miss marine bio

All my life I have loved the ocean. I have studied it, dove it, worked in it, photographed it, and lived by it. Life without the ocean is just NOT possible. So, here I am to inspire you! And you can feel free to ask me anything :) - Meg

[missmarinebio]

Back!

If you are seeing this, that means you are still following after the summer break. You are awesome! We spent some time diving in the Red Sea off the coast of Marsa Alam for our honeymoon, and I wish we had more time! Although the season was great, we did not get lucky with any dolphins or sharks. That being said, the reef there was spectacular with giant coral heads looking superb and healthy. I wanted to let you know that I did take photos, but I am a bit busy with my next adventure in life... I am currently doing a postgraduate study in order to become a secondary science/biology teacher. I have been having an amazing time running summer camps and inspiring youth with my experiences, so it feels right going into the next chapter of my life. Don’t worry the posts will continue, just know I am a busy lady, but I will keep answering any questions you may have! Keep on being awesome and protecting our oceans!

-Meg

[missmarinebio]

'Gentle giant' basking sharks jump as high and fast as great whites

Scientists have captured footage of basking sharks breaching just like great white sharks – and in doing so, the lumbering creatures can hit speeds faster than even an Olympic swimmer.

Awesome.

[missmarinebio]

I currently want to study marine biology when I go to college. However, I really just want to study sharks/stingrays. What would be the best way to execute that plan?

If you want to study marine biology you are going to have to learn a lot more outside the world of sharks and rays. But that being said, you focus your projects around them and try to work closely with professors who are studying them. When you go to do a research project, you will select the species you want to work with.

[missmarinebio]

Time to get my feet wet! I have been out of the water for awhile. but now that summer is here we are going to do some underwater exploration of the Red Sea and see what we can photograph!  Photos to come in a couple months!

[missmarinebio]

I love your photography- you’re very good! Would you mind telling me what equipment you use? And do you have any advice for beginning scuba divers? I’m doing my first open water dive soon and am a bit nervous (but excited!). Thank you!💕

Thank you!I have pages set up on my tumblr page just for you and these questions!You can see my camera evolution here at http://missmarinebio.tumblr.com/photography 

And scuba diving advice here at http://missmarinebio.tumblr.com/scuba 

I was nervous my first time, but once you get used to it you might end up loving it!Good luck!

[missmarinebio]

That is it! I have run out of photos! So I leave you to enjoy your summer, and hopefully, I have time to get my feet wet someplace new over this break. Enjoy this beautiful clownfish, shot somewhere in the Indo-Pacific.

- Meg

[missmarinebio]

Up close and personal with a yellow leaf fish, somewhere in the Indo-Pacific.

[missmarinebio]

The most amazing alien creatures of the sea. Octopus are the best! Last one from Ono Island, Fiji.

[missmarinebio]

Sometimes you don’t have a beautiful reef full of colour.Sometimes you have a sandy, mucky bottom with poor visibility. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find something cool! Frogfish walking the seafloor at one of the ugliest dive sites I have seen off of El Nido, Palawan, Philippines. 

[missmarinebio]

Listen to the Sounds of Narwhals That Have Been Elusive to Science

As melting ice opens east Greenland to petroleum prospectors and cruises, scientists are rushing to study the noises made by a remote population of toothed whales.

Narwhals. The majestic unicorns of the sea with their unique sensing tooth. What’s not to love? In this article, they have recordings of different sounds so we can hear how these creatures communicate! Why are they talking about this now? As pressure for deep sea artic drilling increases, it is important to identify how much stress this is causing them. A great way to see this is to listen to what they are saying to each other! Read about it.

[missmarinebio]

Sneaking up on Crocodile fish somewhere in Malaysia. That eye looks ELECTRIC!

[missmarinebio]

This big green Napoleon Wrasse adds another splash of colour to a sea of orange on a Komodo National Park Reef in Flores, Indonesia.

[missmarinebio]

i really want to pursue a career in marine biology. i’m planning on getting my masters in biology and then maybe my phd in marine biology. is there any advice you can give me? the only thing i know is that i love the ocean and sharks, i’d love to study them and find out new things but i don’t know how to put that into words or how to get to that point

That is great!

Honestly, I would take it one step at a time. I did a bachelor´s in Marine and freshwater biology, so maybe you want to start with something like that instead of a general biology degree first. I say that from personal experience it will be more interesting studying what you want than the general stuff.Next, look at what research other people are doing to inspire you or to build on what they are doing. Doing your masters and a Ph.D. you will need to write a kickass thesis. Personally, if you love the ocean and sharks, I would research topics which will help us protect them. I hope that helps, and good luck!

Meg

[missmarinebio]

Checking out the egg cluster inside this shrimpette.

[missmarinebio]

I have been trying to figure out what these little crustaceans are for awhile, and I didn’t want to post until I had an idea. But I have no clue and I haven’t found anything close! Not sure if its some sort of parasite infestation, a newly hatched cluster of something completely normal on the reef, or a species I haven’t come across yet. Maybe you have an idea?

[missmarinebio]

Dive slow and look closely. You never know what tiny creatures you may find hiding in the reef.

[missmarinebio]

The activists are wrong: Aquariums support conservation

Coordinated worldwide protests demanding that aquariums return their inhabitants to the sea would set back the conservationist cause, not advance it.

I saw this article with the perspective of supporting aquariums. While I tend to not support such things like SeaWorld, I can respect some of the writer’s points. Mostly that,

We protect what we love; we love what we know, and we know what we are taught. There is plenty of media that can induce a love for wildlife, such as Blue Planet, but nothing is quite the same as seeing something for yourself. Aquariums can offer that to a greater population than those who can afford to travel the world and visit the natural habitats of those creatures. That also brings another point of increased tourism having a negative effect on a species and its environment.  I feel that Aquariums can be positive when it is treated more of a rehabilitation for animals and/or a sanctuary- and this should only apply to species with a small migratory range or a larger animal with such a handicap it cannot survive in the wild. This of course coupled with strict animal rights laws to ensure their proper care. I think when a child goes into a marine sanctuary and see a dolphin that was maybe sick or injured, and now it's getting stronger to be released back into its home, it inspires them to help or make a change, not a show of them performing tricks. I cannot agree with the point they make that the species will be safer in an aquarium, because of things like overfishing or plastic pollution. These problems we can’t ignore by putting our favourite animals in a glass bubble. We need to protect those environments, especially as there are species which will never survive in a captive environment. It is a tough discussion, that is for sure. What do you think?