Dream job or nightmare situation?

Last week I was out on a commercial diving job. It was a beautiful sunny day, sea lions, orcas and seagulls were feasting on the herring in the pass and the spring sunshine warmed my face as I got ready to jump in the water.

I remember thinking, “how the heck did I get so lucky to have this as my job”. In that a moment I felt so incredibly grateful but also more than little guilty that I am so privileged to be here and that other people don’t get the opportunity to do what I do.

We hopped in and started our work underwater. As I was concentrating on measuring and recording the most adorable tiny baby kelps, I saw a shadow pass overhead. Soon I felt a tug on my fins; a sea lion coming to investigate. As it chewed (gently) on my fins, my arms and eventually my head, I thought:

“Ah right, this might be my dream job but it is probably quite a few people’s nightmare situation”

I am so grateful we are all different and want to do different things. Thank goodness not everybody wants to spend hours in cold, salty water with frozen toes and fingers laying transects, counting invertebrates, hauling heavy gear and recording data while being pestered by pinnipeds.

The sea lion thankfully eventually left us to do our work in peace, probably because according to the captain while we were at anchor and working underwater, a large male orca came cruising by. We had no idea.

I am also grateful orcas probably don’t like how crunchy scuba tanks look compared to a nice juicy, herring-fattened sea lion.

Ps. When we arrived at the site we were more then 200 meters away from any marine mammals. Any interactions were facilitated by the animals while we were at anchor, already in the water and not encouraged by us.