“Sea of Diamonds” is the tongue-in-cheek title of a memoir that my friend and colleague, John Nicolas, said he would write but never did.  He was a long time marine mammal researcher for the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Vietnam veteran, and all around salty dog.  Many fond memories were had at sea, sitting around the dinner table, and listening to him tell stories – he had a knack for stirring up all kinds of trouble.  When I go to sea, those who knew him still have a great time reminiscing about his stories in the years since he passed.  As this site is a venue for telling stories about going to sea to study whales, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate title.