Today I swam in Hawaii for the first time in my almost 2 weeks of being here. Some of you may find that hard to understand, but saltwater just doesn’t have a huge draw for me. I’m a Michigander and will take freshwater over saltwater any day. However, snorkeling is pretty popular here on the Big Island, and I’ve known I’ve been missing out on the underwater world so far. Fortunately there are a number of companies, including Snorkel Bob’s, that rent snorkeling gear for what I see as fair prices. ($9/week for cheap gear or $35/week for standard gear) With a rental car and snorkeling gear good to go, it was time to hit the water.

---

Before I dive into the this, I have to explain the backstory. My hope for this winter was to work as a fisheries observer on a boat in the Bering Sea. Last winter I had spent some time as a seafood processor at-sea, so I decided to go for the job that would actually be useful on a resume this winter.

Observers are the biologists/law enforcement who make sure the boats don’t end up with too much by-catch and follow all the rules. Generally observers aren’t the most celebrated people on board because they can shut down operations, but the role is an important one.

Weeks ago I’d applied to work for Saltwater, Inc., which is one of the companies who hires observers to work for the National Marine Fisheries Service. I knew I was 5 biology credits short of the minimum 30 required when I applied, but I hoped that some Natural Resource Management credits, a beauty of a GPA, and field experience would help me secure a spot.

Through communication with the HR woman at Saltwater, who was extremely friendly and helpful, I learned we could try petitioning for NMFS to accept 5 non-biology credits. That included digging some course syllabi out from storage and sending those in, followed by playing the waiting game.

While waiting, I tried not to dwell on the “what if” game. What if this doesn’t work? Then what? Part of me was thinking about going up to Fairbanks and enrolling in 2 biology classes so that I’d be qualified next year, but clearly academia is not where my heart lies. Kelsey (from Tutakoke) happened to let me know The Nature Conservancy would be hiring more technicians for monitoring birds in central California this winter, so that gave me some sort of lead. Of course I could always try to get back on the F/V Starbound and just be a processor; after all, I really just want to live on a boat again. What’s more adventuresome than boating in the Bering Sea’s wintry waters?! (If you have an answer, please share.)

Last night the waiting game finally came to an end when I received an email saying NMFS wouldn’t accept those petitioned credits. In other words, I’d lost. Since I am on vacation in Hawaii right now, I can’t allow myself to get too down, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. In my head I’d been banking on that working out and not needing to worry about the next few months. In a way I’d been trying to ignore any other possibilities.

---

Similarly, by not swimming I’d been missing out on the colorful world hidden in the waters of the bays I’d been content passing by. When I first attached my mask, slipped my feet inside the fins, and slid into the waters of Honaunau Bay (aka Two Step Bay); I realized – or remembered – I’d been an idiot by not testing the waters. The last time I went snorkeling was when my family went to the US Virgin Island when I was in 7th grade. Snorkeling is awesome; it’s basically swimming for lazy people with entertainment included!

As soon as I saw all the life I’d been ignoring, I realized I’ve been holding myself back from who knows what all. Whether it be jobs or beautiful underwater scenes, my focus on one job and on land has kept me from noticing what other opportunities may be out beyond the reef.

When I’d had my fill at Honaunau Bay, I wanted to immediately drive to another good snorkeling beach. I visited Kahalu’u Beach Park next, where I had an even more fantastic experience. The coral was better, the fish were more plentiful, AND I got to swim with a Hawaiian green sea turtle. It kept on munching and doing its thing while I watched. The experience was truly marvelous.

Although it’s easy to fall into a rhythm and completely ignore some aspects of life, it’s important to take a step back and look around. There may be more interesting opportunities right around the corner that we never know about because we’re too focused on one goal. *cough, careers, cough*

My application for The Nature Conservancy is complete, I’m poking my nose around in biology classes, and the Texas A&M webpage is starting to have more action. Although my first choice for winter isn’t going to work out, there’s something in store for me.

While I try to figure out what that is, I’m going to visit the southernmost point of the US, go backpacking in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and enjoy the world of travel. I’ll also get out of the McD’s parking lot where I’ve been using the internet to write this. 🙂 Ahh just like my kiwi days…