I joined the dive team at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, WA, for a week of aquarium and field diving, trying new dive equipment, and learning about aquarium dive operations. For my first dive, I jumped into the chilly Northwest Waters habitat (pictured above), an aquarium hosting local species from the Puget […]

The COTS Problem Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) are fascinating creatures – boasting up to 21 spiny arms, they are the only venomous starfish species and are native to Indo-Pacific reefs. Adult COTS, which can grow up to 80cm (~30in) across, feed on coral and can eat up to 10 square meters (around 100 square feet) of […]

One of my goals for my scholarship year was to gain more experience in the world of kelp conservation and restoration. I had the incredible opportunity to join Dr. Scott Bennett and his team at the University of Tasmania for their annual marine park monitoring surveys. Dr. Bennett was a part of the team of […]

Aotearoa New Zealand is a biodiversity hotspot, home to over 80,000 species found nowhere else on Earth. The golden kelp forests found in the island’s coastal waters are under threat from an overpopulation of kina (the M?ori word for this native sea urchin, Evechinus chloroticus), which graze on kelp. Overgrazing turns the kelp forest into […]

Almost any diver will tell you that honing in on your buoyancy underwater is a constant learning process. The Avelo System, a new diving system, completely changes how you manage weight and buoyancy underwater. I had the exciting opportunity to try Avelo with Oahu Travel Divers during my visit to Oahu!  The Avelo System eliminates […]