Category: Uncategorized

During the heart of my time at the Aquarium, I spent one day each in some very distinct galleries. I first worked with the Penguins Department, responsible for the husbandry of the Rockhopper, African, and Little Blue penguins. In this gallery, I helped feed the birds after preparing their breakfast and lunch of silversides and herring. To my surprise some of the birds ate over twenty fish in one feeding session! I also helped maintain the cleanliness of the exhibit. The penguins are far from ‘potty-trained’ — thus lots of cleaning is necessary to maintain their exhibit. It was fun being immersed in the cold water and climbing on the penguins’ rocks. I also came to learn how each penguin truly has his or her own personality. Some are aggressive and demand a respect for their personal space, other are social and curious, and still other are very shy.

After my work with the penguins, I spent a day in the West Wing — the department responsible for the Shark and Ray Touch Tank, the Jellyfish exhibits, as well as the animals located in the Blue Planet Action Center, used primarily for educational presentations. During my time in the West Wing, I worked with former colleagues and friends Eric Payne and Austin Brayton, with whom I previously volunteered. It was great to see them again, and they were great supervisors for the day. I had lots of fun getting inside the touch tank for target feedings of the two zebra bullhead sharks and working with some of the new animals behind the scenes, like the pacman frog.
The last husbandry gallery in which I worked was the Marine Mammals Department. I spent some time working with both the harbor seals exhibit on the Aquarium’s plaza and the fur seals & sea lions exhibit in Marine Mammal Center. Much like the time I spent in the other galleries, I helped prep food in the morning and assisted with feedings and training exercises throughout the day. It was really interesting to see how the trainers go about interacting with these creatures, and how intelligent these animals are. My favorite part of the day was receiving a kiss from Reggae, one of the harbor seals.

I kicked off my time at the New England Aquarium (NEAq) by spending a day with my host, Dan Dolan, in the Dive department, which manages the Aquarium’s iconic Giant Ocean Tank. Working with Dan was tons of fun, and the Saturday volunteers and staff with whom I worked were truly a charismatic group of people. My day started with food prep. We spent the morning chopping up fish, squid, shrimp, and clams (over 40 pounds!) for all the hungry mouths in the GOT. It is truly amazing how much food is put into the 200,000 gallon tank each day. Later, I was lucky enough to dive in the tank alongside Dan to explore the exhibit’s many nooks, crannies, and species. I really appreciated Dan taking me in to dive with him; it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As I swam with NEAq legends such as Myrtle the Turtle, I forgot that I was in an aquarium; the reef felt so authentic. It was lots of fun interacting with the animals. We gave some of the groupers and hogfishes at the bottom of the tank sand baths and even petted the moray eels. The following Saturday, I was back with Dan and the Saturday team for another day of work in the Dive Department and another epic dive in the GOT.
A huge thank you goes out to Dan, who coordinated the entirety of my time at the Aquarium and helped me navigate the week, as I moved from department to department. I loved my time with the Dive department and had two great days behind the scenes with Dan. After my final day of work, Dan graciously invited me to dinner at a local restaurant (Alma Nove) near his home in Hingham. The food was great and it was fun getting to know Dan and his wife, Dawn, even better.

I recently visited Undersea Divers in Beverly, MA to get fitted for lots of new dive gear that I am excited to use during my internship! My new, Henderson 7 mm wetsuit fits like a glove — and so do my new gloves! I love my Aqua Lung fins which have a spring-loaded strap, making them very easy to slide in and out of. I can’t wait to get in the water and try out all this new equipment, including my drysuit which is on the way! I am very fortunate that Undersea Divers has so generously sponsored me alongside many wonderful dive gear retailers such as DUI, Henderson, and Aqua Lung. A huge thank you goes out to the staff of Undersea Divers, Whitney Boyle and Shaun Maguire, for helping coordinate the fitting of my new gear! I really appreciate the generosity!

http://www.underseadivers.com

While in Newfoundland, I had the extraordinary opportunity to join a National Geographic expedition documenting the migration of icebergs into Canadian waters. These massive ice formations, calved from Greenland’s glaciers, are carried south by the powerful Labrador Current. Witnessing this phenomenon firsthand was both humbling and deeply sobering. Yet, what captivated me most wasn’t the towering icebergs but the persistent, almost musical sound of tiny air bubbles escaping the ice and rising to the surface.

These pockets of air, trapped within the ice for millennia, can serve as time capsules. Scientists analyze them to reconstruct past climates, charting the ebb and flow of carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases overtime. This research sheds light on how Earth’s atmosphere has evolved and, crucially, how today’s unprecedented levels of greenhouse gases compare to historical norms. Carbon dioxide, often referred to as the planet’s thermostat, plays a central role in regulating global temperatures. However, the relentless burning of fossil fuels has flooded the atmosphere with this potent greenhouse gas, disrupting our planet’s delicate life support systems. Polar regions, with their reflective ice and permafrost, are among the most vulnerable to these changes, and they’re warming at more than twice the global average.

Standing on the deck of the ship, gazing across the icy horizon, the magnitude of the crisis became unmistakably clear. The icebergs, majestic as they were, carried with them a warning: the Arctic is changing, and the ripple effects will be felt far beyond these waters. My thoughts soon turned to the upcoming climate summit in Paris, where world leaders will convene to negotiate an agreement that will determine the trajectory of future generations. Building the momentum needed for meaningful climate action will require public awareness, education, and a shared sense of hope. I am determined to play my small part, optimistic that we can solve this crisis if we are willing to work together. Documenting these changes in such a fragile and remote region feels like bearing witness to history in the making.

On a moonless night in 1942, four British carriers — the Saganaga, Lord Strathcona, Rose Castle, and PLM 27 — succumbed to a German U-boat attack, while transporting iron ore in support of the war effort. Today, these wrecks lie in close proximity on the ocean floor, spanning depths ranging from 70 to 160 feet. After completing my peak performance buoyancy training, I felt ready to embark on my first wreck dive!

Taking a giant stride off the stern of the dive boat, we began our descent. Out of the blue emerged the ghostly silhouette of the Saganaga wreck. The anchor, catapulted midship during the attack, still stood upright on the deck as if frozen in time. Swimming the length of the ship, we marveled at the snow-white anemones and vibrant green urchins adorning the hull. With our tanks filled to 3,000 PSI of nitrox, we adhered to the rule of thirds and turned back at 2,000 PSI to ensure a safe ascent. During our three minute decompression stop, I spotted a red lion’s mane jellyfish pulsating through the water column — one of the largest jellyfish species in the world.

After our surface interval, we embarked on a second dive closer to shore, descending to approximately 35 feet. At this depth, we encountered a gaping crevice in the bedrock, teeming with arctic marine life from red sculpins to lumpsucker fish. It was carved by retreating glaciers during the last ice age, and when sea levels rose, the ocean flooded in. Now adorned with colonies of mussels, we watched as sea stars, each the size of dinner plates, slowly crawled over the mussels in search of a meal. Upon surfacing, we returned to the boat, brimming with excitement and exchanging high fives after such an incredible dive.

7-31-11

I jumped off a dock, a solid 12, maybe 15feet in height today. Into the ocean. In Newfoundland. In full dive gear. Talk about a RUSH! Now, why the heck did I muster up the courage to jump? Maybe it was because Holly and Jaime wanted scallops for dinner? Uhhhm.. no. Did I mention that I am allergic to shellfish? Yeah..so, there was a better reason for me; whale bones! We were diving off a dock at Dildo. It turns out that back in the day this is where the whales that had been caught were brought back and gutted. But, they threw the bones back into the ocean. So, the bones are scattered all around the base of the dock, perfect for divers to explore!

Once we got down, I started scanning the area for bon….I mean, I was looking for scallops for dinner. Sadly, this uniformed diver didn’t realize that those “clams” were actually scallops..so she disregarded them and got severely distracted by the flounder, starfish, and sea urchins that were EVERYWHERE. It didn’t take me long to realize that the lump of rock these critters were hanging out on or near were actually the vertebrae of a whale! I swear I was dancing around down there like a little kid with a new toy!…in my head of course.Dancing while diving is harder than you would think. 😉

I wished that I had my Gates video camera, but I had previously decided that it would not be a good idea to jump 12-15ft down and risk flooding it on impact…I can’t wait to actually have it out up here though! A little over half an hour later our trembling hands decided that it was time to head back to the warmth of Ocean Quest.

Sadly we didn’t end up finding enough scallops for a dinner, but, on the bright side, when we returned to Ocean Quest, Rick and Tim had fresh cod waiting for dinner! And so ended my first day of diving in Newfoundland! I can’t wait to get out on the wrecks!

7/01/11

It’s the last day of the races here at the 11^th International Submarine Races!  Soo, it promised to be an fun-filled and interesting day! After we finished launching all the subs, Neil, Kim, and I got treated to a tour of the basement! (And you’re thinking…”uhm..yay?”) BUT, what most people don’t know is, underneath that half mile long pool, there is a museum! (I personally think most people are too distracted by the pool to realize there might be even more hidden treasures around). The museum is full of model ships, and the entire collection is scattered across the world in various other museums for public and private viewing. They also build and restore a lot of the models at this facility. The detail and care put into these models is almost obsessive, and the result is absolutely phenomenal. I’m so happy that I got the opportunity to go down and see them! But, that was only a small glimpse into the things that we did today!

Over the course of the week a few challenges had come up, and today we conceded to their requests and ran two head-to-head races!

They were really exciting, and all four submarines made it to the finish line without a hitch! We even had a surprise from behind, last second victory! Once the races were over and we got all the subs out of the water, it was time for the Dive Staff’s Challenge! Every year the dive staff come up with some kind of fun…activity..or challenge, for all of the teams to compete in as swimmers. This year the challenge that we came up with involved rubber duckies…lots and lots..of rubber duckies. We threw all the duckies out into the basin under the race supervisor’s perch. We had two swimmers from every team line-up on the beaches. The goal of the game? Most duckies back to the dive station wins!  The prize?  $500 to use on their next submarine! IT WAS HYSTERICAL! The water literally exploded after we said “Go!” Duck Race And the fun just kept going after that!

All this week we had been working with the Navy divers, and we had become pretty good friends with a few of them. Well, those divers made it their mission today to throw all of the dive staff into the pool! And………..they succeeded. Thankfully, they helped us all out..and we had spare clothes for the banquet!

The banquet was really nice. Right after it we moved into the auditorium, where all the speeches and awards were given. There was a TON of clapping as all of the groups were given recognition, and I was extremely surprised when I realized that some of it was for me! Us five dive staff actually got called by name to stand as the crowd clapped for us. It felt fantastic to be a part of this entire event. Once all of the awards and words were over, there was a bit of a meet and greet, where I was finally able to get introduced to Heidi Piper, the captain of the base! She also runs four other bases, and if her name sounds familiar, that’s because she’s been to a place few have gone before! ……..OUTER SPACE! She was an astronaut! And, she is an amazing woman. It was a privilege to meet her! All in all, this has been one heck of a unique experience, and I don’t know what my life aspirations will be in two year’s time, but I have a feeling I know where I will be the last week of June in 2013! 😀