CA-6 SEAMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2017
SEASIDE CHAT
MEET GREG GORGA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SANTA
BARBARA MARITIME MUSEUMGREG GORGA IS THE EXECUTIVE director of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum
(sbmm.org). He has been with the museum for 10 years and is dedicated to upholding the
museum’s mission to preserve and celebrate the maritime legacy of the California Coast.
The museum focuses on the discovery and exploration of the Santa Barbara Channel and
the area’s marine heritage.Sea: Please tell me a bit about the history
of the museum.
Greg: The Santa Barbara Maritime
Museum opened its doors in July 2000.
From the beginning, the vision was for it to
be the most hands-on, interactive maritime
museum on the West Coast, and it takes a
wide view of maritime history. So we cover
everything from the early Chumash mari-
ners to Spanish Explorers and shipwrecks
to surfing, commercial fishing and diving
to the 1969 oil spill.What is the most popular exhibit?
We are home to the First Order Fresnellens from Point Conception Lighthouse,
what I consider to be the most important
maritime artifact along the Santa Barbara
Channel. Standing 18 feet tall, it has 624
individual pieces of glass and is a thing of
beauty. Our most popular interactive exhibit
is Sportfishing, where visitors hold a rod and
reel and feel it snap in their hand when a fish
bites. Then they have to reel it in.Is there one that is overlooked?
Most overlooked would be the Honda
Disaster. In 1923 seven U.S. Navy destroyers
crashed on the rocks above Point Arguello,
killing 23 sailors. It is considered the largest
Naval disaster during peacetime in U.S.
history. Our exhibit features an amazing
14-minute video that includes aerial footagetaken days after the wreck, an interview
with the last living survivor and an explana-
tion of how things went wrong.What will California boaters find most
interesting about the museum?
Our 88-seat Munger Theater features
five to six films daily, all included with
admission, and we show “West of the West:
Tales of the Eight Channel Islands.” Boaters
will learn the human history behind these
islands, see amazing footage and maybe
decide to visit the islands themselves.What is your favorite piece or facet
of the museum?
I like that the SB Maritime Museum
really has something for everyone. Our
interactive Children’s Gallery is great for
ages two through seven, older youth will
enjoy the video about Juanna Maria, from
“Island of the Blue Dolphins,” and adults
will enjoy other films and the vast array
of subjects covered. It always amazes me
that so much history occurred in this little
town, and our maritime heritage goes back
thousands of years with the Chumash.What’s new at SBMM?
In April we opened “The Geology of
Oil in Our Santa Barbara Channel” and
“Chumash Use of Asphaltum.” Both exhib-
its will include interactive components
and show the important role oil has played
in Santa Barbara’s development, going
back to the Chumash. We change out our
art exhibits every four to six months, and
currently we are showing beautiful black
and white photography by Ernie Brooks
II, considered to be the Ansel Adams of
underwater photography.What’s the oldest artifact that is on
display?
We have a whale skull that is believed
to be 15 million years old — it boggles the
mind! But I also appreciate that the Fresnel
Lens is 163 years old and still sparkles like
a diamond.What educational programs are offered
at SBMM?
We have two signature programs.
We br i ng Spirit of Dana Point tall shipGreg Gorga has been with the Santa Barbara
Maritime Museum for 10 years.