Have you ever walked into a museum and wondered what went into making the place? Me either! I have always happily interacted with the beautiful exhibits, merely excited to learn new things alongside the people I love.
My perspective has evolved after interning at the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) this summer. On June 7-8th, 2025, REEF will open a brand-new Ocean Exploration Center (OEC). This center will become a cultural landmark and a staple of Key Largo. Within it, REEF will showcase all its incredible citizen science projects with a multitude of interactive exhibits.
As an intern, I was able to participate in meetings with FRAME, a team dedicated to creating spaces visitors love, staff can maintain, leadership can champion, and the organization can sustain. Over the course of a week, I watched as these essential meetings molded the direction of the Ocean Exploration Center. This involved things you would expect, such as reviewing exhibits, providing feedback on tabletop games, and creating a timeline before the grand opening. Mostly, we all agreed on prospective changes, but occasionally we had differing opinions. One of our most heated discussions related to what sign should be positioned in front of the Ocean Exploration Center as a photo opportunity for social media. Questions dropped like a rainstorm. Should the logo have a cutout fish or a fish impression? Should the background be a photo or a drawing? Should it be swirling fish or a horizontal school? So on and so on. It was fascinating how we could see details differently, which most others would consider minute. Yet, this sign will draw in visitors and should inspire them to share it with their friends and family. Therefore, these decisions play a huge role in representing who we are and how we want our beautiful center to be shared.
I was shocked by how many of our discussions went beyond the museum itself. A crucial part of this experience was developing confidence and direction within the organization during this critical time. We discussed our mission and what excited and concerned us about opening the new center. Beyond that, we discussed how to deal with the increased capacity for visitors and how staff positions would need to evolve to meet the demands of the new center. The experience taught me that museums couldn’t exist without the dedicated staff behind them being united in mission and execution.
I am so grateful to REEF for being included in these meetings as an intern. One component I spoke up about was increasing diversity by creating opportunities to engage the Hispanic community, which makes up over 30% of our local population, yet has been historically underrepresented in participation within our programming. To work towards this goal, we had several discussions about translating exhibits and additional materials for Spanish speakers. Over the course of my internship, I got the opportunity to translate materials for the new center. As a Colombian American, it makes me proud to help increase accessibility for other Spanish speakers.
I am proud to have contributed to decisions for the new center, which will educate and inspire visitors for generations. It is so special to have an organization that concerns itself with the voices of its youngest members. Being a part of this pivotal moment in REEF’s history has been inspiring, and I am left in awe at the tremendous leadership demonstrated by the directors to accomplish the grand task.
Sterile classrooms. If you asked me what it meant to educate the public before my internship began, I would have envisioned sterile classrooms with seated audiences for hour-long lectures. Imagine my surprise when my first educational event involved thirty people packing into a hallway to drink and eat snacks. It became immediately obvious that not everything I learned that night would happen during the lecture next door. An equally important component was the opportunity for the community to come together: to have fun, to interact, to catch up on projects, and to hear about each other’s goals. Nor was the classroom sterile, as the room was covered in a mural of fish, the audience filled with laughter, and the lecture filled with equal parts information and jokes about the ghost that haunted our building.
That night was my first introduction to the concept of passive learning. Not everyone who learned something was trying to or would even realize that they eventually internalized new information. Rather than expecting participants to become well-versed in a topic, the focus was on highlighting key concepts that any passerby could internalize.
Another such passive learning opportunity was my project to fabricate a lionfish model which participants could shoot at with foam darts. The message was simple: invasive lionfish are harmful and removing them is good. I began by dismembering an old model, ripping it apart to start anew. The body was made with an old water jug, while the fins, head, and tail were made from cardboard, with some structural support from wood and wire. The model was covered in duct tape to secure the fins and create an even texture, then it was given an eye-catching lionfish paint job.
Ironically, the fins that make real lionfish hard to predate upon also make it incredibly difficult for an intern to transport as a 3 ft model when packing it into their car. To overcome this obstacle, I decided to add hinges to the pectoral fins. Aesthetically, this meant that the fins could “swim” while simultaneously giving us a flat side of the fish so it could be more easily transported. Interestingly, adding this singular moving component was surprisingly difficult. It made me understand the saying common in engineering: “The fewer moving parts, the better.” Eventually, the fish was complete and positioned as an activity for participants in our derby to engage with. Ultimately, there are a few things more gratifying than watching people of all ages enjoy the activities you created. Seeing the family’s bond as their curiosity was stoked was satisfying.
The lionfish model was not the only educational activity I fabricated for our derby, as we had another key concept we intended to share. Avoid hitting the reef when spearing lionfish. This game utilized a real lionfish spear with the tip removed and replaced with a tennis ball for safety. Then, I fabricated two boxes designed to look like a coral reef. Images of fish attached to cut-up pool noodles were covered in Velcro and attached. The game taught participants how to shoot the lionfish spear and capture the lionfish while avoiding the reef and other fish species. This activity was heartwarming to facilitate as it became an intergenerational activity for parents who go lionfish hunting to show their kids how to use the spear. It was so sweet to hear the eagerness of their children, hoping to join their parents for lionfish hunting. It was also fulfilling to hear the fishermen explain to their kids why they should avoid hitting the reef and other fish species with their spears as they helped them play.
Fabricating these hands-on activities during my internship showed me that not all learning happens in classrooms. I realized that the most influential information can be shared in ways that are fun for the audience. Facilitating interactions between participants is equally as important as the message we hope to share.
One of the first projects I got to work on this summer was for the Cypress Island Aquatic Reserve where we were deploying artificial reef modules (ARMs). These reef modules were deployed on the south end of Cypress island and will remain there for a full year until they are collected and the growth on them is recorded. While we waited for the tides to hit slack, some of the REU interns took the chance to get in the water with us.
Waiting for the tides to hit slack, photos by Larkin Garden
Getting ready to deploy the ARMS
Another project that I worked on was on sea pens. This was a capstone project for Katie Shaw, one of the divers in the scientific dive class. She is working on developing a long-term dataset on sea pen populations. For the summer, we worked to to get initial population estimates and an idea of their special arrangements. This site was often a challenge to find due to strong currents and the site boundaries coming undone, but we were able to fix them and collect the data.
Sea pens. Photo by Larkin Garden
Out-planting
The biggest project I had the chance to work on this summer was with the REU diving interns. Partnering with Puget Sound Restoration Fund and NOAA to reintroduce Pinto abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) whose population has been declining and is listed as an endangered species. This project began with us driving out to pick up just over 500 juvenile abalone from the NOAA hatchery to prepare them to be introduced to the wild.
AAUS and diving REU interns at NOAA hatchery collecting abalone
Once we had them, we had to measure and place bee tags on them for future studies. This was a tedious process because the number tags are around 2.2 mm and the abalone wouldn’t stop dancing. Tagging and measuring all of them took around 5 hours of lab work which had me looking forward to the next part of the experiment that wasn’t in the lab.
To give an idea of how small these tags were
The final part of the study was a 24 hour survey where divers went in every hour to count the number of abalone that had left the tubes. This was the big day for us this summer where we were finally beginning to collect data for this project.
5AM start to the day loading up the boat. Photo by Teagan Cunningham
REU Ana counting the abalone. Photo by Larkin Garden
AAUS interns after their first abalone dive of the day
After 16 hours of being out at the site, we decided to cut the study short due to the abalone not leaving the tubes. We then decided to get some sleep before we went out at 9 the next morning to count again. We would then check the out-planting site every day for the next week until there was finally no more abalone inside the tubes.
Taking a break from the class, Derek and Nate decided to take us out for a fun dive out at Turn Island. This was a dive where I would get to see another species on my bucket list, a Giant pacific octopus.
Jason Love and I exploring Turn Island
While staying at Shannon point, Teagan and I were invited to dinner with the 1999 OWUSS scholar Julie and her husband Jay. This was a nice chance to hear some amazing stories from them and have some amazing food.
Julie Barber, Teagan Cunningham, and myself
While on our way to watch REU presentations at Friday Harbor Lab, Larkin, Ana, Teagan and I got the chance to dive with Derek at Lime Kiln lighthouse state park. Here, we worked with Dr. Jason Wood and SMRU by deploying an acoustic release, uncrossing some cables, and moving a hydrophone. Some unique challenges we faced on this dive was a rough entry site and some strong current, but it was still an amazing dive and super cool to help on such an interesting project.
Acoustic release we deployed
Taking a break from the murky water of the Salish Sea, we took a trip up to lake Whatcom and got to enjoy some amazing visibility and help clean up some trash from the lake.
Lake Whatcom’s clear water and the trash we removed
Before we all left Washington, we got the chance to try a blue water rig dive. This was something I wasn’t expecting us to do but it was an interesting opportunity and a new skill
The blue water rig ready to be deployed
Sadly, due to the visibility we weren’t able to see much on this dive but it was a good way to practice our communication skills and buoyancy.
Captain Nathan Schwarck, myself, Teagan Cunningham, and Dr. Derek Smith
SPMC diving residents Teagan, myself, Ana, and Larkin
While I am sad that my internship has ended, I couldn’t be more grateful for the amazing summer I have had. Thank you to AAUS and OWUSS for such an unforgettable experience. I also want to thank Derek and Nate for putting in so much work to make the summer go as well as it did. Finally, I want to thank the SPMC dive team Teagan, Larkin, and Ana who were an integral part in making this summer so special. I look forward to presenting at the 2025 annual meeting and look forward to seeing everyone again
On May 30th I began my adventure as the 2024 American Academy of Underwater Science (AAUS) Mitchell Scientific Diving Research Intern for the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society (OWUSS). The first leg of my journey began in New York City where I got to attend the 50th anniversary of OWUSS. This was my first introduction to the society, so I was definitely a bit nervous. The nerves quickly went away after the first event which was lightening talks with previous scholars and interns. These talks were a great way to hear about where previous interns and scholars are now and where I could be in the future.
Along with all the amazing OWUSS events in New York, I was also able to attend world oceans week at the Explorers club. While there, we got to interact with individuals from all over the world who were working towards preserving the worlds oceans. I found it incredibly fascinating to hear about everyone’s unique backgrounds and their different approaches to educating others about our oceans and promoting conservation strategies. We also got the chance to hear from some amazing people like Dr. Sylvia Earle.
After New York, I was even more eager to begin my internship so on June 10th, with a 6AM flight from Boston, I took finally took off for Washington. As I left the east coast and everything I knew, I was excited but a little nervous because this was going to be my first time on the west coast, and I wasn’t sure how similar diving would be to back home or what it would be like living at a marine center.
I spent my summer at Shannon Point Marine Center along with the 2024 Somers intern Teagan Cunningham; 2 REU diving interns, Ana Hoffman-Sole and Larkin Garden, as well as 8 other REU interns Will, Holly, Angel, Mackenzie, Amy, and Kelita; and 2 Western Washington University art residents Birdie and Myrie. This summer, I got to work with a few local organizations with underwater projects as well as helping out the scientific dive class attain their AAUS scientific diving certification. This was also a chance to improve my diving and leadership skills by assisting Dr. Derek Smith, the laboratory manager and research assistant professor as well as Capt. Nathan Schwarck, the DSO as they teach the AAUS scientific diving course.
Upon arriving at SPMC, after unpacking everything and introducing ourselves, some of the REU interns and I wasted no time and decided to go for a swim at sunset where the water was a brisk 52°F. Little did we know that this would become a regular event throughout the summer.
My first sunset on the west coast
One of the first things we did as the scientific dive class was the swim test. Consisting of a 25-yard swim on a single breath, a 400 yard swim in under 12 minutes, 10 minutes of treading water, and finally towing a buddy 25 yards. After the swim test, we got to try out the gear we would be using for the summer.
After we had finished swim tests and pool skills, we went out to Rosario beach to complete the open water checkout portion of the class. This was my first time getting into the water out west and getting to see what it was like. Unfortunately, the visibility that day wasn’t the best, so I didn’t get to see anything too exciting, but it was still nice to get into the water and begin exploring what the west coast has to offer.
2024 AAUS interns. Photo by Derek Smith
Helping with the scientific dive class was a great experience for me because it has allowed me to share my own personal experiences from when I took the class myself. I was also able to help some students in the class get past some troubles that I encountered myself and that was a rewarding feeling.
Taking a break from the water, the art students, REUs, Teagan and I got the chance to see some cool sites around Washington. This was especially cool because aside from the art residents, most of us had never been to the west coast. The first place we got to explore was Deception Pass.
2024 REU, art and AAUS interns at deception pass
Sharing a common room and kitchen with everyone was a great chance for all of us to become close and have some great bonding experiences from making meals together to watching the local wildlife dance outside.
Some entertaining deer outside the common room
Another great opportunity for us to become close was getting a tour around the islands. We were taken out on the SPMC research vessels Magister and Zoea for a day where we got the chance to see some seals, eat lunch on one of the islands, and get a glimpse of some orcas which was a bucket list item for many of us.
Photos by Teagan Cunningham
While staying at SPMC, Teagan and I got a chance to work on some of the behind-the-scenes aspects that go into a scientific dive class. The first of which was helping Capt. Nate Schwarck with visual inspections for most of the tanks at Shannon point. This was a great learning opportunity and a fun way to learn more about what goes into being a DSO at a marine lab.
The Divers Alert Network’s (DAN) marketing team has three main departments: social media outreach, marketing/communications, and videography. Working across these different areas meant that I got to learn a variety of skills that I could use in combination with each other during my time at DAN this summer. These skills will also be so useful moving forward in my career!
Photos of DAN Interns after diving the Saint Andrews State Park Jetties in Panama City, Florida.
My primary job was working in social media outreach, where I came up with and developed all of the new social media posts for DAN’s accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (X). This was super fun because I was able to have some creative freedom in delivering the content that DAN wanted to share on its platforms. I started experimenting with different methods like detailed graphics, Instagram reels, photo album-style posts, and many others. After posting, I would typically analyze the feedback and see what was working best to bring in new viewers instead of the same DAN followers watching our content over and over.
This was very interesting, and by the end of my internship, my posts were reaching 70,000 people — 40-50% of which were non-followers, which is huge for DAN! Some of the posts I worked on are shown below, but go check the rest out on DAN’s social media accounts!
Examples of some of the social media posts that I developed. For more posts, visit DAN’s Instagram.
My work in the marketing department also consisted of helping prepare and collaborate on displays for promotional efforts. This included planning giveaways for dive events across the country, and setting up and packing banners and posters for DAN representatives to take to different conferences and shows to promote DAN. This was always fun because I got to see what the DAN reps would be advertising and how they promote to new divers.
DAN Interns and other DAN employees visited NEDU (Navy Experimental Diving Unit) in Panama City, Florida. On our DAN Intern Florida trip, we visited many diving brands and manufacturing facilities.
Another campaign I worked on with DAN targets student divers. Year after year, more and more divers are getting their certification cards with different instructors and entering the world of diving. With the company’s current marketing materials, most students think that DAN is just an “insurance company” for divers, and most of them truly don’t see a reason to purchase insurance or even look into the mission of DAN.
DAN is now trying to figure out how to properly teach these incoming students what their brand is and what they have to offer. I helped come up with new ways to show students, while they are still in training courses, that DAN is way more than an insurance company and just how important being protected while diving can be for them! This was so fun, and I hope to see more of DAN in my future diving courses.
Some of the filming equipment I used to film the DAN DEMA video.
I have worked on social media teams and marketing teams before, but I have never had the chance to work in large-scale videography until I was assigned a project to help film for one of the videos DAN will be showing at DEMA this November. DEMA stands for “Dive Equipment and Marketing Association” and is one of the largest diving conferences! The video I worked on is about what DAN does for their interns and how this internship is so important to the mission of Divers Alert Network. So I was exceptionally excited to have a part in putting this video together!
Behind-the-scenes photos of me filming for the DAN DEMA video.
I filmed a lot of “behind-the-scenes” (BTS) shots of the other interns working on research assignments, touring different facilities, diving and setting up dive gear, doing one-on-one interviews, working with participants at research studies, and much more. I definitely was not on my own for this project, as I had the help of DAN’s Multimedia Designer, Kyle Habecker. This project was so awesome, and I am so proud to say that I had a part in the final outcome of this video! Stay tuned for the final video at DEMA in November 2024!
Behind-the-scenes filming the interview between Francois Burman and Mark Gresham.
I also filmed many other promotional videos for DAN, where I got to practice setting up film sets like the one pictured above. This was something that I had never gotten the chance to do before. I filmed interviews (like the one pictured above) between DAN representatives and people who came in to speak about dive-related topics. The behind-the-scenes photo above is from an interview I helped film between Francois Burman (from DAN) and Mark Gresham (from PSI-PCI). They talked about safety practices for cylinders and other really interesting topics!
All in all, this internship has truly helped me advance my skill set in marketing as well as diving, and I am so honored that I got the opportunity to work with such an amazing team. The experience I have gained this summer will help me greatly in my future career, and I am excited to see where it takes me!
My dive instructor gifted me my first underwater camera setup a little over two years ago when he retired. During those two years, with the help of the backscatter staff in Monterey, I saw my photography slowly get better and better. However, during my time at the digital shootout, I saw my photography skills increase more in two weeks than in those entire two years. Not only that but I got the chance to learn videography surrounded by experts. I had never approached videography before but one of my professional goals is to work in wildlife filmmaking so I knew this was my chance to get started. Something that would have taken me months to learn, such as post-production skills, took me days to get the hang of with the help of the shootout staff. Not only did I get to learn and improve my technical skills in both photography and videography, but I was able to work on my creative skills as well. With the help of wildlife filmmaker Cristian Dimitrius, I learned how to follow and capture marine life in a way that tells a story to the audience. I was taught how to connect viewers to the underwater world and elicit an emotional response to the stories these animals are telling us. By the end of the shootout, I had produced some of my best wide angle and macro photos and completed my first short film titled “Rosie the Jawfish”.
Another massive learning experience was the equipment. Between the Backscatter, Isotta, and Nauticam crew, there was an impressive array of cameras, accessories, lights, and pretty much anything a photographer’s heart desires. As someone who had been working in stills up until now, it was incredible to get to try out some top-notch video rigs. I got the chance to try different operating systems, video lighting setups, tripods, different housing brands, and even some professional cinema gear such as external monitors. All these experiences allowed me to understand the behind-the-scenes of what it really takes to produce a good video. These experiences also helped me to realize my own preferences in terms of gear. Often times as photographers and videographers we will spend days or even months researching the best gear. But what works for one person might not work for another. Getting the chance to try out an array of professional equipment is a rare opportunity and something very special to the Digital Shootout. Using what I learned from trying many different setups I will be able to tailor my next rig to exactly fit my own needs.
I dove, I attended classes, I edited, I had the time of my life and after two weeks, it was time to say goodbye to Little Cayman. I was devastated to leave. If I could stay there floating in those turquoise waters forever, I would. Reflecting on how the Digital Shootout has changed me, before this experience I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I was scared to approach topics like video because of the steep learning curve and I just didnt know where to start. I had no idea how to get started with different types of gear systems, post production, storytelling, and advanced photography techniques. But thanks to the support of the Shootout staff I gained confidence in my own ability to learn. Through the classes, one on one support, and encouragement of those around me I now feel like I posses the tools needed to continue to advance my photography and videography skills outside of the digital shootout. The shootout gave me the determination to continue on with my learning and to not be scared of trying something new.
I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn from some of the best photographers and filmmakers in the industry, meet some incredible people, and have been given the honor of carrying on the legacy of Paul L. Schutt as the first Paul L. Schutt Underwater photography intern. I intend to continue on with my ambitions to become a wildlife filmmaker through more training, experimentation, and hard work. I would like to extend a huge thank you to the Backscatter crew for not only putting on such an incredible event but for inviting me into their community, and supporting the next generation of photographers and filmmakers through this internship.
I’m happy to be back on the West Coast. I am in Ventura, California to join the Kelp Forest Monitoring (KFM) team at Channel Islands National Park for one of their 5-day kelp cruises. As one of the parks I hoped to visit most during my internship, I’m very excited to get the opportunity to dive here.
1/3 of southern California’s kelp forests are found within the Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The southern California coastline is one of the most productive on Earth and the islands are located at a confluence of currents; experiencing a mixing of both warm-water currents from the south and cold-water currents from the north supporting an incredible abundance and diversity of marine life.
The Channel Islands National Park is made up of 5 of the 8 Channel Islands that sit off the southern California coast. It’s crazy to me that the park is one of the lesser visited parks in the country despite its proximity to one of the largest metropolitan areas in the US. Despite its low visitorship, Channel Islands is not immune to the many anthropogenic impacts on the marine world, one of the largest here being the pressure of commercial and sport fishing. Channel Islands has been monitoring the kelp forest ecosystem since 1982. The long-term dataset helps determine the status and health of the Channel Islands kelp forests, document the types of changes occurring in the marine environment, and develop management strategies to protect the kelp forest ecosystem.
Sea otters were eradicated from the Channel Islands long before the park existed, but since the inception of the park, data has shown the population of abalone, rockfish, and spiny lobsters declining dramatically from overfishing. More recently, sunflower stars have all but disappeared from California due to sea star wasting syndrome. The loss of these species has a cascading effect on the whole ecosystem, disrupting the balance. All of this can be seen from the data collected by the Kelp Forest Monitoring crew over the last few decades. One of the most significant changes is the boom in purple sea urchin populations because of the loss of keystone predators like sea otters, sunflower stars, lobsters, and California sheephead. The out-of-check populations of urchins can overgraze a kelp forest easily, leading to urchin barren sites with relatively low species diversity and low biomass.
I mention all of this just to prove how important a long-term monitoring dataset can be. Using data from the parks, California closed the commercial abalone fishery in 1997. Information collected by KFM was instrumental in establishing marine reserves in 2003, placing nearly 20% of park waters into state marine protected areas thus granting complete protection from fishing and extractive activities. A 2008 review of data demonstrated positive trends in these new marine reserves including greater overall biomass and larger body size of species like the spiny lobster. All goes to show that data is needed to hold humans accountable for our out-of-proportion impact on the planet and our obligation to protect the places we have set aside as national parks.
Giant kelp.California sheephead.Harbor seal.
I’ve come a few days early to Ventura so Kelly Moore was kind enough to set me up to stay with Dave Begun, a retired NPS ranger and diver for the live dive program at Channel Islands. Dave gives me a full tour of the area with bike rides to tacos, a trip to Santa Barbara, and a cruise on Island Packers out to Anacapa, one of the Channel Islands. Before the Anacapa trip though, I get a couple of days of office time with the KFM crew to meet everyone and study up on the many survey protocols.
California sea lions.Tacos with Dave.
I head to Ventura Harbor to meet up with Dr. Scott Gabara, marine ecologist for KFM. Super easy-going and friendly, he welcomes me to the team and introduces me to Katie Mills-Orcutt, Ean Eberhard, and Emalia Partlow. Two of their regular divers are out this week so it’s a good week for me to be here to help. The office atmosphere is relaxed and good-natured. I can immediately tell what a solid crew they have. Especially since it’s the end of a hard 6-month field season and the jokes are still flying.
The kelp cruise starts on Monday, so I have a few days in the office to learn as many Channel Island species as possible and get an idea of how the protocols work. I can tell you this will be some of the most comprehensive surveying I’ve ever been a part of. The team collects large amounts of data at each of their 33 sites to get a full picture of the subtidal community structure and dynamics. The sites are large, 100-meter transects. Many dives are required to collect all of the information. They collect size and abundance data for 70 categories of algae, invertebrates, and fish that are indicators of ecosystem health. While I’m reading up on the protocols, the rest of the team is entering their last week’s cruise data into the database. Data recording is thorough with transcriptions double, triple, and quadruple checked for accuracy. One last task is provisioning for the week and I join Emalia on Friday to hit up Trader Joe’s.
Ean, Scotty and Katie.Me, Frankie, Emalia, Scotty (Photo: Emalia)
Over the weekend Dave and I go out to Anacapa. It’s a foggy day and a 12-mile journey on Island Packers out to the closest of the Channel Islands, through the Santa Barbara channel and past the oil rigs. Finally, the small volcanic island of Anacapa comes into view, tall cliffs lined with brown pelicans looking down on us. The boat pulls into the landing cove, full of Macrocystis pyrifera (Giant Kelp). I love comparing the different ocean colors of my internship, the bright sky blue of the Caribbean, the deep royal blue of Hawaii, and now the emerald green of Southern California.
The fog horn blares continuously as I wander the small island, watching the sea lions body surf far below. Dave told me to bring my snorkel gear, so I hop in the water at the landing cove as soon as I finish my hike and am immediately mesmerized by the undersea jungle. A thick canopy of kelp blots out most of the sunlight, only letting streaming light beams down through the crystal-clear water. Little fish hide within the vertical foliage, the rocky bottom is made up of dark brown Laminarian macroalgae, bright green surfgrass, and red algae. I see my first bright orange Garibaldi. The water temperature isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I could stay in here for hours but the boat is coming back to pick us up. One last treat on our journey back. Right off of Anacapa, we come across a massive school of bluefin tuna feeding. I’ve never seen anything like it, streamlined torpedoes breaking the surface almost too quickly to see. The charter boat captain says in their 40 years of coming out here they’ve never seen this before. Maybe it has something to do with this year’s El Niño bringing in warm water.
Inspiration point, Anacapa.
It’s Monday and the kelp cruise starts today. Unfortunately, I never sourced a drysuit or 7mm so I’m just working with my 5mm and Scott’s extra 7 mm jacket. As we are loading up the boat in the morning, I meet Keith Duran, the captain of the 58-foot Sea Ranger II where we will be living for the next five days. Frankie Puerzer, a diver from a lab at UCSB has also joined for the week.
Being at the mercy of the weather means that the dive schedule isn’t finalized until the day of the cruise. The season is from May through October and some of the more difficult sites are left just because the weather hasn’t cooperated. However, this week is looking relatively calm and we should be able to dive some of the southern exposed sites. We will start with a relatively close site off of Anacapa for our half-day today.
Sea Ranger II.Common dolphins bowriding.Katie, Scotty & Ean prepping for Black Sea Bass Reef.
The trip out is sunny and calm and we are visited by some bowriding dolphins. I can hear their high-pitched vocalizations. We talk about the plan in the cabin, but I’m easily distracted by the dolphins I can see out the windows jumping on either side of the boat. Our first site is going to be Black Sea Bass Reef off of middle Anacapa. The birds are going crazy right now. Pelicans are diving like mad.
Keith and the team are a well-oiled machine. They set the bow anchor and stern anchor so we are situated near the middle of the transect. Scotty and Katie slather up their 7mm wetsuits in mane and tail and jump in to locate the fixed lead line marking the site, run the 100-meter transect, and do the video recording. I’m shadowing Ean today while Emalia and Frankie are doing the same protocols, just on the opposing side of the transect. Our first dive is a roving diver fish count survey. This is a method for estimating fish species density, abundance, and diversity. I find it quite ambitious because we’re surveying the entire water column of 2000 square meters in 30 minutes, identifying and counting all fish we see. We jump in and I am overwhelmed by fish. Ean is pointing out as many as he can. Senorita, blacksmith, kelp bass, kelp perch, sheephead, and opal eye. On the bottom, black-eyed gobies and island kelpfish. Bat rays cruise past large white sea bass in the distance. I love it because it’s like a mix of cold-water WA species with a smattering of brightly colored warmer-water species like Garibaldi. Unfortunately, I did not see the black sea bass. Not much Macrocystis but the bottom is blanketed in Laminaria. We finish the dive with the 5-meter quadrat surveys which are density estimates for species like Macrocystis, Pisaster giganeteus (giant sea star), and Pisaster ochraceus (ochre sea star). All dives finish off with a 15-foot safety stop at the oxygen bar where regulators are set up to breathe 100% oxygen. A good way to stay fresh throughout the long dive week.
Scotty working on band transects.Ean running 5-meter quadrats.Ean with a lobster.Ean running band transects.
Next dive, I’m shadowing Ean again on a different protocol. Band transects are the main protocol for estimating densities for many of the invertebrates that KFM monitors. 12 bands on each side of the 100-meter transect. A 3-meter band, 10 meters out from the main transect. Emalia is on the other side doing the same thing. It’s taking a long time to check under all of the Laminaria. Ean is looking for abalone, giant keyhole limpets, sea stars, urchins, gorgonians, lobsters, orange puffball sponges, and scallops. Ean is finding the occasional Kelletia whelk to measure. We only finish 3 bands. On the surface, the waves are getting rough and the sun is going down. A quick change of plan, not enough time to finish the site today so we’ll scrap the bands and do them another day. One more dive and my job is to count all the stipes of the giant kelp in my half of the 100-meter site. Frankie points out a colorful juvenile treefish and we find a horn shark wedged between a rock. The dive finishes and we motor through the waves and setting sun over to Smuggler’s Cove on Santa Cruz where we will anchor for the night. Katie makes quiche for dinner and we have a full spread of ice cream options for dessert. Lights off at 9.
Emalia recording data.California golden gorgonian.Bluebanded goby.Ean and a lobster.Anacapa in the setting sun.Horn shark.On the way to Smuggler’s Cove.
We have a long motor this morning as we cruise all the way to Santa Rosa Island along the south side of the very long Santa Cruz Island. We make it to Johnson’s Lee South but the current looks like it’s ripping, so we give it a couple hours to calm down. Male elephant seals battle on the beach. We get some late afternoon diving in. I dive with Ean and we start with roving diving fish count surveys again. A lot of blue rockfish and other rockfish species this time. This site is stunning but very different from the last one. First off, it’s much colder, 55 degrees as compared to 65 at Anacapa yesterday. The colors are beautiful, tons of purple sea urchins, bat stars, anemones, and brittle stars waving their little arms in the current.
After counting fish, I am searching for and measuring rock scallops and bat stars as part of the natural habitat size frequency distribution surveys. The aim of these surveys is to quantify the size frequency distribution of certain invertebrates. The measurements can be used to calculate biomass, and detect differences between islands or even inside and outside of marine protected areas. For most invertebrates, we are trying to get 60 individuals at a site, so I’m searching for 30 scallops and 30 bat stars, and the other diver on the other side of the transect will get another 30 of each. On the next dive, I’m measuring Kelletia whelks. I see Spanish shawl sea slugs, giant keyhole limpets, orange puffball sponges, fields of anemones and so many big sea hares! That’s it for today, current is picking up again and we barely make it back to the O2 bar. Emalia makes sushi bowls for dinner and I stuff my face. We anchor closer to shore.
Polished abalone shell.
Ean recording data.Calipers to measure bat stars and urchins.Katie, Frankie, and Ean measuring purple sea urchins on a surface interval.California sheephead.Hidden octopus.Brittle stars.California sea hare.Ean on the O2 bar in some strong current.Colorful anemones, stars and urchins.
In the morning we finish Johnson’s Lee South. I’m diving with Katie today. As she does bands, I’m collecting 100 red sea urchins in my mesh bag of the 200 needed for the natural habitat size frequency distribution. It’s more efficient to measure 100 urchins on the deck during the surface interval rather than underwater. I’m also measuring any Pisaster giganteus and counting Macrocystis stipes on the offshore side of the transect. The sea lions have come to play and they twirl around us gracefully, occasionally startling me when I see one hurtling towards me out of the corner of my eye before it banks away. I am very impressed by the amount of data that the crew collects and the number of species that they need to know. I’ve only mentioned a few of the protocols that I’ve been helping with but there are many more including artificial recruitment modules which are used to assess recruitment of invertebrates. Basically, a tool to see what organisms and how many have moved into an artificial habitat that is created at a site with a cage and bricks. The crew already completed the counts for the artificial recruitment modules at this site on a different dive week.
On the surface, I flush my wetsuit with the hot water hose and top my tank off with the air compressor. I dump my mesh bag of urchins into a bucket and grab calipers to measure them all. On the next dive, I have to collect some more red urchins to hit my 100 count and some white urchins to finish all of the natural habitat measurements. The sea lions are still swimming around but the current is getting much stronger. We finally finish all of the protocols and the site is complete. Back on the boat, with snacks and tea, we sit in the cabin and do one last species list, ranking the prevalence of every single species present at the site. We also double-check the data sheets. Since we can’t do any other sites today we chill out and eat snacks in the sun on the back deck. I make a red curry for dinner in the little galley.
Katie working on bands.Katie running a band transect.Scotty demonstrating proper PPE for cutting onions.
It’s Thursday and we’re heading to Gull Island today off of Santa Cruz. I’m excited because the other site option was an urchin barren. Gull Island is a complex kelp forest and sounds much more interesting to dive. Obviously, it’s important to get data from urchin barren sites as well as kelp forest sites to see the massive differences but selfishly I want to dive the kelp forest because I know it’s going to be stunning. I’m diving with Scotty. First dive, he is doing 5-meter quadrats inshore while I’m counting stipes and measuring Crassadoma (rock scallops). There is so much Macrocystis, the site is dark and rugose. I easily get my 100 kelp counts and I watch Ean get surrounded by sheephead trying to eat the urchins he is collecting. I finish my scallop measurements and help Scotty finish his Megastraea undosa (wavy turban snail) measurements. I still haven’t seen an abalone, and the others have only found a few. I do get to see Stylaster californicus, a purple hydrocoral, usually found in deeper colder water. This is one place you can find it shallow in the Channel Islands. So cool. On the surface, I eat Scandinavian swimmers (gummy candy) and get covered in kelp flies. I dictate data to Katie who records it for me.
Next dive, Scotty is doing bands and I’m measuring snails, urchins, gorgonians, and stars. I’m more confident now with my identification so I’m getting some more responsibilities. On our side of the transect, we have a sand channel between the rock outcroppings and in the channel I have the most amazing moment with a harbor seal. Over the course of the dive, the seal repeatedly comes back and boops my camera lens or my mask with their snout. When I’m head down in the kelp, they’ll poke my head until I pay attention to them. The seal glides around so relaxed; it is really special to be face-to-face with this beautiful creature. Meanwhile, sea lions are zipping through the kelp, not being chill at all, but still very graceful.
Flying harbor seal.Scotty posing with the giant kelp.On the back deck with Emalia, Scotty and Frankie.A picture of me in dive gear! (Photo: Scott)The purple California hydrocoral.Sea lion in the kelp.Lost in the kelp.
Another dive looking for the same species to finish up the transect. I don’t find many Tegula snails, red turban snails, or bat stars so I don’t hit my mark of 30 each. Scotty finishes bands and then we reel up the 100 meter tape and attach the lift bag to the stern anchor. The site isn’t finished, there are a couple more protocols that need to be completed but they’ll come back and finish it on the next cruise. We motor back to Smuggler’s Cove for the night. Such a great crew, there are lots of laughs at dinner. Ean makes butternut squash soup.
Scotty on the O2 bar with a pipe fish.Dinner on the Sea Ranger II with Scotty, Ean, Emalia, Katie, Frankie, Keith, Griffin.
It’s the last day of the cruise and we’re finishing Black Sea Bass Reef. I’m sad the week is already over. What an amazing ecosystem, and amazing crew. Thank you so much Scott and crew for taking me in and sharing your knowledge and trusting me to help out with your surveys. Kelp Forest Monitoring has been a highlight of my internship.
Thank you Submerged Resources Center and Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society for setting me up with all of the amazing experiences this summer.
I would like to write a short thank you to Scott Pawlowski, the museum curator at Pearl Harbor National Memorial. It looked like I wasn’t going to be able to visit Pearl Harbor on my internship, but Scott was kind enough to take two days out of his busy schedule to set me up with some awesome experiences around the memorial. I have visited the park in the past, so it was great to get the insider NPS perspective from Scott who shared his knowledge and passion. The NPS works alongside the US Navy to preserve and interpret the historical site associated with the attack on Pearl Harbor.
On my visit, Scott introduced me to a Chief Master Diver John Hopkins with the Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1, the Navy’s premier diving and salvage force. Imagine Navy SEAL caliber divers who are also trained in commercial deep-sea salvage operations. A type of diving that I cannot even begin to imagine. Next, Scott showed me a bit of his world, a behind-the-scenes look at the museum and archival collection. On that day someone donated some potential artifacts from USS Oklahoma which is exciting because not many artifacts exist from that ship. USS Oklahoma was lost at the attack on Pearl Harbor. Every item Scott pulled out, whether a Japanese hat box or a fragment from USS Arizona had a poignant story linked to it and I loved hearing that history.
On my second day, I was able to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Missouri, USS Bowfin, and Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. At the end of the day, I joined a tour of Ford Island to also visit the Utah and Oklahoma memorials. Too much to experience and learn about in a lifetime let alone all in one day. Nonetheless, a powerful day of learning and contemplation. Scott, thank you for going out of your way to show me a snapshot of operations at the park. I appreciate the effort and I wish I could have spent more time.
Now, I am leaving Hawaii after almost a month and a half and am on my way to Channel Islands National Park.
I’m back in Kalaupapa! My plan to head to the National Park of American Samoa after Kaloko fell through leaving me with an open schedule for the next week. Kelly Moore and Glauco Puig-Santana were kind enough to invite me back to the peninsula and join them for the yearly Pacific Island Inventory and Monitoring Network stream surveys in the easternmost valley of the park. Waikolu Stream is isolated, extremely beautiful, and relatively untouched. The entire watershed is protected within park boundaries, a critical habitat for some of Hawaii’s unique endemic freshwater species. Since 2009, the network has monitored fish, invertebrates, stream flow, and water quality in Waikolu. In 2021, scientists took this data to the state of Hawaii to prove that too much water was being diverted from the upper valley for agriculture on topside Molokai, resulting in a large section of the stream drying out in the summer. The state eventually approved new instream flow standards to return water back to Waikolu and sustain the stream’s endemic biodiversity. Pretty cool to see data collected by the park inform management and ultimately conservation. I am very excited to join the survey team, do some backcountry camping, and work in a freshwater habitat.
Waikolu valley.
The team is made up of Kelly, Glauco, and two interns Addisen Antonucci and Noah Hunt who fly in from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We were also supposed to be joined by Anne Farahi, the lead aquatic biological technician who usually collects all the freshwater fish data. Unfortunately, she cannot make it, so we will continue with the surveys without any fish data this year. While Glauco organized most of the equipment already for our trip, we spend a day packaging up all the camping gear, food, survey instruments, and personal gear which we put in dry bags and coolers. We load all the gear into a cargo net that will be flown out to our campsite by helicopter.
Stream crew: Glauco, Kelly, Noah, Addisen, me.
Our hike out to Waikolu is only a mile along the beach, but it’s all on basalt cobble and boulders that tend to roll no matter how big they are. We are all wearing hard hats because we are walking right under a massive sea cliff that has consistent rockfalls. You can feel the energy of the ocean as it sucks the cobble off the beach with every outgoing wave.
The mouth of Waikolu is framed by tall sea cliffs on either side. We hop across the stream and set up camp in a nice flat spot tucked up against the headland. It is likely a built terrace from early settlers because, of course, native Hawaiians lived in this valley. We will see evidence of rock walls and terraces all the way up the valley. Long before the state was diverting freshwater from this stream, Native Hawaiians were diverting it for their taro patches. This was also the original source of fresh water for people sent to Kalaupapa. The community gets its water from another valley nowadays, but the old, rusted water pipes are still present running along the beach. At first glance, one would assume the valley is untouched but of course, people have been altering this area for as long as they have been here. It is still absolutely breathtaking, and I have to take a second every now and then just to look up and admire our surroundings. We set up camp and make sure to really stake everything down because the wind whips through here.
After we set up camp, we hike a short way up the stream to our first survey site. There are more than 15 sites from the mouth of the stream to about 3 miles up the valley. At each site, we are surveying hihiwai (snails), mapping stream habitat type, estimating substrate size, testing water quality, and measuring the flow of the stream.
At the mouth of the Waikolu stream.Strawberry guava.
We follow an overgrown trail, weaving our way through the jungle foliage, the sun streaming down through the canopy, and the deeply spined green cliffs peaking through. Glauco points out shampoo ginger and the white ginger flowers that we pick and suck on for a bit of nectar. He navigates us to the site with a GPS and then runs a 30m transect tape the length of the stream. The stream is small and gentle, usually only a foot or two deep. A volunteer taro has found a spot to live. I join Kelly to learn how we are going to be surveying the hihiwai. As soon as I dip my masked face underwater, I am taken aback by the number of creatures. The crystal clear, cold water is filled with colorful gobies, hihiwai, and prawns.
‘O’opu clinging to rocks.Hihiwai and ‘o’opuTahitian prawn.
Kelly and I get to work ‘snailing’. To conduct these surveys, 10 spots are selected randomly along the entire 30 meters. At each spot, a 1/16m^2 quadrat is placed in the stream and Kelly with her mask and snorkel sticks her head underwater to find all of the hihiwai in the quadrat, pop them off the rocks, and hand them to me. I measure the diameter of the hihiwai with calipers and return them to a spot in the stream where they can reattach before getting swept away by the flow or eaten by a prawn. We measure all adults and count all spat in the quadrat and in an opposing quadrat we count all eggs. The eggs look like little sesame seeds attached to the rock. The hihiwai are endemic to Hawaiian streams and have really beautiful speckled shells.
Addisen with some hihiwai.Glauco measures while Kelly searches for hihiwai.
After learning how to snail with Kelly, I join Addisen to learn how we estimate substrate size or what we call ‘pebbling’. At the beginning, the middle, and the end of the 30 m transect, we run another tape perpendicular across the stream, measure the width of the stream, and then divide to get 20 distinct equally spaced points. At each point, we will reach into the stream and measure the longest diameter of the rock under that point. It can be anything from a 5mm pebble to a 500cm boulder. As we pebble, we also use a densiometer to collect riparian canopy cover.
Addisen measuring a pebble.Hihiwai.
While snailing and pebbling are going on, Glauco is using a stream tracker to measure water velocity. He is looking for laminar flow to get accurate measurements. At some sites, we are also doing water quality, just like we did on the dive surveys. We have the sonde device that measures pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, etc. and we also take water samples to be processed for dissolved nutrients later.
Back at camp Glauco makes rice and beans and veggies for dinner and we sit around in our camp chairs and enjoy the sunset. I sleep with my rainfly off because it’s beautiful and I’m hopeful it won’t rain. Well, I end up getting soaked and I scramble to get my rainfly on in the middle of the night when it starts to pour.
I get an exceptional view of the pali when I wake up and unzip my tent. I have coffee and oatmeal and load up for our daily hike up the valley. We bring our wetsuits, snorkel gear, felt-soled neoprene booties, flow-meter instruments, water quality testing gear, pebbling tools, and the three-pong sling if we have extra time to catch some invasive Tahitian prawns.
Starting the hike from camp.
We follow the trail through the kukui tree grove, past the strawberry guava trees, the ginger fields, and the hao. The first two stream crossings I attempt to keep my feet dry. By the third, I have given up and accept that my shoes and feet will be wet all day.
One of a handful of massive mango trees.
We come upon a giant mango tree obviously planted from a previous habitation. It’s hard to imagine what this valley used to look like before all the non-native plants moved in. The guava has especially taken over, it’s almost a guava forest monoculture. And there is fruit everywhere, it litters the jungle floor, rotten and fermenting, squishing under our feet. Even the stream is full of it and I watch the prawns nibble on it. I’m not really complaining though because I think I end up eating more than 10 guava a day.
Working on the stream is peaceful. It’s fun putting on a wetsuit in the middle of the jungle and sliding through the pools and riffles. If we complete the sites for the day and have some extra time, I’ll snorkel around and look at the gobies and Glauco will spear prawns. The gobies are called ‘o’opu. Most of the species are endemic and some are extreme climbers, known to climb 420ft waterfalls. I watch them suction from rock to rock and hang out in the rapids.
Kelly and Noah snailingGlauco looking for prawns.
Back at camp, Kelly and I do a little snorkel out towards the channel between Okala Island and the headland. We startle a turtle napping in a naturally carved bowl in the rock. After another filling and delicious dinner, we do dishes in the stream. I enjoy my evening bath at the mouth of the stream, looking up the valley and at the stars and out at the crashing waves.
Bath time at the mouth.
We are checking off sites as we move farther up the valley each day. I spend the next few days pebbling with Addisen. We do about 3 sites a day. Next to the trail, we see rock walls and terraces from earlier times. At lunchtime, I gnaw on a block of cheese and eat guava. As we hike through the jungle, I’m nervous when going through the muddy pig wallows because of leptospirosis. I’ve gotten it before on the Napali coast on Kauai and it was absolutely awful.
An old rock wall in the jungle.Kelly and Noah search for hihiwai while Addisen waits to measure them. Glauco caught a prawn.
Today, we are going to our farthest site, above the dam that the state put in, about three miles up the valley. It is exciting that at our highest site above the dams, we are still finding hihiwai. It is crazy to think about the journey these snails have been on to get here. The hihiwai are anadramous. Eggs will hatch in the stream, larvae will wash out into the ocean, and after about a year they will begin their journey back up the stream. Truly remarkable. Also, since there are no invasive Tahitian prawns above the dams, we finally see some of the native shrimp. The sad thing is that it feels like we’ve finally left our jungle paradise. The dam and tunnel infrastructure is unsightly and the people working on it have left trash everywhere. The abundance of fish we found below the dams is not here. On our trip back to camp, Noah and Glauco harvest some taro root and leaves to cook up for dinner. We all knew taro had to be cooked to remove the oxalate crystals but we clearly didn’t cook it long enough because we ate some and we all got tingly throats. The irony of us haoles failing to cook taro properly and paying the price is not lost on me.
Noah harvests some taro.Infrastructure for water diversion to topside.A native shrimp.Look who we found in the jungle.
I had an incredible week working with this crew to survey the beautiful, fragile Waikolu stream. I loved doing fieldwork that included camping and hiking in the jungle. I hope that the data we collected can be used to continue to protect the endemic species that call this place home. Now, a brief stopover on O’ahu and Pearl Harbor before I head to my final internship destination, Channel Islands National Park.
Glauco with the SONDE at the mouth of Waikolu.Hihiwai spat in a crevice.
Thanks one last time to Kelly and Glauco for being the most gracious hosts and allowing me to work with them at Kalaupapa for almost a month! I had a wonderful time and learned so much. Thank you SRC and OWUSS for supporting me on my journey.
On July 19th I began the second half of my journey as the 2023 American Academy of Underwater Science (AAUS) Mitchell Scientific Diving Research Intern for the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society (OWUSS). After departing the Florida Keys I headed back home to switch out my gear and prepare for field work in Central America.
I began by flying from Boston to Miami—I did not expect to be back in Florida so soon. After around three hours of delays due to lighting strikes, I was finally able to board the plane. Once the plane was fully boarded, we were all informed by the pilot that “the plane needs a new lifeboat, and we would not be able to take off until they found one” … what happened to the first lifeboat still remains a mystery.
Finally, I made it to Panama City, Panama where I met up with my team at the hotel.
View from our hotel in Panama City, Panama.
The next morning, we headed out to a smaller airport near by to catch our passenger plane to the town of Bocas Del Toro. This flight lasted less than an hour, but had some beautiful views of the Panamanian countryside.
View as we land in Bocas Del Toro, Panama
Upon departing the plane, we were greeted by a kind man who sang to us as we waited for our bags—I later found out that he has been there since Bobbie started working in Bocas Del Toro back in 2019!
About half of our luggage was coolers that would hold the water samples we collect in the field on our return to the states—apparently customs and airport security were not fans the many large coolers we were taking into a foreign country, but it all worked out. We then loaded all of our suitcases into a taxicab truck—which I would come to learn is the only style of taxi in Bocas Del Toro.
We spent the next five weeks living at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) research station just outside of town.
My bunk room for the next five weeks View from the porch of the dorms
The station houses many different research teams and even some classes. There were teams researching corals, frogs, and even bats! Living at the station was an incredible experience—even if we were woken up by the resident howler monkeys at 4am.
The culprit of the 4am howling
The station also housed a ton of local wildlife!
A local Caiman resident on the station Sloths were found climbing on almost any structure they could find A Greater spear-nosed bat who was being studied by a team at the station
The station had a supply of boats that would shuttle us to our coral reef sites, but we did not always need them. All the coral reefs we worked at while in Bocas were very shallow, and quite close to the research station. We often used kayaks or simply swam over to the sites to conduct our field work for the day.
Most days were started by a visit to one of our sites to either conduct a feeding trial (find out more about this in my first blog!), or surveys of the sponge community.
Getting ready to collect water samples from our sponge incubation chambers
A large focus while we were in Panama was these surveys. We assembled a surveyors grid at each of our sites for ease of analysis. The method is adapted from land surveying techniques. First, we measured the volume of three specific species within the grid which were the same species we used in our sponge feeding trials.
Once we measured the three species, we did a general percent coverage survey. The purpose of this survey was to quantify what organisms make up the reef community at each of our sites.
Sometimes the percent coverage surveys involved dodging large groups of jellies
Did you know that some sponges and anemones can be affected by bleaching events? We also conducted surveys of incidences of bleached or partially bleached sponges and anemones at our sites following a major heat stress event. I had been warned the water would be colder in Panama than in the Florida Keys but we knew something was wrong when the bay behind the research station felt like hot bathwater and not a cool dip in the sea!
A large cluster of bleached anemones at one of our sites
There was no shortage of lab work either… especially since the lab was the only place in the station with air conditioning. Lab activities ranged from measuring weight and displacement volume for sponge samples to operating the spectrophotometer for analysis of chlorophyll concentrations within the sponge tissue.
The U.S. Ambassador to Panama visited the station to check in on all the science being done
It is surreal that I have reached the end of my internship. The summer flew by so fast—but I guess that can happen when you are underwater for 4+ hours a day. I would like to thank the AAUS and OWUSS for this incredible internship experience and a huge thanks to my host Bobbie Renfro and Florida State University. I also want to thank the entire staff of the Keys Marine Lab and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Bocas Del Toro for hosting us throughout this summer. I look forward to presenting my adventure through the 2023 AAUS Mitchell Scientific Diving Research Internship at the 2024 annual meeting.
