ISLAND VISIT: Wayne Brown of Irvine will...

ISLAND VISIT: Wayne Brown of Irvine will be off to Russia in two weeks, among the first foreigners invited to explore the Russian-held Kuril Islands between Russia and Japan. . . . Brown, who produces educational slide shows, will shoot underwater photos, part of a study on how sea life adapts to naturally occurring contaminants. . . . The hard part: working in 35-degree water. “I used to live in the Caribbean,” Brown says. “I’m used to 80 degrees.”