Whale of an author coming to Cold Spring Harbor

At 2 p.m. on July 12, Long Island author and scuba diver Paul J. Mila will present videos of his amazing underwater expeditions at the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum.

After retiring from a successful corporate career, the 62-year-old Carle Place resident now devotes his life to writing, exploring the deep sea and speaking about ocean conservation.
His most recent novel, “Fireworks” (AuthorHouse, $15.95), published last year, is the third in a scuba-diving series centering around Terry Hunter, a dive operation owner, and Joe Manetta, her retired NYPD detective husband.

How and when did you become interested in scuba diving?

I always was fascinated by scuba diving, ever since watching Lloyd Bridges as Mike Nelson in the 1950s TV series “Sea Hunt” and later watching the Jacques Cousteau specials on TV.

On a trip to Cozumel [Mexico] in 1999, I took what is called the Resort Course, just to try diving. It was a great experience, like diving in an aquarium. The water was gin-clear, and we saw all kinds of sealife: — turtles, many types of fish, colorful sponges and corals, etc. I was hooked and came back to Scuba Network [in Carle Place, www.scubalongisland.com] to get certified. The instructor I met in Cozumel later became the model for the main character [Terry Hunter] in my books...[Newsday.com]