Why did you decide to study marine biology?

I was in elementary school, probably 2nd or 3rd grade, sitting in the library with nothing to do, quite bored. I decided to take a browse in the science section, because my interest in the fiction available at the time was low. As I sifted through, I stumbled across this encyclopedia of different shark species and some surface level facts about them. Immediately, it caught my attention and I soon found myself enthralled with their nature. I thought they were the coolest thing I had ever seen.

So, I loved sharks for a long time (still do), and my parents knew all about it. This then prompted them on the every-other-year family vacations to take my sister and I to different aquariums and snorkeling. I paid particular attention to all of the fish I saw, as they were most similar to my then favorite animal. One instance I remember like it was yesterday, was walking into a room with a replica megalodon jaw. I literally could not believe something of that stature existed. My parents for sure had to drag me out of the room.

That is in essence what piqued my interest. Though, I come from a family that values safety in careers, so I was pushed towards jobs within the medical field, engineering, law, etc. However, in senior year of high school, I came to the realization that I would probably be quite unfulfilled with most of the options presented to me. So, I thought about the things that I loved, and the ocean was on the top of my list, so I started on this path and have not looked back since.

Now that I am a little more sophisticated and don’t just like the ocean because “sharks are cool”, I would say my absolute favorite thing about marine life is simply how different most of it is from us. I likely found sharks so interesting because of the fact that they are shaped like torpedoes and have jaws filled to the brim with rows of serrated teeth. Though, I have since veered away from just sharks, and now am primarily interested in invertebrates, which as you likely guessed, is because they are even weirder and more unique from humans than sharks are.

Was there a standout factor about the UW program that made you want to study here?

I had heard from several people that UW was a great place to study Marine Biology. My personal standout factor is simply that it is so close to the Puget Sound. This has obvious practical applications, like lots of research being done in the local area, and going on trips for classes would be easy. However, it really is the beauty of this city that has sealed the deal for me. Being able to see vast bodies of water and mountains at the same time? I can’t really think of another city inside the US this beautiful.

I am a big-time hiker and backpacker so it’s nice to be so close to so much nature. I am also a Washingtonian by birth, so living close to family and friends is always a plus.

Tell us some more about how your interest in scuba diving began?

Scuba diving is a relatively new hobby for me, as I only obtained my Open Water certification in mid-august of 2023. However, in just the three months I have been diving I have completed 25 dives and can for sure say I’m in it for life. It quite literally is a different world down there. Every square inch of every surface is just teeming with life, and a good portion of the time I have no idea what I am looking at. On my first few dives, I was typically pretty tunnel visioned because of the new environment and all of the equipment I had to learn to manage, so I only saw the big things like the rockfish, lingcod, anemones, crabs, etc. However, the more comfortable I got, the more there was. I begin to see nudibranchs, snails, smaller crustaceans, octopus, wolf eels, and pretty much anything that is either small or likes to hide. Every time I dive, I see more, which is so exciting. My buddies underwater will sometimes get annoyed with me because of how much I am tugging on their fins to show them the little things I see in different nooks and crannies. It really has made me appreciate the invertebrates much more. Being able to see their unique physiology up close in the flesh is really something special. They also outnumber vertebrates by a long shot, so there is just so much more to look at.

While all of the critters are pretty, and that is a good portion of the reason I go diving, the other big factor is seeing how these animals interact with each other and the environment is breathtaking. I will patiently watch the rockfish eyeing the unsuspecting crustacean or fish and watch as it makes a strike and lands itself a meal. Or, the small schooling fish darting out of the way of the lofty lingcod, which is making its rounds across the artificial reef. Or, simply, the nudibranch which has placed itself upon a blade of kelp and is munching away happily. Within my future studies, I hope to focus on ecology, specifically creature-creature and creature-environment interactions in the face of the climate crisis, so watching it first-hand brings me great joy. I am so grateful to be fortunate enough to be able to afford such a technical and expensive hobby. In the future, I hope to break into technical diving, specifically closed-circuit rebreather diving and cave/wreck diving.

What led you to being involved in setting up a new club for other students?

The story of how the scuba club started is funny from my point of view, because the day I got certified, I looked for local clubs and specifically if UW had one. I figured they must since there is so much diving to do around here. There was a club, however it was mainly abandoned and primarily existed as the Underdawgs facebook page. I then asked myself why don’t I just start one? A couple of weeks passed and I was still not sure where to start, when a student named Elena advertised a brand-new scuba club to my oceanography class. So, I immediately got into contact with her, and I am now an officer.

Dalton Blackwell

I am really passionate about this club because I would love it if everyone got the chance to experience scuba diving in the Puget Sound, especially those studying animals. It really adds depth (pun intended) to one’s studies, which I personally think is extremely important. We are currently in the face of some logistical challenges that diving requires. Primarily, expenses and travel. Scuba diving is expensive and is extremely gear heavy. Not many people can afford the gear, have a place to put it, and the means to transport it. We are currently working on finding dive shops who will offer cheaper classes for large class sizes and finding a solution for traveling the gear and people cheaply and reliably.

Have you taken part in any other opportunities that you would like to share?

I just began my junior year so I haven’t yet had the opportunity to participate in any research projects or internships, but I would love to work in a lab that focuses on invertebrates, fish, and ecology. I volunteered at the aquarium this summer as an interpreter and did it consistently for a few months. It is an absolute pleasure to be able to interact with the community in such a safe and inclusive environment, but I ended my interpretation this fall as I believe it was not the role for me.

I hope to apply as a volunteer diver in the future once I have the prerequisite training and experience. I am very excited for this summer, as I will apply to Friday Harbor Labs in the hope of being part of the Marine Subtidal Ecology course. This course allows one to do their own research project, involving either snorkeling or scuba diving as the primary sample collection method. This is exciting obviously as I will get to dive a lot, but also because I will get to participate in research and earn both a rescue diver certification and an AAUS scientific diving qualification.