Said nobody ever. But they were awesome.

My summer as the 2026 Our World Underwater Scholarship Society’s National Parks Research Intern began with a whirlwind trip to NYC, where I met many amazing people and divers.

Friday night’s  “Family Dinner” was the perfect introduction to The Society. I mean, you really can’t go wrong with a burger buffet. The burgers were great. The people were somehow even better. I met divers who are filmmakers, photographers, writers, scientists, and just about everything else you could imagine. It was also fun getting to know both the returning 2025 interns and my fellow 2026 interns. I also got to meet Brett Seymour, Deputy Chief and A/V specialist at the National Park Service Submerged Resources Center (SRC), and my boss for the internship. By the end of the evening, I felt surrounded by passionate people who genuinely love what they do. I received great advice, made new friends, and left already looking forward to being back in NYC next year.

Saturday’s events took place at The Explorers Club, a historic brownstone home to explorers, adventurers, and enough fascinating artifacts to keep you wandering for hours—from a polar bear to water collected from the deepest part of the ocean. Hearing the talks from the returning interns and scholars was inspiring and only made me more excited for the adventures ahead. I also quickly discovered that the NPS internship seems to produce something resembling a cult… except it’s the nicest cult imaginable, and instead of recruiting you, everyone just keeps helping you, encouraging you, and inviting you to dinner. By the time I left New York, the overwhelming feeling was simply support. It genuinely felt like every person I met wanted me to succeed.

Next stop: Denver.

My very first question when I met Jim Nimz, Diving Operations Specialist and acting National Diving Safety Officer at the Submerged Resources Center, was, “Why Denver?”

The answer was surprisingly convincing.

The SRC is essentially the special forces of diving in the National Park Service. They’re called in for projects requiring specialized equipment or expertise that many park dive programs don’t have. Their work spans everywhere from Hawaii, Guam, and American Samoa to the Atlantic coast, and even overseas. Denver turns out to be the ideal travel hub for rapid deployment without endless cross-country flights.

On my first day, Jim gave me the grand tour, got me fitted with some equipment—including the regulator he built piece by piece right in front of me, loaded me up with some awesome SRC merch, and then casually handed me the keys to the largest vehicular monstrosity I have ever had the privilege of driving: the lifted white government Ram truck.

Denver was packed with more experiences than I could have imagined: CPR, First Aid, and Emergency Oxygen Provider training with Jim; camera lessons with Brett; my dive medical clearance appointment; Blue Card certification testing; incredible barbecues and dinners with SRC members; and two completely new diving experiences.

The Blue Card certification included two exercises I’d never done before, both of which challenged me to stay calm and task-focused underwater. The “Ditch and Don” exercise involved removing every piece of my gear underwater (fins, BCD, mask, regulator), shutting off my air, swimming away from everything, then returning, reopening my air supply, and putting all my equipment back on underwater. The “Bail Out” exercise consisted of jumping into the pool carrying all of my gear—but wearing none of it—before assembling my entire kit underwater and achieving proper trim. It was rewarding and a great way to become familiar with my new equipment while testing my previous dive skills and experience.  

Brett also spent time teaching me the ins and outs of the camera system I’ll be traveling with this summer, and I’ve already learned a tremendous amount. Among the most important lessons: (1) Brett is a Noah Kahan fan and has excellent music taste, (2) if you’re at Jason’s Deli, you should absolutely take advantage of the free ice cream (especially if you’re there for the third time in six days). And most importantly, I learned how to build and operate the underwater housing, camera, and strobe setup, along with some shooting tips and tricks.

On my second-to-last day in Denver, Brett and I went to the Denver Aquarium to practice shooting in the “Under the Sea” exhibit. A huge thank you to Renee Weber, Diving Safety Officer at the Downtown Denver Aquarium, for trusting me to test out a brand-new camera rig among rays, fish, eels, and (thankfully fake) coral. I also learned that moray eels are not particularly enthusiastic about flash photography. One looked so offended by my existence that I became briefly convinced it was about to launch itself directly at me.

Being inside the aquarium tank was a strange experience in itself. Visitors walking through the tunnel would point and wave, and I felt like I was the exhibit. Judging by my attempts to manage buoyancy while wrestling a camera rig the size of a small satellite, I probably provided excellent entertainment. Meanwhile, Brett was casually holding his camera, maintaining flawless positioning in the water, and playing rock-paper-scissors with kids in the tunnel.

My final day in Denver brought yet another first: rebreather diving.

I joined Brett, Jim, and members of the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Polar Diving Program to test X and FX CCR rebreathers at A-1 Scuba & Travel Aquatic Center. Relying solely on the BCD rather than small breathing adjustments to maintain buoyancy felt incredibly strange, and the complete absence of bubbles made everything feel surreal. I also learned that rebreathers actually predate open-circuit scuba systems, which surprised me completely.

I really enjoyed the experience and would happily dive a rebreather again in the future, even though I spent half the time feeling like Doc Ock from Marvel.

Outside of diving, Denver also came with five-star hospitality from Dave Conlin, chief of SRC, Brett, and their families. I attended a farewell barbecue for Jim’s wife at Brett and Elizabeth’s home—thank you both for hosting me! I also drove my magnificent government truck to Boulder while listening to country music, because it felt like the correct thing to do to maximize my truck experience. In Boulder, Dave and Michelle hosted a wonderful dinner where I had the opportunity to meet Sarah Von Hoene, the 2020/21 NPS intern. Throughout my entire time in Denver, I felt incredibly welcomed by the SRC and the broader NPS family. Thank you all for making me feel so at home.

Finally, I was outfitted with an unbelievable amount of epic dive equipment and camera gear. Receiving everything felt like Christmas morning. Now comes the real challenge: somehow getting my barely-under-the-airline-weight-limit bags to Biscayne National Park.