Robert Wintner remembers the day in 1955 when his father took him to Walgreen's in Miami for a $2 mask and snorkel - the deluxe one with the ping-pong ball - then down to the beach and into the shallows. The old man' s wingtips got soaked as Bobby put his face in the water. A 3-inch sand crab waved a claw that looked like a greeting, and Bobby looked up, sputtering free of snorkel, to exclaim, "Oh, God, you can see everything!"

Wintner is now known in Hawaii for Snorkel Bob's, the largest reef outfitter in the Islands. The Ocean Warrior is stocked with Snorkel Bob Brand snorkel gear, including Seamo and Seamo Betta masks, Moflex fins and Moflo snorkels. Wintner's participation in Sea Shepherd in recent years led to our summer 2001 campaign in St. Lucia, on which he assisted Captain Paul Watson as media tactician. The facts about the little-known local whale hunt made the front page of the national newspaper three days after arrival. Steady radio, TV and print exposure resulted in the red-faced government during the 2001 International Whaling Commission meeting in London defending its policy of selling its vote to Japan. At the IWC, the Japanese were blocked from worldwide commercial whaling for another year.

Robert Wintner has authored six novels and two story collections. His novel Toucan Whisper, Toucan Sing was recently released by The Permanent Press, New York. Like all his literary work, Toucan Whisper, Toucan Sing challenges social values and the sanctity of human life relative to stability in nature.