12/10/09

#66: Dive Buddies - Fall Interns, Sammy and Kristen

Hi Blue and Happy Friends!

So we are seeing our last days as interns at the most wonderful and colorful organization in both of our whole worlds! Although, we will be back as volunteers for as long as we can. How could one go from hanging out with little burrfish and being caressed by Mystic, to then not? We remember our first days diving (Kristen was a good thirty minutes late to her check out dive ...), and how we were absolutely nervous to get into the Giant Ocean Tank (GOT) for the first time. We thought our ears would never adjust to the almighty twenty-three-foot depth. However, they eventually did! From then on, everything was 100% awesome.

(Click photos to enlarge.)

We had so many exciting experiences in and out of the GOT. For example, we saw necropsies of lookdown fish, trunkfish, porcupine fish and a little baby fresh water turtle. Sam went herring net collecting and handled the anacondas and Athena the octopus (who gave her cute little hickies). We also went to offsite holding tanks where we cared for young sharks and rays. Yet, one of our most memorable experiences was when we greeted over twenty juvenile green and Kemp's ridley sea turtles, who arrived at the Aquarium after beaching themselves on the Cape.

(Click photos to enlarge.)

You could say we never have an average, boring day here. Our favorite part of the day was obviously diving in the miniature ocean. Sometimes it was weird to see rain and snow outside right before we jumped into the 76-degree water.

(Click photos to enlarge.)

However, nothing can compare to when we fed our favorite fish. We loved it when some of them came right up to us--giving us their cute puppy eyes--and swimming away excitedly when we fed them. It was like we gave them the best birthday present ever.

(Click photos to enlarge.)

Nevertheless, we must say goodbye to our seven millimeter wetsuits, for now, and hand them off to the next group of interns. We would like to thank everyone who worked with us and put up with our shenanigans. Also, we want to thank the best supervisors in the universe. You were always playful, answered our millions of questions, and are fantastically passionate! It was inspiring and endlessly hilarious to work with you!

We miss you already; especially the 600 fishes who gave us kisses.

- Sam and Kristen

See photos of Sam (as an angelfish) and Kristen (as Where's Waldo?) diving in costume from the Aquarium's Fish, Fun and Fright event here. You can also read about the Aquarium's Summer and Spring interns.

Labels: Dive Buddies, GiantOceanTank, interns, kristen, sammy

7/10/09

#48: Dive Buddies - John H. Dives to the Wreck of the Andrea Doria

For me SCUBA diving is not just a job, but a way of life. So what am I doing when I'm not SCUBA diving in the Giant Ocean Tank? Diving out in the ocean of course! Over the past six years I've been training for one single experience - to dive on what's been called the "Mount Everest of SCUBA diving" - the wreck of the Italian cruise liner, Andrea Doria.

(Artist rendering of the current state of the Andrea Doria.)

Located deep in the cold waters of the Atlantic, 160 miles northeast of Long Island, the Andrea Doria is both a beautiful lady and a daunting challenge. A challenge I met on an expedition aboard the RV Garloo this past week.

(My dive buddy Micheal, a dive volunteer for NEAq, and I with enough gear for only two dives.)

(RV Garloo)

Armed with 200 lbs. of gear, five tanks filled with four different mixes of breathing gases (including a helium mix that makes me sound like Donald Duck), a lot of preparation, and a little bit of courage, I dropped off the side of the Garloo and down to 250' for a pair of visits to a piece of history.

(My game face.)

(This type of diving takes a lot of gear and putting it all on is a slow process.)

(It also takes a lot of help.)

(All that gear is heavy and cumbersome above water, but is actually pretty comfortable underwater.)

(And I'm away!)

(Doria, here I come...)

During the lengthy decompression process on the way back up to the surface, I reflected on how I had become one of only a handful of people to ever see this magnificent ship in her final resting place deep in the murky gloom, 250' below the relentless swells of the Atlantic.

(Getting out of the water is one of the hardest things.)

Still holding her 700' of luxury within her hull - mainly - she's a ship beyond normal comprehension, and she garners a humbling respect through her awesome presence. My trip was a homage to the majesty of such a vessel and a memorial to all the souls lost in one fateful day, and on subsequent ill-fated trips designed to uncover her secrets ...

Safe diving.

- John

Labels: Andrea Doria, deep sea diving, Dive Buddies, GiantOceanTank, John Hanzl, SCUBA, wreck

6/18/09

#46: Dive Buddies - Linda

Hi!
My name is Linda. I am a senior at Northeastern University and just finished up a spring diving internship for the Giant Ocean Tank after nearly two years of volunteering and co-oping for the New England Aquarium in the Penguin and Dive departments. I fell in love with marine biology as a kid and became determined to one day get involved in aquarium husbandry.

As an intern I've been able to do some incredible things: helping with freshwater stingray dips, transporting new fish from collecting trips to their galleries, building a new feeding bucket for our Kemps ridley sea turtle Scute, and best of all getting to feed fish and the stingrays on the 2:30 dive.

Naturally an internship involves a great amount of work along with the fun, it takes a lot of cleaning to keep everything running both in the tank and behind the scenes. If I'm not on the platform feeding Myrtle or the surface fish you'll find me in the kitchen cleaning our food prep stations or in the dive room helping with the upkeep of our changing area. Many different galleries use the dive food room and gear area for work in their own exhibits so cleaning is an ongoing project, perfect for interns with a passion for sparkling counters!

Now that my session has come to a close and the dive department begins to train the summer interns, I'm taking a short hiatus from the New England Aquarium to intern at the Two Oceans Aquarium of Cape Town, South Africa. During the months of July and August (their winter!) I will be working in one of only two aquariums in the world to have a live kelp forest exhibit, as well as many other fascinating exhibits including a colony of African penguins (native to South Africa and Namibia) and both an Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean exhibit displaying the diversity of marine life to be found on the coasts of this beautiful country.

African Penguin

South Africa is bordered by two distinct currents, the Agulhas on the east and the Benguela on the West, both transporting vast amounts of vital nutrients to a wide array of sea life along the African Coast. These names may sound familiar to you seeing as we have two African penguins at the Aquarium named after these currents. I look forward to visiting many places our colony is named after, such as the cape of Goodhope, Boulders Beach, Dassen and Robben islands and Saldanha bay!

In addition to my internship in the aquarium, I also hope to complete a personal dive in the area to experience first hand an infamous local: the white shark, a fish that has attained a rather unfair reputation around the world and actually plays an irreplaceable role in the food chain.

I anticipate many adventures to come from this trip and am so grateful to the staff of both the New England Aquarium and the Two Oceans aquarium for helping me make this final co-op of my undergraduate career a reality.

-Linda

Labels: Co-op Student, Dive Buddies, GiantOceanTank, interns, Linda, penguins, SCUBA

6/9/09

#45: Dive Buddies - Meet Enrique

Hello everyone, my name is Enrique Mauser, I am from Mexico City and a student at Northeastern University where I major in environmental science with a concentration in wildlife studies and a minor in biology. Currently I am in the midst of finishing my first Co-op semester here at the New England Aquarium which I am not looking forward to at all. As my last few weeks of working as a diver in the Giant Ocean Tank (GOT) rapidly approach, I look back and realize a few things.

Having the opportunity to work in the field that I am passionate about is great. This is a dream job for me, and it should be for everyone. I mean come on! I get to hand feed 8-foot-long sharks, 550-lb. turtles, stingrays so big that I could use as bed sheets, and eels with razor sharp teeth, among another 600 fish or so.

The people I work with are a huge plus in my experience here since they are not only my co-workers but also my friends. There are all sorts of personalities here at the Aquarium which makes for a great working environment since it never gets boring.

I also got to share my experience here with my family who came up from both Mexico and Argentina. My mom, being scuba certified, was able to come into the G.O.T with me which was awesome because going in there is so unique, it was nice sharing that with her.

I have learned so much about what interests me here at the Aquarium and I wouldn't have wanted to do anything else with my co-op time. Class is a great way to learn new things but there is nothing like having hands on experience to really get a feel for what life after college will be like. I will miss working around such great people and all the animals that reside in the GOT, but this is not the end of my New England Aquarium days.

-Enrique

Labels: Co-op Student, Dive Buddies, Enrique, GiantOceanTank, green moray eel, myrtle

5/7/09

#43: Dive Buddies - Meet Andrea

Hi!

My name is Andrea
As you may have read in the last blog post, Chris B. is taking the next 5 months off to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, which will lead him from California up through Oregon and Washington. During his absence I will be joining the Giant Ocean Tank dive team.

I was first introduced to the New England Aquarium as an Aquarium Guide Volunteer in 2003, where I have had the opportunity to talk thousands of visitors about all the amazing animals that call the aquarium their home. And in 2005 I got my first job at the Aquarium as a Program Educator. As a Program Educator I would to travel to schools with small tide pool animals. It was a lot of fun teaching the kids about these animals, and knowing that this day at school would probably standout in their memories for years to come.

In 2007 I became a Penguin biologist here at the New England Aquarium. Even though it is not the most glamorous job (most of the day you are scrubbing guano, or penguin poop), it is an amazing job where I get to work with more than 80 penguins who each have their own unique personalities, so every day is different and rewarding. I also have raised over 10 penguin chicks. Before working with the penguins I was a penguin colony volunteer for 3 years. (Check out this video of me on AquaKids talking about the penguins!)

This is not my first time in the GOT. As a penguin biologist I was cross trained in all the GOT feeding dives, so I already have over 30 GOT dives under my belt, including a fun dive during the aquarium's Halloween event Fish, Fun, and Fright. I incorporated my tank and BC (buoyancy compensator) as my "proton pack" and dressed up as a Ghostbuster. But I am very excited to get many many more dives under my belt and learn as much as I can about the over 600 individuals that call the GOT their home.

While I will miss my feathered friends in the penguin exhibit I am very excited for this great opportunity to help take care of the New England Aquarium's largest and very popular exhibit. The next time you are at the New England Aquarium stop by the top of the GOT and say hello.

- Andrea

Labels: Andrea, costumes, Dive Buddies, fish, fright, fun, GiantOceanTank, penguins

4/27/09

#42: Dive Buddies - Meet Chris B

Being a Giant Ocean Tank (G.O.T.) diver, as you can imagine, is a dream job. Diving in the tank, however, is only part of what I do here at the Aquarium. First off, I got my start back in 2005 as a penguin volunteer, so I still visit them from time to time, and help out with daily tray tasks and feedings. It takes effort to remember who's who, as the colony is constantly growing, but it's very fun and rewarding.

I received in-house dry suit dive training back in 2007, so that I could partake in outside collecting and off-site collection trips. I had a wonderful time this past Fall, during our Eastport collection trip, where we gathered specimens for the tanks of the coldwater marine gallery, one of which is where our giant pacific octopus resides.

While not underwater in Maine, I am the supervisor of 23 volunteers and interns of the G.O.T., most of which dive in the tank. It's a very fun part of my job, for we have a nice wide variety of personalities, ages and nationalities. The majority of them are in only one day per week, so every day is different!

Other minor things that I take care of include departmental purchasing (everything from shark vitamins to tile & grout brushes for scrubbing the reef), management of our walk-in freezer (storage for thousands of pounds of frozen seafood) and maintenance of the G.O.T. anodes (which prevent the tank frames from eroding).

We divers, and the sharks and turtles that we take care of, are very popular with the media. I have been on TV more this past 3 years than any period previously in my lifetime, and even made it in the Sunday Boston Globe. This is me with "Chronicle" host Anthony Everett, who is feeding Myrtle the turtle after interviewing me for their Odd Jobs piece.

If you've been following our blog, you know that we like our holidays here at the Aquarium. October brings my favorite event of the year - Fish, Fun, and Fright! I rally as many divers as I can, including volunteers, interns, co-ops and other staff, and partake in the fun myself. In 2006 I dressed as a sushi chef and chased the fish around with my fake wooden knife. I think I may have scared some kids. Last year I dressed as an astronaut (here's the video).

Previous to my employment with the Aquarium, I was a fisheries biologist in Alaska, helping the National Marine Fisheries Service in regulating our fishing industry. It was a tough job, but the experience was life-changing. I spent many months out on the Bering Sea, ultimately leaving this job and ending up in Boston because I met a girl--my wife Emily.

One of my passions is long distance running, and have started and finished the last 5 Boston Marathons, as well as NYC, Seattle, Arizona, Maine, Outer Banks, Chicago and Philadelphia. I hope to progress to ultra marathons and/or triathlons in the near future.

Hiking is also a passion of mine. In fact, so much so, that I am taking the next 5 months off to hike the Pacific Crest Trail with Emily. 2,655 miles through California, Oregon, and Washington. This will be my last post for awhile. If you want to follow our progress, you can access our personal blog via my profile page.

Happy Trails!

- Chris

Labels: Chris, Dive Buddies, divers, fish, fright, fun, GiantOceanTank, interns, volunteer

We go on several daily dives to care for the animals in the the Giant Ocean Tank (GOT), the Aquarium's signature exhibit. Follow our posts for the latest about GOT animals and other scuba stories.