My time spent studying coral reefs in Curaçao has helped me understand the day in the life of a marine biologist. The trip showed me underwater scientific research as a potential career; being able to work all day in a coral reef gets you lost in a different world. Though I was working most of the time I was underwater, I mainly enjoyed the trip for its sense of adventure. Biologists get to travel to places separated from civilization, and my dive sites were no exception. Coral reefs are often far from the beach, and I always found myself having to swim at least the length of a football field from the shore to begin my coral surveys. Our 8 day schedule was packed with things going on at every hour: we scuba dived during the day and had lectures at night. While diving three times a day is tiring, it was worth having that time to explore every area of reef. Time felt slow in the moment. However, I was wondering how it was my 22nd time in the ocean on my last dive. My ability to identify the corals and fish that resided at every site wasn’t easy, but learning 89 types of fish and 45 types of coral was necessary for me to collect population data at every location. Regardless, it pays off to know the components that make up a the marine ecosystem. The trip was filled with the satisfaction of hard work and I’m happy to say that I have found a new career route.
