This promises to be a fantastic journey taking me back to a part of the world that kick–started my deep interest in all things oceanic. From the intense culture of the world's biggest fish market in Tokyo, to the remote northern islands of Japan and Kamchatka, before winding through the Aleutian Islands we'll be in some of the most beautiful and roughest waters on the planet.

I know the latter first hand: It was exactly ten years ago that I ventured to the Islands of Four Mountains, a small chain in the heart of the Aleutians known by the Aleuts as "The Birthplace of the Winds," with three friends in two big sea kayaks. That was the first of our OCEANS 8 adventures and none of us could have predicted then – as we endured five-plus weeks of constant rain, cyclonic winds and the rare blue sky, navigating among the foggy and wind-swept islands and climbing the snow-capped volcanic peaks – what the next decade would deliver. For me, it was the start of an odyssey that continues today, exploring the world's ocean from sea level with a focus on the people – like the Aleuts – who first explored it.

Keep up with Jon at his blog Notes from Sea Level and at JonBowerMaster.com

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