If June was about introductions and July was about diving into research and training, August was about pulling it all together. It was my final month as a DAN/OWUSS intern, but instead of winding down, the pace only picked up — blending public speaking, new certifications, and some unforgettable dives with the steady hum of office projects that carried through to the end.
We kicked off the month with the DAN Public Lecture Series, where the interns were featured as “future dive leaders.” Tyler and Sam shared their research projects from the summer, while I highlighted the fieldwork, training, and outreach opportunities we had all taken part in. Preparing for this event gave me a chance to reflect on just how much ground we had covered since June and to practice presenting those experiences to a community audience. It was also a great moment to reconnect with local divers and represent DAN from a student perspective.
Training remained a theme all the way through August. In my second-to-last week, I completed my Rescue Diver course, something I had been looking forward to since the start of the internship. The course was demanding but rewarding, combining classroom scenarios with in-water problem solving. Working through situations like unresponsive divers, suspected strokes, or managing panicked swimmers helped me link my earlier AAUS training with DAN’s emphasis on real-world emergency management. Taken together with the Diving First Aid course in July, I left feeling far more confident in both anticipating and responding to dive-related emergencies.
I also had the chance to dip my toes into technical diving, experimenting with doubles and pony bottles. We had originally planned to complete an Intro to Tech course, but time slipped away toward the end of the summer. Even so, getting to handle new configurations, adjust to the extra weight, and think through redundancy systems gave me a first look at the different mindset technical diving requires. It was a great way to fan my interest and leave me wanting to come back to tech when the opportunity arises.
August gave me two very different but equally memorable diving opportunities. The first was the chance to dive in a Mark V helmet, made possible by Craig Nelson and his wife Kelly Kutzer. The helmet and suit, once standard equipment through most of the twentieth century, were far heavier and more restrictive than any gear I had used before. It was fun to dive into the history and scramble around the quarry. The second was a trip to the North Carolina coast, where we visited sites like the Meg Ledge and Liberty Wreck. Fossilized shark teeth, the outlines of old wreckage, and the steady presence of sand tiger sharks made it a dive that felt both adventurous and rooted in place.
Center: Tyler Horton snaps a selfie with me in the background suited up in the Mark V.
Right: Tyler tests out a shallow-water diving helmet, complete with inflated sleeves (not how it normally goes).
Center: A sand tiger shark glides past on the wreck.
Right: Water-worn columns from the wreck, with schools of fish weaving through.
Back in the office, I continued work on the DAN Store project, which I had started in July. What began as a sprawling spreadsheet of product listings ended in August as consolidated kit descriptions, product copy drafts, and updated compliance notes. It has been a fun chance to put my analytical and data management skills to work in a novel field. But of course, we interns couldn’t leave without a parting gift for our mentors, so we delivered some non-breathable helium in the form of oversized animal balloons.
As the month ended, I found myself reflecting less on the fact that it was the conclusion of my internship and more on how much had been built over its course. From hands-on training to communication projects and field experiences, it was a summer that drew together many skills and interests, and it leaves me looking forward to carrying that momentum into what comes next.
