I won't go into great detail about everything that happened in Alaska. A minor injury did occur that caused me to make a decision to forfeit the duration of the trip; However, it was still a great experience. If anything, it caused me to hone in on what I'm most passionate about. The sea and all of its diverse, marine species. When I arrived home from Alaska, I decided to complete my open water scuba instructor training. I was able to successfully accomplish the five part test consisting of dive theory, physiology, equipment, etc., two part exam about the standards and ethics of diving, confined water presentation(s), classroom presentation and open water presentation(s)/rescue scenario. I earned my way into the rank of scuba instructor which has been a five year goal of mine. The thing with scuba diving is that it takes time and experience to get to leadership roles. I couldn't be happier about this decision.
Since my IE (Instructor Exam), I have traveled to the Bahamas (The reef shark posted above was taken in the Exumas by Andrea Carlson). I traveled alone, like most of my adventures and met many wonderful people from South Africa, Canada and New York. The highlight of this trip was the shark feed. Although I have well over one hundred dives, I never saw a shark until this dive. Coming face to face, by what society would call a monster, was the best experience of my life. Locking eyes with this primitive species and putting my trust in 350 million years of instinct and evolution was an intense moment, but necessary by proving to myself and others that Condrichthyes are harmless to humans.
Ever since I became certified to dive in 2008, it caused me to consider my actions toward the environment. Becoming a conservationist was a necessary lifestyle change and also a reponsible one. For any human living in this epoch (Anthropocene), it would be irresponsible to not consider the natural world. It is well known that people protect what they love. You love your children, pets, materials, so you may take necessary action to protect them from those who want to impose harm; Therefore, you are an activist in that manner. But, let's go a little deeper into this thought. At this moment, on average, you have inhaled/exhaled about 30-40 times at 12 breaths per minute. Where does the gas that sustains life come from as you inhale 21% oxygen and exhale 16% oxygen? 20% of it is provided by the Amazon rainforest while the remainder is provided by other various sources (e.g. ocean, wetlands, forests, etc.). This can become very detailed, so I'm purposely keeping it basic at this moment. My point is, if people can be educated about the interactions of species in their environment, it would create a better understanding, thus instilling a love for the environment; Therefore, causing them to protect it. This is a great hypothesis, but to cause a mass of people to become passionate about it would take a little more than education.
Due to my passion of the natural world and scuba diving, it has led me to the point to pursue more than a B.S. in biology. In the near future, I will be scoping out graduate programs in the field of either ecology, or marine biology. This summer, I will be taking part in an exciting opportunity in Utila, Honduras. This opportunity will give more experience as a dive instructor and also train me as a biologist, since I will be working directly with a conservation group consisting of researchers and ecologists. I will continue to write more frequently about my progress and conservation of the natural world.
-Jonathan