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During my time in Monterey, I had the opportunity to dive multiple times a day for many days in a row. Unfortunately, we could not dive from the beach due to a sea lion takeover (as pictured above); however, we ended up having wonderful boat dives. The extensive time in the water allowed me a lot more practice with my camera and Backscatter generously allowed me to try out a bunch of new stuff including their new hybrid flashes, and a macro set up. I got to practice macro, wide angle, play with sea lions, and dive through kelp! It was very helpful to be able to get time and comfort in the water to practice. Above water I got to hang out with the incredible people that work at Backscatter and did a bit of whale watching thanks to our wonderful Captain Phil! Phil was an amazing asset to my dives, keeping us safe, telling us where to go, and he even gifted me his grandmother’s sterling silver grapefruit spoon. (I have found that using a small spoon to take off my Kubi dry gloves is the most effective way for me to do it on my own.) When Phil saw this, he promised me he had the perfect tool: a grapefruit spoon which has small flat edges — perfect for prying. I will forever cherish my dives and learning in Monterey and the amazing people that welcomed me with open arms and will continue to polish my dry suit grapefruit spoon thinking of Phil and Backscatter every time. Thank you so much to Becca for organizing my time there amidst the chaos of the competition week and getting me set up with some awesome opportunities! I learned a lot about underwater photography and videography, how the shop runs, and about the underwater life of Monterey.

For a few days in between the National Aquarium and the Monterey shootout, I had the pleasure to head down the coast to visit Ron Watkins for a photography workshop. I was so grateful to be able to fit this in and learn from another amazing photographer. His workshop was run a bit differently than Jake Stout’s and instead of a lake we had a pool! I learned a lot from him and gained many tips I hope to use in the shootout. We had a very fun pool photoshoot photographing my sister as the model. Unfortunately, his dog Atlas was not allowed in the pool to model for us though he would have loved it. During my two days there, we went through multiple lectures, discussed different equipment and techniques, and conducted the pool session. Below are some behind the scenes pictures Ron took of me and a few I took myself. Thank you so much to Ron and his wife Manomi for sharing your home and incredible knowledge with me! I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to enhance my skills!

 

Continuing my immersion in the aquarium world, I headed down to visit Holly Bourbon at the National Aquarium. Diving within the tanks allowed me lots of time to practice with the camera and give lots of fish sand baths. I made fast friends with a pork fish who would swim alongside me throughout the dives, and it was so fun to see how interactive some of the fish are and how some really don’t mind my camera lights. I was surprised how big the puffer fish were!

On my second day I spent the morning shadowing the team feeding the rays and Zuri the leopard shark. I also helped with food prep and got to tour behind many of the galleries. It was really cool to hear about how all the galleries are maintained and how the coral is grown. I learned that the touch tank jellies exhibit has jets and slanted walls to help them circulate and flow easily throughout the tank. I also got to see some feedings in the exhibits and shark alley. The sawfish were so cool! Then I got back in the water in the afternoon, searching for the new moray eel Gerkin, who has been hiding and taking a few photos around the exhibit practicing with the camera.

Day three was spent in the new Harbor Wetland exhibit, making finishing touches and getting it cleaned up for the opening. It was lots of fun, but very sad to see how much trash is in our water and getting washed up against the new wetland area. On the plus side, we also saw lots of wild ducks happily hanging out near the new habitat and poking around. The team that built the wetland did a fabulous job and it looked great!

I also got to spend time with the Jelly exhibit team! It was so cool to learn about the jelly life cycle which is drastically different from most other animal life cycles. They showed me around behind the exhibits and lab where they culture the jellies. My favorite part was seeing the different life cycles of the jellies under the microscope! I got to see the planula (fertilized free-floating egg with cilia so they can move around), the polyp (stationary asexual phase), and ephyra (free floating phase that starts to look more like a jellyfish). It was incredible! I also got to view what they eat under the scope including krill and rotifer, and I also learned about the complexity of the water quality control of the exhibits. I learned the curved shape of the exhibits is for flow as the jellies cannot move much on their own and rely on current to help them get around. They told me keeping jellies in the exhibit is like “keeping an antelope on the moon” (a quote by David Oyedepo), a visual that stuck with me to remember how complex it is.

On my last day I was able to go over to the animal care and rehabilitation center where I got to see many of the animals who are off exhibit for the time being due to retirement, quarantine, construction, and more. The facility was much larger and newer than I had experienced at the New England aquarium. I saw many freshwater turtles including pig nose and snake neck turtles. I learned that it is possible for turtles who have been hit by boats to get gas stuck in their carapaces making them positively buoyant and unable to stay down. In the afternoon I got to hop in the water and explore Black Tip Reef. It was really fun to swim around with all the large sharks and rays. You can’t appreciate the ray’s sizes until you are down next to them. I also met Cena, a Humphead Wrasse, who is slowly turning from female to supermale as she grows larger and turns bright blue! I had a wonderful time with Holly showing me around. Thank you so much Holly and the National Aquarium team!

New England Aquarium week! 

Thank you to Dan and Dawn Dolan for hosting me in Boston during my time at the New England Aquarium! I went to the Quincy rehabilitation and husbandry center with Dan on the first day, spending the first part of the day in the turtle rehabilitation center helping with feeding, exam checkups, tagging, and more! There, I learned all about the multiple types of tagging (satellite, acoustic, flipper tags) including how long they last, where they go on the turtle, how big the turtle needs to be for them to be attached. The turtles were so fun to watch and be around, and it was cool to get to know their personalities a bit while I was feeding them. Some would come right up and steal everyone’s food, others would hang back and ignore the fish even when you put it right in front of their face. When taking them out for exams a few would flip around while others just sat on the towel peacefully. On the husbandry side I had the opportunity to feed the rays! Their vacuum-like mouths and hard plates felt weird at first, but I got used to it quickly and had a blast trying to get them all their fish before they swam away. I also got to watch them play with different enrichment objects and clean part of one of the quarantine tanks. It was while cleaning that I met Potato! Potato is a little balloon fish, and I had a great time watching him swim around and up to Dan asking for food. Thank you so much to the Husbandry and Rehabilitation Team!

      

The next day I got to hang with the penguin team! They were such great people to work with and, just like the others at Quincy, very knowledgeable about the animals. They welcomed me with open arms and gave me the chance to feed and hold the penguins! I am so grateful for the opportunity to hang out with them (even if it was cold water!), and  I had so much fun learning about each individual penguin and who was a picky eater vs a more aggressive one vs “a shark” that tried to snatch fallen fish out of the water before you grabbed it back up. They were lively and a few were very interested in the enrichment, which was cool to see. I just had to remember to keep my hands up out of the water, so they didn’t bite my fingers as they circled around me. Overall, such a good day, and I appreciate wet suits for keeping me warm! Thank you so much to the Penguin Team! 

Next, I had the amazing opportunity to hang out with the Giant Ocean Tank team for two days! First up, we pulled the two loggerhead turtles out of the tank to record their weight and check their eyes. They were pretty good about getting in but did not want their eyes checked with the bright light. Then I prepared food for Myrtle the turtle and the comb and triggerfish! Myrtle gets her fish wrapped up in lettuce and it was fun to try to get her to eat the butts of the lettuce which she can be picky about. After feeding, I got to get in the water! I dove around mesmerized by the fish coming right up to my face and Myrtle asking for back scratches. I had a great time and learned so much about how they feed and run the tank.  The second day I already knew how to do some tasks such as feeding Myrtle and food prep and was delighted to be able to do them on my own.  Thank you, GOT!

 

I also had the opportunity to shadow the touch tank and medical staff during barb clips of the rays.  It was amazing to see the efficiency with which the different departments came together to make it a smooth process.  The person cutting the barbs used a tool as simple as dog nail clippers but had to make sure the barb was long and pointy enough to need cutting.  I learned some species have up to 10 barbs and sometimes they can grow backward by accident!  One of them also needed an ultrasound and it was cool to see how they infiltrated the gills with water so the ray could stay breathing while on the exam table.  I can now officially say I have seen the inside of a ray! Lastly, I found it very interesting that they scatter fed the rays whereas other departments had to count the amount of food most animals got to make sure they were eating enough. Thank you, Touch Tank and Medical Staff!

 

I spent my last day with marine mammals which includes the sea lions and harbor seals. I watched them do each training session, which was the most interesting part of the day. I even got to give the harbor seal Amelia a salute, wave, and dance signal. The intensity with which the animals pay attention to their trainer is incredible. They respond to the slightest movements and bark when they get excited that they did something right. I think it is awesome that they can train them to voluntarily offer different positions and parts of their bodies for exams and checkups. It makes it easier and more enjoyable for everyone and is one of the most crucial parts of their training. To end the week, I helped to clean up and learned about food prep. I was surprised to learn they eat Jello! Thank you, Marine Mammal Team, for a great last day!

 

Overall, it was an amazing week, and I am incredibly grateful to all the Aquarium staff and Dan Dolan for organizing it. I have learned that most everyday aquarium animal care is the same routine, however, each day holds at least one unique new task. 

 

Once I got home from the Arctic I settled in, did laundry and was off to see Jake Stout at Sunset Lake in New Hampshire. What a great few days! We started off by going through his photo class lecture which was invaluable to shaping the way I look at photography and included much more than past photo classes I have taken. I spent hours snorkeling around the lake shooting various subjects in order to get a better feel of my camera and strobes. I had my butt kicked but it was a great learning experience. Then Jake critiqued my photos which was very helpful to have another person’s perspective and talk through what went well and what can be improved. Thank you, Jake, for taking the time to help me grow and learn with my awesome camera from Backscatter.

  

Here were some of my works in progress.

I stared into a microscope for many minutes watching plankton hop around. It was beautiful and mesmerizing, I could have stayed there for hours. Just days before the same thing happened as I watched the ctenophore’s rainbows go up and down their filter feeding mechanisms while diving off the coast of Svalbard. It was magical to see all the small and clear organisms of the sea that you don’t notice until you look up. Most of the backscatter you erase from your images is actually tiny animals floating around. Once your eyes adjust to what’s (literally) right in front of your face you see the amazing diversity and complexity of the plankton. You don’t always need a microscope. Look at what you think is sand and silt floating, and you will see it is full of life. My time diving these weeks in the Arctic has been incredibly informative. It has pushed my limits and taught me new things about diving and myself. I was also able to participate in marine science including helping with plankton tows and use photography as a means to document our data collection.  Overall, the two weeks were filled with 13 dives ranging from absolutely incredible visibility to barely seeing our own fins in the milky glacier water. We were surrounded by a stunning Arctic landscape full of ragged mountains, glaciers, snow, ice, and of course some of the coolest wildlife. One of the most amazing dives was at Bear Island — a protected, uninhabited island (besides a research station) full of bird cliffs and wildlife.

Under the water was as spectacular as on land. We descended through beautiful clear blue water into towering kelp. Throughout the dive we made our way along a cliff face full of life. We saw sea stars, Atlantic cod, brittle stars, a decorator crab with a purple flower hat, hermit crabs, snails, sponges, tunicates, and more! Holly Bourbon from the National Aquarium and my dive buddy said the kelp was one of the healthiest I’ll probably ever see.  Thanks to the incredible generosity of Faith Ortins at Blue Green Expeditions for inviting me on the trip and the willingness of Angel the scientist to show me field science. I had the most amazing educational time.

 

 

   

   

 

 

Finally, huge thanks to Lensrentals for sponsoring me with an incredible topside lens so I could capture the beauty above water and Backscatter so I could document all that I saw below water!

This week as I waited for my generously donated Otter dry suit I borrowed a suit from Vin Malkoski. While changing out the seals to fit I won the tiniest neck trophy! I am so honored to have gotten this valued trophy from Wayne at Divers Market. In all his 40 years of cutting neck seals I’m the smallest he’s ever cut! But what a wonderful job he did, and I was immediately ready to jump in the water.

The week started with a swim test where I was taught breathing techniques to get across the pool in one breath and felt like a child again free diving down and swimming around the pool. Then we had lectures, pool time, and ocean diving the rest of the week! Kim has been amazing helping me with my training, taking things slow, and making me fully comfortable in a dry suit and new gear. Finally, my loaned camera from Backscatter came! I am so grateful to Becca and the Backscatter crew for setting me up with the camera and housing. It was so exciting to pull it out and set it all up. Vin took me to dive around with it and get used to having it in my hands. I love it and can’t wait to use it!! Vin also showed me around the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries which was so cool to see their location and all the native species of the Massachusetts coast. Thank you so much to the Malkoski family for a great few weeks! And one bonus photo of me at the Mayflower!

  

With a wake up call of 6:30 on my first day with Kim Malkoski, I headed out to get trained in CPR and First aid. I am incredibly grateful to Kim for letting me join at the last minute! Before such taxing activities however, a French bakery breakfast was needed. After a wonderful fruit tart and the most buttery croissant I’ve ever had, we were ready to get the day rolling. We spent the morning learning the basics of rescue. I learned a lot as we discussed in depth all the first aid skills I’ve never practiced before. Once we were done saving lives, we toured the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and got to see the amazing work being done all around. It was cool to see all the different equipment they use to conduct various science projects. We even got to sit in the old Alvin chamber and ponder how in the world 3 people could ever fit in there for 6-10 hours at a time in the deep sea. For the rest of the week, we fell into a rhythm of morning dives and then working on my online training. I was fortunate enough to get dry suit certified, CPR and first aid, and Science Diving certified at WHOI! It’s been lots of work but also tons of fun! Thank you to Kim for helping me through it all!

   

Finally, I got to visit Dr. Roger Hanlon. It started out cloudy, cold, and unpromising and became sunny, warm, and beautiful. I am incredibly grateful Roger could sneak me into his busy schedule before going out on field work. I got to see around his lab and meet all the octopus, cuttlefish, and squid. His work is absolutely fascinating, and I could have stayed there all day. We ended up chatting for a while about diving and science and he gave me lots of invaluable advice before regretfully having to run off to another appointment. Thank you to the Malkoski family, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and Roger Hanlon for an amazing week!

  

Wow! What a great first week with Rick Simon. Rick and his wife Erin graciously hosted me on their farm this week where I got to pet their donkey and horses while I practiced my dive planning math. While Rick threw hay and called out questions, I took my duty of scratching the donkey seriously and tried my best to answer the questions (math is not my strong suit).  We were also able to hop in the water and practice some scuba skills! I did my best to stay within sight of Rick during our multiple low visibility dives. Finally, our last dive to the Grecian had stunning visibility and was lots of fun. We stayed overnight on the boat and woke up at 5:30am to a beautiful sunrise. With three boats showing up to the mooring that morning, it became a party! It was a wonderful calm day to poke around the wreck. I was taken aback by the size of the four boilers as I swam between them. We even saw a Mola mola on the surface while eating lunch! It was a great learning experience to get down deeper in my dry suit and really feel cold water! The week with Rick also included some great exploration opportunities completing his various job duties. We picked a boat up off the bottom of the ocean, checked dams for the state, inspected boats and moorings, cut lines out of boat propellers (well, Rick did, and I watched) and so much more!! It was incredible to see how commercial diving operates and meet all the cool people involved. Thank you Rick and Erin!

Along with diving during my stay with Julie and Michel of Anticosti Ecotours, we also spent two days exploring the island itself! The first day was a more private tour with the three of us as well as Nick. We started the day by driving to the northern shore of the island. Anticosti has unique geological formations, including large sedimentary cliffs on the coast which host a plethora of fossils from the Ordovician period. Upon arriving, the massive height of the cliffs is astounding, and finding a couple million year old fossil is as easy as picking up any rock on the beach!

The next stop on our tour would be the Vauréal Waterfall. We walked to a nice viewing platform, where we could see tourists hiking in the canyon, and a gorgeous view of the falls. Apparently the flow was usually much stronger, however a period of weird weather had lessened the strength of the falls. While we had a snack and enjoyed the view, Julie explained that Vauréal was even taller than Niagara Falls! We enjoyed the view a while longer, took some photos and then moved to our next location.

One of the most unique things about Anticosti’s geology is the depth of the coastline. About .25-.5 mile offshore of the island, the water is relatively shallow, dropping down to only a foot or two in some areas a low tide. Because of this, coupled with the dangerous weather, the island has been the location of an estimated 400 shipwrecks over the years. While some are dive-able, a number of them have washed up on shore! We ended up visiting the wreck of the Wilcox, a minesweeper from the 1940’s which was wrecked due to a storm. The Wreck looked eerily pretty beached on shore, and it was interesting to explore and see parts of an old ship that aren’t covered in algae or zebra mussels!

 

The last site we visited on our private tour would be an old plane wreck. The plane apparently crashed in 1967 after running out of fuel over the island. While it tried to land on the main road on the island, it had to veer off course to avoid a logging truck. Luckily no-one had died in the incident, and the wreck now acts as an interesting point and place for tourists to leave their names.

 

Our next land excursion took place after we dove as a large group. Unfortunately dense fog and large waves prevented us from diving, but we made up for it by hiking to a cave! We all loaded up in two trucks, and made our way to the trail.  The walk to the cave would be around 2 miles long, and we saw a ton of unique things on the way. Including a plant know as a ghost pipe, which is a pale white flower that lacks any chlorophyll, and instead derives its energy from a symbiotic relationship with a fungi! We also came along a baby bird who had been pushed out of their nest and was walking on the ground. We eventually made it to the cave, which had a fresh water stream flowing out of it, making the rocky walk slightly hazardous but still worth the incredible view and experience. `We had a nice sandwich lunch in an overhang formed from the cave’s ceiling, and then walked back to the trucks!

For our last stop of the day, we went to a lighthouse on the northern shore of the island. While the lighthouse itself was very pretty, the highlight for myself was the pair of foxes which lived on the property and would come over to investigate.  The two were curious if we had any food for them,  and even came right up to the camera! They made a great pair of models to practice with the camera, and were super cute on top of it!

 

 

From the land to the sea, Anticosti was an extraordinary place and I feel so lucky to have been able to experience all it had to offer! With less than 100 divers experiencing their water’s yearly, I feel incredibly privileged  to have been apart of that number. Diving with Julie and Michel at Anticosti Ecotours is safe, exciting, and a once in a lifetime experience! I learned so much in my time there, especially how to manage diver safety when you are so far away from immediate medical care!