Diving In

I grew up in Florida just a couple of miles from the beach, so I guess it's no surprise that I'm an "ocean person." 26 years, thousands of dollars in students loans, and two degrees later, I'm a marine biologist...sort of. When I'm sitting at my desk at work in February, in Washington, DC, deciding whether the 50-yard walk through the snow to Starbucks is really worth it, I often wonder how a so-called marine biologist from warm, sunny Miami ended up in a city three hours from the nearest beach.

The answer is simple - those who live here in DC all know that the center of the universe is "inside the beltway" (or so you come to believe). There is a National Association of [insert your favorite cause here] on every corner, each jockeying to have the ear of the lawmakers and policymakers who have the power to make things happen. The oceans are no exception, and so I've found myself in the thick of it all, working for a multi-federal-agency office whose purpose is to coordinate the establishment of an integrated ocean observing system. While I go to work every morning happy that I am involved in something that will make a difference, I don't feel very much like a marine biologist when I sit at a desk for eight hours a day.

So I decided to take some time off of work and get back into the field. This time, it will be Bimini, in the Bahamas (rough, I know). Bimini, which you can see in the picture above in all of its 9-square mile glory, is a mere 50 or so miles due East of Miami, yet it's a world away. These islands, the "Gateway to the Bahamas," were even a hangout for Ernest Hemingway and provided a setting for part of his novel Islands in the Stream. For two months, I will be living at the Bimini Biological Field Station on South Bimini, volunteering on shark research projects. Sharks? Yup. Call me crazy, but I love 'em.

I'm going to keep up this blog as an online journal so you can see what I'm up to at the Sharklab. I probably won't have regular internet access (I mean, c'mon, I won't even have fresh water for showering!), but I will, hopefully, be able to post some pictures and stories along the way.

I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I do...