"Because Once Wasn't Enough" by Molly Austin

I fell in love with the Shark Lab on my first longline check. I stayed at the lab in May 2013 as a course student with CCU, and that night I remember only wanting go to bed after a twelve-hour day of snorkeling and tending sunburns through lectures. Thankfully, I prodded myself awake.  There isn't a sedative in the world that could take me off the high that shortly followed. We were able to work up and tag a variety of different sharks, including blacktips, nurses, and my personal favorite, a 12 foot pregnant tiger shark. Pulling up to the line and finding this enormous creature swimming on one of our hooks gave me a feeling of excitement and respect I never could have anticipated. I remember thinking, "this shark is over two of my body lengths!' as I secured it while a staff member measured the length.

Driving back to the lab that night, I let the wind and stars take me into a euphoric state. Behind us, bioluminescent dinoflagellates glowed in our wake. It was in that moment, as I gazed in fascination at both sky and water--still elevated from what I just experienced--that I decided I had to come back to volunteer. 

Photo of me helping tag a tiger shark this past month, taken by Joshua Williams

It's been over a year since my course, and I am finally here now after graduating from Florida State University. Every day holds new challenges, whether they are intellectual, physical, or emotional. I have never been in a community where the work life and personal life are so intertwined. At the lab, you work with, live with, and spend a majority of your free time with the people around you. Even though we are in tight quarters and work long days, we still manage to have fun and the people here become a second family. They make the difficult work we do worth it.

Last week the power went out after dinner (this happens quite regularly on the islands), and the group embraced the situation to play hide and seek in the dark.  I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun...even after the power switched on, we continued to play until way past most people’s bedtimes. Everyone comes from a different walk of life here at the lab, and we are united by a passion for sharks and a desire to learn about the seas.

While I do a lot more grunt work now than I did as a former course student, I’m realizing that working in marine science and sharing space in a field station requires all of it. Some times you will feel helpless tracking nonexistent sharks in what feels like 1000 degree heat, or spending the majority of the day cleaning a house that will never truly be clean given the sandy surrounding, but you live for the days where everything seems to fall into place.

The exhilaration of 'dip-netting' your first shark in the pens and then reaching in to grab this thrashing mouth full of teeth never really fades. Coming to the Shark Lab has probably become one of the best decisions I have made in my life. There is not another place quite like this where every day you get the opportunity to contribute to shark research and conservation. Not only has this experience helped me grow professionally, but it has also helped me grow personally too. I am excited to see what the next two months hold in store for me. Plus, it's cool to tell everyone at home you work with sharks. :)  

Molly Austin
Sharklab Volunteer, July 15th to October 15th, 2014