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Sadly its my final day at the National Aquarium, luckily however I got to squeeze in some fun things in the time I had remaining. I started the day meeting some of the aquarium’s husbandry experts, giving them a hand preparing food for the animals in the Blacktip Reef. Because there are so many different species in each exhibit, they all have their own array of feeding strategies. For example, the larger animals like the sharks in this exhibit are all target or hand fed, that way the aquarists can track which individual is eating, as well as how much. It was super interesting to see how the sharks were fed, especially since one of the zebra sharks has vision issues. They counter this by using a pole with metal prongs, which is able to guide the shark to where the aquarists can hand feed it!

Once the zebra sharks are fed, its time for the Blacktips. These sharks are fed using longer poles to hold the food, since they have a much different style of feeding. The five sharks in the exhibit all took turns feeding, and then the rest of the fish were fed using a mixture of chopped fish and more traditional food being dispersed on the surface! The aquarists make sure to give a great mix of fish, pellets, and other supplements to ensure the fish get all the vitamins they could need for a busy day of swimming around.

After feeding all of the animals in Blacktip Reef, we were off to retrieve a fish who was having an operation. One of the smaller fish in the aquarium had an injured jaw, and today he was getting it fixed! The aquarists gathered up the fish, as well as an ample supply of fresh water and then we brought it all over to the medical area. Here I got to watch as the veterinarian and techs anesthetized the fish, did their exams, and then operated super swiftly so they could wake him back up. The procedure did not take too long as all, and they were able to hopefully fix his jaw for good!

 

Holly and I had a nice lunch, and then it was time for my last event here at the aquarium. The National Aquarium has an exhibit named Shark Alley, which houses multiple species such as nurse sharks, sand sharks, sand tiger sharks, one ray, and today’s focus: the Largetooth Sawfish! For their job today, three of the aquariums staff divers would head into the exhibit (with partitions in place to separate the sharks from the divers), and make their way closer to the sawfish, with a goal of acclimating him to divers in the water. If the sawfish is more comfortable around divers and the noise their SCUBA gear creates, it can make it much easier to handle him in the event he needs to be moved or any other circumstance where a diver would be in the water. The divers works slowly and patiently, carefully not to approach too fast, and after a while they were able to get relatively close to the sawfish, and stay there for a moment. The dive was a success! While the animal is not yet super comfortable with people in the water, every experience like this can grow his comfort level.

My week at the National Aquarium with Holly and Billy has been absolutely amazing, and I cannot thank them enough, Holly and Billy were wonderful hosts, and I am so glad I could spend time getting to know them. Thank you to all of the staff and volunteers at the National Aquarium who made my week so interesting and fun!

 

We started today at a different location! Today I got to tour the National Aquarium’s Animal Care and Rescue Center (or the ACRC). The ACRC is a state of the art facility which is responsible for housing and treating any incoming animals, putting them through a quarantine process to ensure their health and that of other animals in an exhibit. The ACRC also treats any animals which have become injured or sick in their exhibit; which ids exactly what I got to observe today!

After a quick tour around the building and meeting some of the personable patients, such as Pecorino the Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle, I got to tag along while the staff headed to the aquarium’s main building to pick up a fish who had injured himself on a piece of decor. The fish was picked up and transported back, then he was swiftly given medication and placed in a nice tank for him to recover in!

The next thing in store at the ACRC was turtle exams! Some of the turtles being held in the building needed their general check ups, so I got to see how the process works, and some of the details and strategies vets use when dealing with specific species. I had never contemplated being a veterinarian before this, however it was definitely an intriguing process to watch and learn from!

Next on the docket for today was sadly my last dive at the aquarium. I got to join a group of the aquariums volunteers to dive in the Blacktip reef Exhibit and help with scrubbing the rock and coral decor. Scrubbing the exhibit is important because a biofilm can form on the material, as well as a buildup of miscellaneous debris. Prior to the dive the entire team was given a safety briefing, discussing any possible hazards during the dive and more, and then we were off!

During the dive we focused on a specific area while cleaning, and it was fun to find pieces of decor that the fish called home! We cleaning for about an hour, using a set of brushes on specific parts of the exhibit, and enjoying the company of the sharks that would swim by and the onlookers through the aquarium windows.

Thank you again to Holly for taking such cool photos! Diving in these exhibits has been amazing.

For my third day, I got to see a much different perspective of working at the aquarium! To start the day I got to watch three of the assistant dive safety officers all work together to clean the Blacktip Reef using a pressure washer. It’s was super impressive to see how well the entire team functions, doing a mix of training each other as well as guaranteeing each other’s safety while one of them is in the water! The pressure washer provides a much deeper clean than sending in divers with a brush, much like using a water pick when brushing your teeth. However, it has to be done in the morning before any viewers show up since it can make the water slightly cloudy.

Once the tank was clean for the day, I got to spend some time with the aquarium’s registrar. The Registrar is responsible for record keeping throughout most of the aquarium’s facilities, such as animal care, transport, cleaning, and so much more. We got to spend some time organizing a ton of old files from some of the aquarium’s first years of operation, and it was interesting to see how resourceful some of the first veterinarians and aquarists were when finding ways of treating these animals, when minimal research had been done. After we organized a ton of files, they were put aside to eventually be digitized and scanned into the aquariums library.

The next part of my day was one of the most unique. I got to take a tour through the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (or IMET). The IMET building works in conjunction with the National Aquarium as a center for research and development, and in the aquariums case, the home of their jellyfish lab! At this lab, the majority of the Aquariums exhibited jellyfish are born and raised. While we walked around the lab and the technician explained some of the  minutiae that goes into jellyfish care, it was clear that it took a ton of time and attention to detail to make sure they had the right amount of food, space and even the right shaped habitat! We finished up our tour around the lab, and then we headed back to the main exhibits to dive!

Our dive today was quite special, the aquarium was hosting researchers from the University of Maryland as they worked on a project relating to dive physiology. While I was not personally involved in the study, it was super fun to see how the process worked, and I even got to take some more photos during the dive!

Thank you again to Backscatter for providing such a great setup to use!

After a fun day at the aquarium, Holly and her husband were kind enough to take me around Baltimore and show me some of the city’s highlights like Camden Yard!

Today was a super fun day checking out the other massive tank at the National Aquarium. Our day started nice and early so that the dive team could test some of the safety measures around the dive-able locations. One of the places we checked in on was the aquarium’s dolphin exhibit. I was so surprised to see them swim right up and check on what we were doing!

Once all of the safety tests were completed, we went off to dive. Guided by one of the aquarium’s assistant dive safety officers, I got an amazing tour of the Black Tip Reef (BTR) tank. The BTR is an award winning exhibit which houses over 60 species of marine animals based out of Indo-Pacific Reefs, and my personal favorite shark species, the zebra shark! While swimming around, my guide pointed out some key points and animals to see in the exhibit, such as two different species of wobbegong. The zebra sharks were super cute playing in our bubbles when we got near, and I loved the dive. Thanks to Holly for taking photos of us during the dive!

After the dive, we went over some basics about how these exhibits are cleaned, especially the decor which can be either soft or hard artificial coral, and the best tools for each job.

Next, I had the privilege of shadowing a few aquarists who work on the other exhibits around the aquarium. My first stop was to one of the more reef-based exhibits, in which I got to see how the aquariums are maintained and filtered through a plethora of steps, including biological, chemical, and physical filtering methods, as well as water balancing treatment. I also got to help with some live coral maintenance! Some of the Branch coral was growing too close to another species, and if it wasn’t fragged (cut and relocated), it could threaten the other species. This was a super fun project, and being able to work hands on with coral species was such a unique experience!

After we finished up with the coral, I moved over to the aquariums Maryland: Mountains to the Sea exhibit, where they showcase a ton of local species and how their diversity changes from freshwater to marine environments! Here I got lucky enough to see how they feed the animals inside, and the importance of a balanced and proper diet. These dietary concerns can be incredibly important for the juvenile and baby animals, since their diet can be highly based on the size of the food provided.

Being able to observe and help throughout the day was so interesting and insightful, and I can’t wait for the next day! Thanks again to Holly, the National Aquarium, all of the workers who take the time to show me around, and the Boston Sea Rovers for making this all possible!

 

For my first day at the Aquarium, I got to do two dives in their Atlantic Coral Reef tank! The tank is a large ring that allows guests to walk up and down within the tank, providing a super dynamic environment for guests, as well as a fun diving experience. For our first dive, Holly and I had some quick work to do inside, taking quick measurements of the tanks structure for an upcoming project. For this task, wrist slates came in handy so that we did not have to memorize measurements and not have any excess gear dangling for the animals inside to become interested in. After our tasks were done, we got to swim around though some of the exhibits swim-throughs, and then practice a few fundamental skills to ensure safety when swimming in the exhibits. It was super cool to see all of the animals in the exhibit, especially their reef shark named Sophie, and a green moray names Floyd!

After we finished the dive, I got to spend some time with another member of the aquarium staff who gave me an incredible tour of the aquariums exhibits, highlighting some of the important features of exhibits, especially those of concern for any dive staff. The National Aquarium has exhibits ranging from Australian wildlife, to sharks, and even a jellyfish exhibit. Following the tour, we went over some important onboarding training for their volunteers and staff, such as the types of work divers can do, as well as key safety points when working with and around compressed air systems.

Holly and I had a nice lunch packed from the day prior, and then it was time for dive number 2! On this dive a number of volunteers would be scrubbing the artificial coral in the exhibit, so I get to bring a camera in and practice my camera skills!

I would like to give a huge thank you to BackScatter Underwater Photography and Video, they generously provided my with an entire camera rig to use in order to document my summer! The kit included an Olympus TG-6 as the primary camera, as well as a set of Sea&Sea Strobes, Light and Motion Video Lights, and an assortment of hardware. Thanks to their generosity I will be able to provide images of my experiences underwater, and learn a ton about underwater photography!

Prior to these dives, I had not used a dedicated underwater camera rig, so this was the perfect environment to practice! I was able to manipulate the lighting and settings on the camera, gradually getting more comfortable with the system as the dive went on. The TG-6 is super simple to use underwater, and allowed me to take some cool photos (even with myself using it)! We were able to spend about an hour swimming around and practicing, this was a great start to the week!

Thank you so much to both the National Aquarium, Holly Bourbon, and BackScatter Photo and Video for an amazing start to the week!

For my first adventure out of New England, I get to fly to Maryland and spend a week with Holly Bourbon at the National Aquarium! The national aquarium is a staple of Baltimore, and has been around since the early 1980’s! It runs as a nonprofit devoted to inspire conservation, diversity, and inclusion. Holly is the Director of Dive Programs at the aquarium, and has ample experience working in these environments.

My flight into Baltimore was relatively short and easy so I got in nice and early with plenty of time to adjust and take in Baltimore. Once we arrived at Holly’s house, I was able to unpack and get comfortable, then it was too the pool! Before hopping in I was able to put my pool cleaning skills to use, and then enjoy the water! It was nice to get in the water and relax before an exciting week at the aquarium.

The next morning Holly’s husband and I got to enjoy a nice morning watching a baseball game, and then went for a hike around the local reservoir. The weather was perfect for the day, and the views did not disappoint either. We walked all along the waterline, seeing huge decades-old trees that had fallen, and even got visited by a few dogs on a stroll as well!

Holly and Billy told me all about Maryland while we walked, and it was a nice way to get to learn more about the state and them as well! After the hike we returned home, and I was able to prep for the day ahead.

Today I got to help out and observe how the MA Division of Marine Fisheries goes about sampling certain species of fish. I met with Vin Malkoski, and two other workers in order to launch the boat. The plan for the day was to pull up five fish traps throughout the bay, and take samples of Tautog fin spines which could later be used to find the age of the fish. So, we headed off into buzzards bay, and found the first trap!

When we arrived at a trap, Vin would start by pulling it onto the boat with a hauler. This was always exciting to watch, because we never knew exactly what was going to be in the trap! The first trap we pulled up had the most eclectic group of fish; It had not only our target tautog, but also a flounder, a spider crab, and even a toadfish! Vin told me that they can have an attitude, but I thought he was a pretty cute fish.

Once the trap was on the boat, one of the workers would sort of the fish, making sure any Tautog that were pulled up were both grown enough for sampling, as well as not recaptured from a previous sample batch. Once the right fish we’re sorted, their spine was clipped, stored, and labeled for review later on. We went through this process four more times, and eventually we had all the samples we needed. Before heading back to shore however, we needed to refuel the boat, and then load up for the next days work. We pulled up next the the pier, first unloading the traps from today, and then loading up with buoys that will be getting set tomorrow.

The next day Vin and I met at the marina again, but today I got to join him and Dr. Greg Skomal. Dr. Skomal is a Senior Fisheries Biologist at the Division of Marine Fisheries, and an accomplished explorer photographer and author. Dr. Skomal’ s goal for today was to launch the buoys which we had loaded onto the boat the day before. These buoys are equipped with an acoustic device which receives a signal from acoustically tagged sharks, and later provide data to Dr. Skomal, as well as the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy about shark position and movements! On our way to the coast of Cape Cod, I was able to practice steering the boat, and get used to navigating out on the ocean. Thank you Vin for all of the guidance! While we were under way, we got super lucky and saw a pretty big leatherback sea turtle too! Once we arrived at our first site, we immediately began to see seals by the hundreds along shore.

We started to get to work placing buoys, first we would attach the buoy to a mushroom anchor, then make sure the chain was in place to deploy without getting caught or tangled, and finally tossing the anchor into the water. We went through this process multiple times, leaving these buoys along the coast. On our last buoy, it started to rain, so I got to don the foul weather gear, and tossed the last anchor into the water. After the work was finished, we began the steam home. In all it was a great day, and I am so thankful to both Vin and Greg, as well as the Division of Marine Fisheries. 

 

Today I got to work with Vin Malkoski, and the Division of Marine fisheries (DMF)! The DMF is a body of government which manages the states commercial and recreational fisheries, as well as other marine environments and communities. Vin is the Senior Biologist as well as the Dive Safety Officer for the DMF. I met with Vin at the DMF in order to firstly get a tour around his office, as well as to prep the boat for today. The goal was to visit 3 different coastal sites, taking both water and samples of quahogs from each site. Quahogs are a type of hard clam, and a staple for most New England seafoods! While walking through the building, we met up with Neil, who would also be helping out today.

The first thing we needed to do was load up the boat and attach the trailer to the truck, Vin and Neil helped show me the steps, and once our gear and the boat was loaded, we were off. The first site was the easiest to sample, Vin and I both got dressed up, and then waded into chest deep water with rakes and bags to collect the samples. While we were raking for the quahogs, I asked Vin what the samples were going to be used for. These samples were apparently going to be used to test the PCB levels in the water. PCB’s are carcinogenic chemicals released from nearby industrial processes. Once Vin and I got our samples, we headed back to shore to move to the next site!

The second site required use of our tin boat, so we launched it from a boat ramp and were on our way. At this site, Vin and I used SCUBA gear to search in around 10-15 feet of water, while Neil provided support from the boat. Vin and I hoped in and were able to find all our of samples relatively easily. It was interesting how many of the quahogs were sitting right on the surface instead of being buried into the substrate. In order to get back on the boat, we had to remove our gear, and climb over the edge. I had never done this before so I’m sure it wasn’t graceful, but definitely a learning experience!

The final site we had to sample from was definitely the most interesting! While it didn’t require SCUBA gear, the sediment at the bottom was so fine we had to wear our fins like snowshoes so we didn’t sink into it! Vin and I looked for a while, eventually finding all of the samples we needed, and not loosing out fins to the quicksand-like silt. Due to how fine the silt was, this was definitely the most time consuming part of the day, and messiest for sure! In all it was still super interesting and enjoyable to take part in the more laborious parts of science, and learn all the while.

Once we had completed the work at all three sites, we drove back to the Division of Marine Fisheries, and got to work cleaning the mud we had brought back onto the boat. We then made sure all of the samples were tagged and secured so for transport, and the day was done. Thank you so much to Vin and Neil for a fun and insightful day, and a special thanks to Neil for the photos!

 

 

To finish off an amazing week with Rick Simon, I got to join him and a number of  experienced divers on a trip to the Grecian! The Grecian was a 263 ft long freighter that sank a few miles of the coast of Block Island in the 1930’s. The entire crew met at Ricks boat, loaded up, and then headed off for the ride. On the boat was a ton of super experienced divers who I could learn so much from, so I took every opportunity to listen and observe everything they did and told me. the ride out to Block Island was super calm, and the water looked like glass. I couldn’t have asked for a better day on the water!

On the previous day, Rick an I had gone through the entire process of planing the dive, including comprehensive gas planning, as well as the missions for each dive. Once we arrived at the site, Rick and his father Eric were able to anchor the boat perfectly in place on the wreck, and it was time to get suited up! Most of my diving has been shore diving of the coast of Jamestown, RI, so boat diving on such a unique site was really exciting. Rick and I got in the water, and descended down a line until we reached the wreck of the Grecian. The visibility at the bottom was at least 25ft, and I was impressed to say the least. Before swimming around and exploring, we placed strobes on the anchor line as a method of communicating who was still diving on the wreck in the event anyone got separated. Then it was time to explore! Rick has me practice running a line with the wreck reel he had given me, and we began to swim around. The wreck itself was no longer intact, but instead splayed out with some note-able features such as the large boilers or the props still discernible. While swimming, Rick was able to find an artifact from the wreck, however it was concreted in, so he was unable to recover it on this dive. After exploring for a while, we returned to the line and ascended to do our safety stop. This was such a cool first dive, and I couldn’t wait to get back in for number two.

During our surface interval we enjoyed lunch cooked by Rick on the grill, as well as snacks brought by everyone else. After a little over an hour, we got ready to go in for our second dive. On this dive, the plan was to install a new mooring on the wreck in order to make it more accessible for other divers!

Once we descended on our second dive, Rick brought the mooring over to a sturdy central section of the wreck, and bolted the mooring around so that it would not move or break free from the wreck. After this was done we swam around to explore the wreck some more, this time swimming between the boilers, and eventually swimming over to the propeller which was mostly buried in the sand. Rick was able to take some photos on this dive; after over 30 minutes at the bottom, it was time to end the dive. These two dives were super cool learning opportunities, and I was super comfortable throughout both dives thanks to my Fourth Element Hydra. Thank you so much to both Rick, Shoreline Diving, the Boston Sea Rovers, and everyone else on the boat for making this such an exciting first week!

 

Today, instead of meeting at Ricks Boat for a day of work, we met at his house to drive to a new site for the day. On the way Rick bought us a great snack to get us ready for the day ahead. Shoreline’s Job for the day was to find, free, and relocate an aerator in a lake. One of the environmentalists explained that the purpose of these devices was to create turbulence in the water column using bubbles in order to prevent a strong thermocline from forming in the lake. Because there is no thermocline, the lake doesn’t have any anoxic environments forming, and therefore no issues with dead zones! The work for today would require coordination between 2 other parties, and safety would be crucial, given that Rick and his crew would be moving large and heavy objects through the air and in water with multiple boats.

The First step would be to locate the aeration tank by tracing the bubbles it releases into the water, once this was done, Rick was able to suit up and free the aerator from its anchor on the lakebed. The aerator had apparently settled into the silty bottom, so it required rick to dig his way through in a sense. This was super cool to watch from the surface since it required that Rick exited the tank as soon as he unbolted it, prior to it ascending. Since the tank was filled with air, as soon as it was unhooked, it began to ascend and it even breached the water!

Now that the aeration tank was freed, the new concrete block that acted as an anchor had to be moved into place. To do so it was placed into the water with a crane, and supported using multiple 2,000 lb lift bags so that it could be easily towed into place. The aeration tank and anchor were then aligned together, and the anchor was slowly lowered so that the two pieces could be connected. Lowering the untied piece took coordination to empty and release the lift bags, but the Shoreline team was able to do it with a hitch!

Observing Rick and his entire team work throughout the day highlighted the importance of safety, as well as when to use the right tool for the job. This was a super cool project to observe and there are so many steps I never would have thought about. Thank you so much to the entire Shoreline team for letting me observe and help out whenever possible!