The ocean is a vast, mysterious, and beautiful place. Underwater creatures get the opportunity to grow to extreme weights and lengths compared to us terrestrial animals. Could you imagine walking down the street and seeing 12 foot long crab pass by you by?!
See how Scuba Steve compares to some of the GIANTS OF THE DEEP 😀
As a marine biologist, I can’t even begin to list the amount of times I gleefully screamed or screeched underwater when I saw something astounding right before my own 2 blue eyes. Some underwater face to face encounters that stand out are: having a whale shark come straight towards me in Mexico, a giant cuttlefish staring at me in Australia, and multiple manatees in Puerto Rico. Heck, I couldn’t even form a sentence when I saw a huge manatee moving underneath me!
Yes, I totally was that nerd who sat on the floor in-front of the TV a couple of years ago after the Super Bowl to watch the first footage of a live giant squid caught on camera. And of course, I shed tears of happiness because cephalopods are some of my favorite animals on the entire planet. If there is ever an opportunity for me to go into a submersible 1000’s of feet below the surface, YOU BET I WOULD BE ON THAT SUCKER IN AN INSTANT!
So when I saw this video yesterday, I knew I would have gone just as crazy as one of those scientists operating the ROV. Can you imagine starting at a screen for HOURS and even DAYS just hoping that something interesting passing in front of your camera and lights 600m underwater? Then, BOOM! Check out what puts on quite a little show for these researchers 🙂 (Here’s the article if you want to read it as well)
http://vimeo.com/chanelhason/dolphins This happened after a couple boat dives off the coast of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. On our way back to the marina, the captain spotted a pod of dolphins swimming in front of us. As we got closer, they started to play in the wake of the boat. Soon, the boat slowed down to a stop. My friend Sara asked the captain if we could hop off the back of the boat and get a closer look at the dolphins. He was hesitant to say yes, mostly because he didn’t want to get our hopes up, since often the dolphins immediately swim away when people jump into the water with them. BUT- we took the risk 🙂 I only had my dive fins, and I didn’t want to fuss with putting my booties on, so I just grabbed my mask, no snorkel, and jumped into the open sea with my GoPro. WOW. All I kept saying was:
I had no other words. I was speechless. It was a moment that compares to no other. They were Atlantic spotted dolphins, which I had never seen before in the wild. You can see that the older dolphins had more prominent spotting, and the younger ones were more uniformly grey with less spots. They were BEAUTIFUL. One of the most amazing things about swimming with them was listening to their clicks and whistles underwater – the sounds were so magnifying! They were swimming in small groups of up to 3-5 individuals, and bouncing between one person floating in the ocean to the other. They swam amongst us for at least 15 minutes (which felt like an eternity). I honestly didn’t want to get out of the water. Yes, I did understand that I was interacting with wild animals. Dolphins do sometimes show aggression towards humans (it’s been video documented). But, in all reality, if I had to get hurt by something in the ocean, I wouldn’t be ashamed if it ended up being a dolphin. Luckily, the dolphins we encountered were very friendly and curious, just like the fascinated humans staring back at them in the water.
If you stop and observe your surroundings once in a while, you’ll notice that you are indeed surrounded my hundreds of living organisms. You might be swapping one, stepping on one, smelling one, or feeling one brush against your body as you are walking down the street.
The environment utterly fascinates/boggles/excites my brain. Whether it be geology, hydrology, ecology, biology, physics, or chemistry, you can consistently learn new things every day by watching the world around you. .
I came across this video last week and my mouth literally dropped open in amazement. Sit back and expand this video to fill your screen..trust me..it will be worth it!
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G’Day Mates! We are starting the final 24 hours before Australia’s Best Job in the World Top 3 Finalists for each job are announced (AHHH!). Needless to say, I am filled with a multitude of different emotions. This process has been so amazing thus far, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I will go more into all those emotions and experiences in the next post, so be on the look out for that! I wanted to update all you bloggers out there with my latest video blogs seen below:
When I completed the second phase of the contest last week, I turned in a presentation summing up my Referee (supporters/social media) campaign. I accumulated a large number of support letters during this phase of the contest that I turned into the judges as well. I am so humbled to have received kind letters from law enforcement officers, wildlife trainers, CEO’s/Presidents of large companies, and even important high-profile media individuals. I want to personally THANK each person who submitted a letter in support of my dream job – it meant the WORLD to me 🙂
Also included in my presentation was the video as seen below. Here, I filmed a heart-to-heart to allow the judges to view me in a more personal light. My life is dedicated to educating others about conservation and environmental sustainability of our planet. I don’t see this position as just a 6-month job, I see it as a stepping stone towards living out my passions in life.
Chanel is already a natural spokesperson for promoting ocean conservation, environmental sustainability, and exploration/travel to everyone she meets. To become a Wildlife Caretaker in South Australia would not only be a dream come true, but it could lead to some AMAZING opportunities to help pursue and utilize her passions in life. She’s made it to the Top 25 Finalists out of over 45,000 entries – the world is Chanel’s ‘South Australian Oyster‘ 🙂 !
Her love for Australia has been evident ever since she learned about the Great Barrier Reef when she was a young aspiring marine biologist. The intrigue only grew when she traveled to Queensland, Australia for a year-long student exchange program in college. The culture, the people, the places, the wildlife, the scenery, the history, the beauty; all these elements sparked her Australian infatuation even more. The photographs she captured during her year abroad are some of her prized possessions (some gaining recognition in photography competitions).
The compensation for this job ($100,000) is not why she’s interested in the position of Wildlife Caretaker – it’s about a journey of a lifetime. It’s about exploring exciting and unique locations/activities in South Australia, and sharing those stories with the world! It’s about assisting with conservation and research efforts spanning from the coastline to the Outback. It’s about walking up to strangers and sparking conversations which result in long-lasting friendships. It’s about preserving Australia’s natural ecosystems and wildlife. Chanel’s life has lead up to this moment for reason; this is her destiny.
Chanel wants YOU to experience South Australia for yourself. The outpour of support on this quest to win her dream job has been HUGE – so Chanel thought the least she could do would be to repay the favor and award one of her lucky followers a chance of a lifetime. Australia is country that should be seen and explored by all!
If Chanel is the last one standing and is announced South Australia’s Wildlife Caretaker, she will randomly select one of you lucky participants, to win 1 ROUND TRIP AIRLINE TICKET to visit her Down Under as Chanel’s Biggest Fan (see contest rules and regulations for complete details)!
You are still eligible if you were previously a email/follower of Chanel’s blog before 8pm (PST) on May 4, 2013 – remember to just please state so in the comment. GOOD LUCK supporters! Reminder: the giveaway will only occur if Chanel Hason is announced the winner of Australia’s Best Jobs on June 21st, 2013. If awarded Wildlife Caretaker, Chanel will announce a winner on July 1st, 2013. So be sure to LIKE/SHARE her Facebook Page and Follow/Tweet her @PSChanel to increase her chances of winning! To see the full list of rules & regulations for the giveaway, click here or find the tab at the top of the blog.
I am so honored and grateful to have this particular person in my life. Evan Sanders is not only a very talented and well-known blogger, he is also a man with a huge heart, published author, motivational/inspirational speaker, and very close friend of mine. Earlier today, he wrote this incredibly moving blog post (seen below) in support of my dream job to be South Australia’s Wildlife Caretaker. Trust me, it brought tears to more eyes than just mine. Thank you Evan for everything! Please take a second to read this great piece of writing.
I always knew she loved the beach, but as I walked up the long staircase to the main floor of her apartment, I was taken aback…we were 45 minutes away from the ocean, but somehow she had found a way to bring it to her. I was now walking in an aquarium. Pictures, posters, trinkets, stuffed animals – if she could house a group of penguins she would – but she had to settle for the octopus salt and pepper shakers. Turn on “Sounds of Nature” and close your eyes…you could be in the wild smack in the middle of Los Angeles.
And when you sit down and talk to the creator of this Sea World-esque masterpiece, you quickly realize that she’s a little bit different from many of us – she has salt water running through her veins. Every once in a while, you will be going throughout your…
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I felt so lucky to be able to witness history as the Space Shuttle Endeavour flew over Pasadena last Friday September 21st, 2012 on its way home to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
My coworkers and I headed out to the Colorado Street Bridge to get an excellent view of the Rose Bowl, JPL, and Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Could you ask for a better background?! I think not 🙂 We definitely weren’t alone- there were many other people who congregated on the bridge to get that perfect shot of the shuttle pass by us!
I can’t even begin to describe the amount of excitement and exhilaration it was to see this magnificent historic shuttle fly in the air right ABOVE my head! My hands were literally shaking while I was taking pictures with happiness. I joined in the “Wahoooooos” with the rest of the spectators on the bridge. I’m surprised that no one started chanting “USA USA” or at least “NASA NASA.”
It was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. Although, I’m not too happy that in order for the Space Shuttle to drive from LAX to the California Science Center they had to rip out 400 trees along the streets…horrible. The California Science Center said that they will plant double the amount of trees that were demolished- but I don’t think that will justify the historic 100-year-old trees that were displaced.
On a brighter note- please enjoy the photos I snapped below of this momentous occasion!
Credit: National Nine News
This video is absolutely amazing! Check out this smart whale shark sucking out helpless silverside bait fish caught in a fishing net off of Indonesia. These gentle sharks use their vacuum-like mouth to gulp up these little fish. Guess they were doomed either way, but I think getting consumed by a “natural” marine predator beats humans each time.
Conservation Internationalwas the environmental group that caught this awesome video footage. This group has been trying for a while to place satellite tags on whale sharks, and finally they got this perfect opportunity when they started feeding on the baitfish. Luckily the fishermen in this case think the whale sharks are good luck, even though they eat most of their catch (oops).
I saw this amazing video today- and I couldn’t help but share it with you and the world. It is so beautiful- even my friend cried while she watched it. Please enjoy:
It’s hard to remind ourselves- sitting here on our computers, with our cell phones and iPods in our bags- that there are so many people who have never seen a cell phone or surfed the web on a computer.
Sometimes all it takes is a plastic Pepsi bottle with a little water and some bleach- which can turn into a solar light to brighten up people’s lives.
Try and cut back on the things you don’t REALLY need in your life. And I’m sure your pocketbook and life will be much more happy.
Live simple. Live happy.
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