Although I am sitting here in the warm tropics of the Caymans, today I want to take you all back to my currently freezing home region to talk about my favourite marine creature, the leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques, or ‘leafies’, as we call them back home). They are one of the three species of [...]
My absolute favourite animals in the entire animal kingdom (yes I do have a favourite) are the magnificent and exquisite manta rays. These angels of the ocean are the largest of all ray species, and from the moment I swam alongside my first manta ray, I fell completely head over heels in love. Never [...]
For reasons unknown, I am having a very hard time trying to figure out a subject for this blog, so I think I will keep things simple this time and write about something I know very well - myself. I want to write about how I made it here today as a marine biologist on diveLIVE; [...]
We all know the term ‘Crazy Cat Lady’, but have we heard of the Crazy Crustacean Queen? My self-appointed title has been brought to the foreground as the amount of invertebrates on the Caymanian reefs has blown me away. Invertebrates include any animal without a backbone, from wriggly worms to the flamboyant octopus and make [...]
Turtles: Are they really the coolest surfers in the sea? Last month we celebrated World Turtle Day on the 23rd of May; an awareness day that many probably don’t know exists. So why should we celebrate this day every year, or should I say ‘shellebrate’? This special day was devoted to both tortoises and turtles, [...]
Growing up, the movie Jurassic Park scared the living daylights out of me! Not only the questionable topless scene of Jeff Goldblum, but the possibility of prehistoric creatures eating me or my puppy. Fast forward to present day and my irrational fear may have increased since I find myself wandering the island with large prehistoric [...]
I was not born to swim - indeed my skill in the water thus far can be likened to that of driftwood i.e. able to float but poor at moving in one direction with any efficacy. So it was with some trepidation that I learned from the Madman for whom I work that I [...]
With increasing anthropogenic (human induced) stresses affecting the marine environment, there has been much focus placed on coral reefs and how they are being affected as a result; for good reason too. Despite only contributing 1% of the ocean’s surface area, the complex structures of coral reefs are home to an estimated [...]
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a marine biologist. Well, that’s not technically true. Originally, I wanted to be a mermaid but soon realised that wasn’t going to happen so I settled on marine biology instead. Little did I realise that one day I would step off a plane in Grand [...]
