How I Became a Marine Biologist Living in Hawai’i
Published on 7/25/24
Written by Jessica Colla
Let’s dive into how I became a professional marine biologist, living and working in Maui, Hawai’i! This blog is for anyone who is interested in learning more about the field of marine biology, or has been curious about what the lifestyle is like living in Hawai’i, as a professional working on the ocean.
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FIRST OF ALL …
My story is one of many. I know many marine biologists, and we have all had different journeys. Although I can’t speak to anyone else’s experiences, I can elaborate on my own.
I know from personal experience that being a marine biologist living on a tropical island near the ocean is a “dream lifestyle.” And, without a doubt, I love my job and my life very much.
DISCLAIMER: I think that there are many common misconceptions and misunderstandings that can be detrimental to the public perception about what it takes to be a marine biologist.
A dream job is not an easy job. Being a marine biologist is NOT EASY!
Not one of the marine biologists I know got to where they are today without hard work, persistence and perseverance for their career. Many of us have been through several years of education, worked rigorous hours in the field and lived in demanding or challenging environments. Getting started isn’t necessarily easy, but I can say that all the hard work is extremely rewarding. In hindsight I wouldn’t change a thing – despite the rough patches.
So, if you are looking for a job where you get to sit on the beach all day and sip a margarita while watching dolphins play in the waves … I think you might be looking at the wrong career path … 😅
IN THE BEGINNING:
I knew I wanted to work outdoors ever since I was a child. My family cultivated my love for the earth and its natural wonders from a young age. I was born and raised in central Illinois, probably one of the most land-locked states in the US. The closest thing we had to an ocean was the great lakes up north. But I was lucky enough to travel with my family. I got to experience other environments in other places, and learn about wildlife that was vastly different from our own.
Because of central Illinois’ isolation from the ocean, I found the ocean to be the most fascinating place of all. Being beneath the surface was like being on another planet, and I wanted to know everything. All there was to know about this beautiful place.
BACHELORS DEGREE:
Fast forward to my college years. I attended university in southern Virginia at a four-year college called Ferrum College. This is where I developed my foundational scientific skills, practical fieldwork and lab experience, and environmental knowledge. At the time, I was actually an Environmental Science major with a minor in Sustainable Tourism.
I REPEAT - I did not get my bachelors in Marine biology! (GASP!)
I was still far away from believing I could make a living by working on the ocean.
I actually did my undergraduate thesis, researching jaguars in the tropical rainforests of Belize! That’s a story for a different time. Moral here, you don’t necessarily have to major in Marine Bio to work with the ocean!
Performing a jaguar habitat survey in Belize for my undergraduate thesis - before I took the “plunge” into marine science!
MY FIRST INTERNSHIP:
After earning my bachelors, I needed more experience. I decided to take the plunge into the field of Marine Biology (pun intended!) by taking an internship in the Bahamas to survey coral reef health near Andros Islands.
Before that internship, I was hesitant to take an ocean-based job. I was a newly certified PADI Open Water Scuba Diver with very little experience in the water since. I knew this role would expect me to be in the water daily, not only diving, but also performing difficult tasks underwater to complete the surveys.
The fieldwork was rigorous; we dove every day, 3 times a day, and living in pretty rudimentary housing. (if you don’t believe me … we had a cold-water PVC pipe that doubled as our shower, we hand-washed our clothes in a small bucket outside on the step next to the hose, and we slept in sleeping bags under a mosquito net.) I took the internship to “see if I liked it,” with every expectation of not enjoying it. … and … I LOVED IT!
I became addicted to the underwater life. Diving every day was a dream. The underwater world was incredibly diverse and exciting.
Returning from a coral reef survey dive near Andros Island in the Bahamas - my first role as a scuba diver!
Although we surveyed the same areas all winter long, the scenery was always dynamic. The more I dove in a certain area, the more I noticed about that site. I recognized each fish that lived on my patch of reef. I learned their behaviors and observed interactions between individuals and their environment … it was just as engaging as the survey itself!
As I measured and documented the reef, I realized just how many tiny creatures lived amongst the corals, each one living in a symbiotic relationship with another. And it was always a little celebration back on the boat when the team spotted a rare or endemic species during surveys. Surveying in the Bahamas was brief, but it was life changing. It inspired me to pursue a life in marine sciences and to continue traveling the world to gain experience.
DIVING IN FIJI:
I moved to Fiji to continue pursuing a career underwater by focusing on scuba diving. I developed a marine education program for a remote scuba diving resort and gained experience as a professional dive guide and SCUBA instructor. I had more dive experience under my belt and I loved being underwater.
Designing an education program in Fiji was a pivotal experience.
Up until that point, I only had experience with marine wildlife found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean. I had to completely start over and learn Pacific Ocean species before I could even begin teaching. The fish families were the same but the species were so different!
It was in Fiji that I realized, just because I went to school to learn about science, doesn’t mean that everyone else wants to be lectured about scientific topics. I had to learn new and exciting ways to educate our guests about what they were seeing underwater, without sounding overly academic, and risk losing their attention.
So I took the time to get to know my audience at the resort. I took different ages and backgrounds into account and I designed all of my materials and specifically tailored it for them. Everything from evening talks on the conservation of Fiji’s sharks to playing reef bingo with the kids during a guided snorkel. It was so fun to come up with ideas that made my topics accessible to larger/diversified audiences, and even more rewarding when I saw those topics were understood and appreciated by them.
EPIPHANY ABOUT MARINE EDUCATION:
Teaching guests at the dive resort about the wildlife they were seeing on their dives was the first step towards my current career and the goal with Kaimana Conservation: marine science education and communication.
Up until that point, my commitment to a career in science was completely focused on designing and performing research. But I never took the time to focus on the last and arguably the most important part of the scientific process:
Disseminating the information I learned with a wider audience!
One of my favorite quotes is by David Attenborough; “No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they don’t understand.” Hearing that quote in context with what I was doing in public education was a huge wakeup call. If I wanted to see changes in the world and promote conservation, I needed to inspire people to care first. And I now had the power to create tools for them to learn.
MIGRATING TO MAUI:
I decided to pursue my role as a marine educator after my ‘light bulb moment’ in Fiji. I completed my dive instructor certification and moved to Maui where I became a marine naturalist for a boat company on the island. I educated guests about the wildlife of Hawai’i during whale watches and snorkel trips.
I loved communicating with visitors about the importance of the ocean and its inhabitants!
The company I worked with focused on informal education as a foundation to their experience, which I loved. During snorkel trips, we focused on the Hawaiian coral reef ecosystem. During whale watching trips, we covered everything from anatomy, behaviors, social interactions, and current conservation efforts of resident humpback whales. Working on boats in Maui also gave me the experience that I needed to be a better crew member and an efficient deckhand on all different sizes of vessels.
Not only did I love the work, but I also loved the location. Unlike other places I had lived, Maui was the perfect combination of North American comforts and the exotic lifestyle of a South Pacific Island. For the first time in several years, I had access to nearby resources like grocery stores and gas stations. I had access to amenities like hot water in my shower … yes, at the time that was a luxury I had gone without!
I knew that Maui was perfect in every way for myself & my cAREER goals!
GRADUATE SCHOOL IN AUSTRALIA:
REALITY CHECK! Shortly after moving to Maui, I realized that unless I went back to university for a higher degree, I would never earn enough money to afford the lifestyle on Maui that I wanted. So I made a difficult decision: leave my new home and spend the next 2 years earning my Masters degree.
I was accepted to complete my Masters in Sydney, Australia. I moved to Sydney with only 2 suitcases and a backpack. While attending, I met so many inspiring people who came from all walks of life. Everyone was motivated to learn about the ocean and had different and creative ideas on how to conserve it. Everyone was brilliant in their own way and I’m honored to say that I’ve maintained many friends and colleagues from my time there.
My master’s research at USYD was on the Crown of Thorn Seastar, a coral-eating species that is causing detrimental impacts on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
It was exciting to study these animals because I had seen them before on both Fiji and Maui and was already aware of their impacts. It was a great experience and I really felt the relevance of that research in current marine conservation efforts throughout the Pacific.
I graduated from the University of Sydney with a Master’s degree in Marine Sciences and Management.
RETURNING TO MAUI:
I now live back on Maui, where I work as the Education Director at the Maui Ocean Center. I managed a wonderful team of marine naturalists, who teach guests about the importance of the ocean and the connection between ocean, it’s inhabitants, and Hawaiian culture. The aquarium setting allows everyone the opportunity to see Hawaii’s wildlife, and to make marine science approachable to everyone, regardless of age or background.
Now more than every, I feel that I can be instrumental in teaching the public about the importance of the ocean and use the tools I’ve accumulated over time to accomplish it. Every single part of my experience from then to now has provided the knowledge, experience and motivation to be where I am today.
Is your journey into a career into marine science and ocean conservation different? Let us know in the comments! 🤿🌊💙
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