Doug Mason’s passion for aquatic animals is not confined by the boundaries of open water. 

Mason shares his love for the ocean with his marine biology students on a daily basis with the help of an important partner: his coldwater aquarium.

The aquarium, which Mason brought with him when he began teaching at Cal High 17 years ago, contains organisms such as sea urchins, starfish, nudibranchs, and other sealife for students to observe and use in labs. 

“His tank helps us do labs on living creatures to help student have hands-on lab to see how the animals act in a natural environment,” said junior Clare Paraiso. “Instead of just reading about something we get to see it.”

Mason is able to collect marine animals from their environment and place them in his aquarium because he owns a collectors license, which allows him to do this for scientific and educational purposes.

Mason’s interest in the oceanography began at age 14 when his older brother took him scuba diving for the very first time.

Mason said his passion grew from just seeing the breathless beauty of the ocean and observing the colors, shapes, and wonders of countless unique aquatic animals and habitats.

Seeing all of this marine life sparked a  curiosity in Mason and questions arose.

What is that animal’s name?

What does it eat?

Many these questions were answered in college, where Mason majored in marine biology at California State East Bay and San Francisco State. 

“I’m happiest when I get the stories of the ocean out,” said Mason.

Some of the stories Mason likes to share the most are those about his favorite sea creature: the nudibranch, a group of soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks which shed their shells after their larval stage. 

He was initially intrigued by these small slug-like creatures while he was diving in Tomales Bay along the Northern California coast in Marin County. The first thing he saw when he dove that day was a nudibranch, a moment Mason said sparked his interest in the creature.  

Since then, Mason he began working with a small team to survey the nudibranch population. He has published two research papers on the subject in  “Limnology and Oceanography” (2011) and “Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Science” (2014). 

Mason said there are more research papers in the works.  He often does his fieldwork in Half Moon Bay and at times Monterey.  

Mason feels strongly about introducing more people to the ocean and sea life with the hope that they will take them into consideration to prevent future degradation. He is motivated to raise consciousness of young adults and bring awareness about problems concerning the environment, specifically those affecting the ocean. 

Mason says he tries to impress upon his students that it’s extremely important for people to keep in mind that they’re sharing the world and its natural resources with other creatures, so everyone should help and keep the Earth’s beauty intact.    

“Mr. Mason is a great teacher but more importantly a great person,” said senior Ilyaas Arsala. “He has mastered a perfect balance of academics and fun in his class, and it’s a joy to be in it.”

Mason said his interest in the ocean was also fostered by his own high school marine biology teacher, Bill Pence.

Pence, who taught at Cal High for 34 years before retiring in 2009, had Mason as a student when they were both at Newark High.

Mason said he discovered his joy for teaching from Pence, who inspired his protege to such an extent that Mason followed Pence to Cal and the two ended up teaching together for 10 years.

The two remain close friends and are actually planning a trip to Mexico to swim with whale sharks.

“What makes him special is first his knowledge on subject matter but more importantly his passion for the subject, what he teaches, and to go above and beyond,” said Pence. 

Pence said it was difficult for him to retire, but he felt better about the decision because he knew he was leaving his beloved marine biology class in good hands.  

“I’m very proud of him and it feels good to have passed the baton on to him,” said Pence, who knew Mason would make a great teacher when he was a 20-year-old chaperone for Pence’s class trip to the Mexican Caribbean.

Pence said he observed how well Mason was able to get along with the students and connect with them. From that moment he knew.

“He sensed he was good at it and could relate to the kids,” said Pence.

Although that was many years ago, Mason’s reason for teaching marine biology has stayed the same.

“My main goal is to bring awareness and raise consciousness of environmental problems,” said Mason.