First online ‘Friends Night Out’ to feature coral reef secrets

On Thursday evening, Dec. 10, the Friends of the Solana Beach Library will host their first ever Zoom edition of Friends Night Out, a live online presentation by Chuck Weikert, author of “Coral Reef Curiosities: Intrigue, Deception and Wonder on the Reef and Beyond.”

Guest speaker Chuck Weikert

(Courtesy)

Sharing remarkable photos and video, Weikert will reveal the secret lives of tropical reef creatures that have inspired art, science, mythology and literature. He will introduce, for example, the “Walking Fish of Ambon” and how it happened to find a home in the first color guidebook to coral reef animals in 1718; the snake-haired sorceress Medusa and her role in the origin of coral reefs; the moray eels that team up with groupers for hunting expeditions; and the back story on why the octopus despises the rat.

“Mask and snorkel optional,” says Weikert. “Curiosity required.” Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Weikert spent 13 years of his National Park Service career developing programs for visitors to Virgin Islands National Park about the past, present and future of coral reef ecosystems. More recently he has hosted the Kelp Forest Dive Show at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

The Dec. 10 “Friends Night Out” will begin at 7 p.m. This Zoom event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome. Instructions for connecting to the Zoom presentation can be found at friendsofsolanabeachlibrary.org/events