Delbeek - Leaving Waikiki Aquarium

[JCDelbeek]

Just wanted to let the reefing community at large know that I have resigned my position at the Waikiki Aquarium after 13 wonderful and fulfilling years there!

Thanks to all of you who have dropped by over the years and visited us at Waikiki, but I'm afraid you will now have to find someone else to show you behind the scenes! ;-) So please don't email me at the Waikiki Aquarium, as that email address will no longer function soon.

As of July 1st, I will be at the new Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco which opens in Golden Gate Park on September 27th, 2008. The highlight of this aquarium for reefers will no doubt be the 200,000 living reef display, which I believe Matt Wandell has been keeping everyone updated on.

I look forward to seeing you all the next time you come to SF!

Most Sincerely,

J. Charles Delbeek M.Sc.

Senior Biologist
Steinhart Aquarium
California Academy of Sciences
www.calacademy.org

[GSMguy]

I hope to Visit the Steinhart someday i hear it will be the fantastic.

Congratulations on a new chapter in your life and the Move back to the mainland.


200,000 living reef :whoa:

[pledosophy]

Congratulations on your new endevour.

[ReefEnabler]

Very exciting Charles!!

You have no reason to know me but I've learned alot from you over the years, so thanks for that.


Best of luck on your new adventure!

[seapug]

Best of luck!
Now I have another reason to go back to San Francisco!

When's the Reef Aquarium Vol. 4 coming out? :D

[jansenwrasse]

Wonderful things you have done for them and the aquarium hobby as a whole ... thank you for your wonderful service to us (fish and invertibrae included)

[myerst2]

Congrats. I'm sure Waikiki will miss you sorely. Will this new reef in San Francisco be larger then the one in Riverhead NY? Regards, Tim

[Capt_Cully]

I have 2 brothers in SF who both emailed me the lay out of the new aquarium and it's live reef. Some absurd number of grow out bins are currently under way to supply the reef when it's put together.

Correct?

http://www.calacademy.org/flyonthewall/?cat=3

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

:thumbsup:

Good luck at the new job! :)

[SDguy]

Congrats!

Wow, I smell a SDMAS fieldtrip coming.....

[treylane]

I'm in! :D

[Tang Salad]

Congratulations! :)

The new Steinhart looks absolutely amazing; no hyperbole intended. Matt has been posting updates on RDO, not sure about here on RC though.

[Hormigaquatica]

I knew I should have gotten to Waikiki sooner ;) Congrats on the new job, Im sure itll be a great place.

[glassbox-design]

Congrats Charles.

[Laddy]

YAH........I work no more than ten minutes from the steinhart.....thank god its reopening after so long, can't wait to see it :D

[wiscsaltwater]

200,000 reef, maybe people here will let you keep a tang in it...

[JCDelbeek]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes!

Just a word of caution though ... setting up 150+ displays and making them all look fantastic will be very difficult and many of these exhibits, especially the 200,000 gallon reef, will take several years to really begin to realize their potential. So, when you first visit keep that in mind, this is going to be a long term project and I would think that within 5 years that 200,000 gallon will really start to look like a slice of a real reef! :-)

Cheers!
Charles

[mhurley]

Best of luck on the new adventure Charles!

[Chibils]

Great news! myerst2 had informed me that you were leaving, but I'm glad to hear that you're just moving to a new aquarium! :D

[Anemone]

Sorry the weather in SF isn't as nice as Waikiki, but congrats on the new job.

Good luck!

Kevin

[tmz]

Congratultions and good luck. I hope you hae time to write a bit and continue to share your knowlege and insight.

[Nanook]

Awesome, congratulations on your new journey and thanks for all your hard work over the years at Waikiki:thumbsup:

[spleen93]

Sad to see you leave WA but good luck with your new venture, Chas. :)

[fishdoc11]

Congrats, good luck and a big thanks for all you have written:D

Chris

[Wolverine]

Good luck.

I wish this had been open last week when I was in San Fran.

[Lordhelmet]

Glad to have you in the bay area. I hear you beat one of our BAR members out for the job.


Chris

[tuberider]

Welcome Charles to the Bay Area, I'm very excited to see your work at our beloved aquarium. Be sure to say hi to the lungfish for me, he was my friend for a while. Oh yeah, don't stick your hand in the aba aba, tank that thing has to be the meanest fish I've ever worked with!

[tuberider]

Welcome Charles to the Bay Area, I'm very excited to see your work at our beloved aquarium. Be sure to say hi to the lungfish for me, he was my friend for a while. Oh yeah, don't stick your hand in the aba aba tank, that thing has to be the meanest fish I've ever worked with!

[Andrew]

Congratulations on the new job. :thumbsup:

[cloak]

GL.

Take care of that roundabout...

;)

[qfrisco]

My family and I are visiting the Islands right now (currently on The Big Island til Sunday), and we're planning to visit Waikiki Aquarium next Tuesday. It would have been nice to meet an "insider"!

By the way, there's a nice article about the Waikiki Aquarium in the current Hawaiian Airlines In-Flight Magazine. I'm even more excited to see it in person now!

Good luck in San Francisco!

[JCDelbeek]

Cloak - there is no more Roundabout ... this is a totally new building and all new exhibits. They recreated some of the old Steinhart, but not the Roundabout.

qfrisco - I know about the article since I was interviewed for it and those pictures are mine. :-) ... I saw it on the flight over to SF on Tuesday.

Cheers!
Charles

[Underwaterparadise]

WOW, with you and Matt at the controls we are going to have a killer Aquarium right in No. Cali.
I actually just spoke to Matt about donating a few 8+ year old Anemones (well in captivity for 8+ years). This project really excites me for what we have to look forward to in Northern Cali.!!!!

[Dentoid]

All the best Charles! Thanks for all the knowledge. I know your writings quite well.

[mouscacha]

Congratulations on the move. We'll miss you down here in Hawaii. Don't worry, you'll still be our idol!