marriage broke down and it soon became an obsession. Any spare time he had he’d spend underwater, finding peace and solace in the depths from his heartbreak on land. Eventually, he moved to California so he could dive in the Pacific Ocean every day before work. One morning he spotted a Pacific seahorse in the bay near his home. The unusual fish was many miles from its native habitat in Peru, and Roger was so enchanted he resolved to build it a new one. He constructed a vast underwater city called Atlantis, and soon a colony of seahorses had moved in. Roger spent hours each day with the colony, documenting the rarely seen lives of these beautiful creatures of the sea - a pastime which eventually earned him the nickname ‘The Seahorse Whisperer of LA’. He was later joined in his conservation mission by Ashley Arnold, a US army veteran-turned-scuba instructor who started diving as a form of rehabilitation after suffering post-traumatic stress disorder from her time in the military. This unlikely duo spoke to Mobeen Azhar about their role tending to this thriving underwater community.

Pipe Major Chukwu Oba Kalu has turned a teenage dream into a national revival of bagpipe playing in Nigeria. When he was 18 he saw someone playing the instrument for the first time. He was captivated and told himself that one day he would learn how to play. His first challenge was getting hold of the practice materials and a set of bagpipes. Chukwu taught himself the basics, and then started to recruit old retired players to form a band. But his ambition didn’t stop there, as he wanted to see an old and faded tradition of Nigerian military pipe bands revived. This interview was first broadcast in 2023.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producers: Zoe Gelber and Rob Wilson

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(Photo: Roger Hanson stands on a Cailfornia beach in the shallow waves, wearing his scuba gear. He is looking at the camera, holding his flippers in his left arm. The sky behind is grey and moody. Credit: Getty Images/Carolyn Cole/LA Times)