“This one time I..”
“Really?! Well you should have been there when…”
Climb aboard a boat, walk into a conference, or even the office of anyone that works on the water, and you’ll hear these phrases along with “I have to tell you what happened.” Swapping sea stories is by far one of the most fun parts of being a marine biologist, and probably the most common method of connection. We may not all study the same elements in the ocean, but we do all have a story or two to share!
When you throw in the mother nature variable, you just never know what’s going to happen. As much as you prepare and plan, things change and you just have to go with it.
In this special TENTH episode, we dive into stories from the field, both my own and from other marine biologists. Stories can paint such colorful pictures with impactful lessons, and I hope that you get a little of both from this episode. Though things can, and invariably usually do, go wrong in the field, it’s all about how to overcome those obstacles and being able to think on the spot that really matters.
I hope these tales from the sea help shine a light on some of the more entertaining events that occur behind the scenes in marine biology. The moral of each story simply is: stay calm, think the situation through, and then get really really good at telling your story.
My action item for you today is simple, think about a time where things may have gone a little wonky in your life. It could have been a big event that got rained on, an accident that led to an interesting result, a weird field day that led to a lesson. Whatever it may be, what positive take away did you have from this snafu? Did you learn something valuable? Did things going wrong make the experience even better? I’d love to hear your insight as well as your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment below!
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Show Notes
1:00 exciting news
3:00 what scientific diving is
3:54 advice for those who are not yet dive certified
8:17 It’s surprising what you can catch in a net!
11:15 when your boss tells you terrifying stories about the site you need to dive that day
12:20 It’s amazing what you come across when you’re the first one on the beach in the morning.
15:00 why you always need to have fluids on the boat