People often wonder what we do if we are not in the water. The main misconception about a Marine Educator’s job is where we spend all of our time. Whole days in the water are great, with back to back guided snorkels and reef monitoring surveys. Sharing our incredible coral reef with guests is one of my favourite aspects of the job. There is so much to show them and it’s natural to reel of facts when you have the real thing right beneath you as inspiration.
Equally there have been consecutive days when I have not been in the water at all. On dry land the Marine Education Station attracts a wide variety of guests and I find sitting here engaging with guests just as rewarding. Even those who don’t join me in the water benefit from having a Marine Educator at the resort. Using the excellent resources on the table I can teach them about the different species of fish, I answer curious questions and generally talk non-stop about marine life ecosystems and inhabitants.
There are also the non-direct guest interaction job aspects. Writing blogs, designing newsletters, and creating social media posts requires an element of creativity which I enjoy; perhaps sometimes a little too much. I also spend some time each day refreshing my personal marine knowledge. The questions from guests can be unexpected and it is important as a Marine Educator to stay up to date with all the latest marine biology and conservation news. These tasks help us reach an even wider audience to educate.
WiseOceans believes that through education comes conservation.
“In the end we will only conserve what we love, we will only love what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught” Baba Dioum.
