Remember when you told your parents you wanted to do shark research? Or the reaction of your friends when you said you were keen on becoming a marine biologist? If your family and friends are anything like ours, they picture you riding the dorsal fin of a great white shark, yes people really do that, or swimming in tropical oceans with dolphins, but neither are practices we condone. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?
Not to burst your bubble and we love bubbles, but there are often striking differences between reality and fantasy in ocean conservation. Sure, we have those fantastic sunny days at sea when life feels just like a dream, and without a shadow of a doubt, you will always remember the exact moment when you saw your first shark.
There is also a lot of teamwork, collaboration, effort and dedication, even dreaded desk work required. At the end of the day, careers in shark science and ocean conservation are about living life on your own terms and having some incredible, life-changing fun while you do it. Do you want to know more about living a day in the life of a marine biologist? Check out the video by SciAll.org.
If you love sharks, are passionate about oceans and want to learn more about careers in these fields, we recommend getting involved in some internship and volunteer programs that combine all aspects of these worlds. This will give you first-hand experience working in field stations, labs or handling sharks for data collection.
To help you on your way, check out this vlog by Fen and Nesha. It’s all about what we get up to on an average day in the life of a Shark Academy student, intern or volunteer. The Shark Academy is just one of many programs out there, so you should really do your research before deciding on which conservation internships meet your needs.
Check out Fen and Nesha’s vlog about a day in the life of our team at the Shark Academy.
