Jim Christmann is the operator of the oceanographic research vessel Shana Rae. To a wide range of academic, commercial, and governmental clients, Shana Rae is a trusted friend that needs no introduction.
After sailing much of the eastern North Pacific for fun in the early 70s, Jim Christmann operated a university coastal research vessel for 11 years. In 1986 he made the jump to the RV Shana Rae, after finishing the vessel’s last season as a salmon tender on Prince William Sound.
Since then, the Shana Rae has supported a sweeping variety of projects, across the spectrum of coastal marine research. These efforts have ranged from coring, remote operated vehicle and dive operations, towed and anchored arrays, benthic and sub-bottom studies, to film work, live critter tagging and tracking, pipeline inspections, and weather balloon launches.
Clients have included MBARI, NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, USGS, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Cal Poly, Jet Propulsion Labs, Scripps Institute, Stanford Hopkins Marine Station, Lockheed Martin, Liquid Robotics Inc, Kinnetics, the National Geographic Society, the Discovery Channel, BBC, and many others.
Jim Christmann has lived with his wife Angie in Santa Cruz for over 50 years.
