Looking back at where it all began
Recently someone asked to recount how I ended up ‘here’. So, I told my story of how I ended up in New Zealand and I found myself reflecting on how scuba diving really ignited my passion for marine biology. SCUBA diving is what really gave me the opportunity to see for myself just how incredible the ocean really is and its also opened my eyes to the myriad of threats that it faces.
Completing my open water certification at age 20 led me down the path of wanting to go deeper and explore more marine ecosystems. I started diving in Australia while I was studying abroad and since then scuba diving has been a huge part of my journey and part of what solidified my desire to pursue a masters in marine science. It doesn’t matter too much what ‘level’ you get to in the realm of qualifications, but when it comes to why I recommend trying SCUBA diving… it’s because it is an eye-opening experience. Seeing for yourself the incredible life that exists under the surface of the sea – I think that’s something you can’t replicate.
“The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”
Jacques Cousteau
One of my most memorable dives was with this manta ray pictured above… its hard to describe the moment when I noticed the manta, and slowly finned towards it. I was surprised by how calm and inquisitive it was, seemingly unafraid. My heart was pounding and I felt uncoordinated as heck as I ended up eye to eye with at this animal which moved so gracefully through the water. I could not say how long we looked at each other but I’m so glad to have these photographs to help me re-tell the story. This experience was probably the highlight of my semester abroad, only second to seeing a large female grey nurse shark the following day.
As a disclaimer, I know not everyone can dive – there is so many things that can hold people back from trying, from medical and mental barriers to financial ones. So I do know I am privileged to have had the experiences that I’ve had, and if you can’t dive, I hope that through this I can just give a little insight into the experience and why I value it so much.
Taking the leap and landing in New Zealand
I feel so grateful to have learned about the joy of underwater exploring while I was still at university. On Long Island, I was studying to get my bachelor of science in biology, and in my last semester, I struggled through organic chemistry and physics II but enjoyed other classes, namely marine science and conservation biology. About a month before I graduated, I became fixated on what I would do next. So, I booked a one-way plane ticket to New Zealand and applied for a working holiday visa. Within 6 months after that decision, I graduated, landed a full-time job, and worked hard through the summer to save up, then in September 2015, I arrived in Auckland.
I had the intention of traveling abroad for a year to gain experience, and the first (and only) thing I had planned, volunteer at a ‘real marine lab’. Thanks to the help of a kind-hearted PhD student I’d been in contact with a few months prior to my travels, I was picked up at the airport and welcomed to the University of Auckland’s Leigh Marine Lab. All of a sudden I went from busy Long Island to a rural coastal paradise, living in student accommodation at the edge of New Zealand’s first marine reserve. Almost instantly, I was in love with the place.
In Leigh, I encountered opportunities to experience so much more than I could have ever hoped for. Starting with snorkeling, since I had none of my own SCUBA gear and no car, I started to explore the marine reserve. At first impression, the biodiversity was a little overwhelming – I didn’t know what I was looking at most of the time, but thankfully I was mostly hanging out with PhD students who taught me so much! Nothing here was like any of the marine environments I’d been in before. I knew I had lots to learn but I felt so inspired and excited by the new people and places.
The learning opportunities were incredible, as a volunteer, I got to help out on a wide variety of research projects – most of them involved counting, measuring, and collecting kelp! At the marine lab, I also helped with tank experiments, dissections, microscope work, and so much more.
In the field, I was able to help with intertidal research, collect specimens for experiments, carry out underwater ‘photo quadrats’ and learn how to do benthic quadrat surveys using SCUBA, which pushed me to improve my ID skills. That was until, to my disbelief, I was awarded a summer research studentship (which I applied for from NY!) so I was going to have my own little ‘research project’ for a few months! During this time I learned a huge amount about rocky reef ecology and the delicate balance on reefs that which is being disrupted by various human activities. The experience was so wholesome and gave me a really good idea of what work I enjoyed, and what skills were required. I also discovered what I didn’t want to do in the future; I like microscope work, but only in moderation, and I’m really not too fond of dissecting things.
Gaining momentum in marine science
I was racking up the dives in my logbook faster than ever before and learning all about the life around me! I started working at the local dive shop on the weekends and decided I would work towards my divemaster qualification. I was totally hooked on diving and I was in awe, almost all the time! Diving brings a certain kind of peace… maybe not when you are a new diver, at that stage diving is exhilarating and your heart might be pounding as you take in everything that is new. Diving ‘moods’ can also depend on the sea state or ocean conditions that you’re in. When you are trying to work underwater its not always relaxing but when you have calm conditions and the chance to just be present, take it all in and observe the world around you, it is peaceful.
Rocky reefs with tall stands of the common kelp, Ecklonia radiata, are really cool to swim through. It’s just like being in an underwater forest, except way more colorful! Temperate rocky reefs are home to so many encrusting organisms which grow all over the rocks and cover them in patterns and shapes. Not to mention the unique fish species, nudibranchs, crustaceans, and pelagic organisms!
Some of the research I carried out during my studentship was on turf algae communities. The research team I worked with was studying areas around hydrothermal vent systems, which create streams of bubbles rising to the surface. The vents were extremely fascinating to observe and study but this area has since become more volcanically active, and therefore a bit too risky to study. Amazingly, this research that I did, which involved many hours at a microscope, ended up contributing to a publication in a peer reviewed journal, which I am an author on, in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Journal of Marine Science. Thinking back on it, the experience diving at White Island to collect samples for this research was quite incredible and I am lucky to have gotten that opportunity to collect my own samples – even if I was seasick on the entire boat trip out there.
Building my experiences into a career
Fast forward a few years and I’ve now completed my masters thesis as a part-time student, which investigated the ecological effects of Long Bay Okura marine reserve. Long Bay-Okura is a beautiful no-take area on the North Shore of Auckland which was established back in 1995. The marine reserve is home to an awesome diversity of life but it is not immune to the impacts of Auckland’s urbanization and overharvesting. It was great to see that large snapper and kina (sea urchins) are present within its boundaries and establish some baseline data for some of the habitats I studied. It’s pretty cool that the marine reserve gained traction and was established as a result of the hard work of the founders of the organization that I work for now, Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre (MERC)!
At this point I’ve logged most of my dives in kelp forests, mainly all over the Hauraki Gulf, therefore I’m much more confident writing about them than other ecosystems. For this reason, I tend to write about them when I do articles for the Gulf Journal (you can check out some of my work here)! I endeavor to add articles to my blog more often but I’m still finding my feet with this project and will be trying to identify what direction I take with I speak for the sea. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about my ‘story’ go check out the Q&A style article about me in Junction Magazine.
As for what’s next, I’m going to keep doing what I do as a marine/outdoor educator and manager of marine education and outreach at MERC while I look for opportunities to do some (paid) diving work and gain even more scientific diving experience. There is so much more I want to see, explore, and experience – I’m only just ‘diving in’ to the depths of this lifelong journey.
