The Georgia Aquarium and Aggressor Adventures are collaborating to offer exploration and learning on the high seas.
“We’re sort of a natural fit for the two organizations to find some common ground,” said marine biologist Alistair Dove about the coming initiative called the Ocean Science Learning Leadership Program.
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Dove is the vice president of Science and Education at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Jointly with the Augusta-based scuba touring company Aggressor Adventures, the Aquarium will select a young marine science professional to mentor through a rigorous, experiential instructive curriculum.
The program is meant to enrich up-and-coming specialists in the marine sciences with hands-on knowledge. The chosen participant would go on a scuba diving trip on one of Aggressor’s liveaboard vessels and get intensive, one-on-one mentoring.
A member of the Aquarium’s science team would guide the student in studying marine life in natural environments, while Aggressor would provide advanced scuba diving training and support. Together they would help the young professional develop a robust, comprehensive skill set that would prove invaluable in any career researching life and nature beneath the waters.
“You don’t have to be able to scuba dive to be a marine biologist, but it certainly helps,” said Dove, referring to a related discipline called scientific diving, which is different from recreational diving. Scientific diving includes technical skills for performing certain tasks underwater in pursuit of scientific knowledge.
Aggressor Adventures approached the Aquarium with the concept after years of seeking similar collaborative projects with other businesses.
“We thought this program would be beneficial because a lot of people that are in these careers never get enough field time,” said Wayne Brown, owner and CEO of Aggressor Adventures. “We thought, let’s see if we can give somebody a week to just enjoy being out in the field and do their own research project if they want to.”
The diving trip will likely be somewhere in the Caribbean, Brown says. Applicants must live in the U.S. and have a university degree in ecology, biology, zoology, environmental management, conservation or related discipline, as well as an open-water dive certification.
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The candidates must also submit an 800-word essay about their career path, scientific interests and how the leadership program might benefit them. Dove notes, however, that the qualities they’re looking for include a genuine fascination and eagerness to learn.
“I think the ultimate prerequisite is a curious mind,” said Dove. “You need someone who is interested in this stuff intrinsically and wants to get out there.”
Dove also mentions that the opportunity the program is offering will help aspiring science professionals circumvent economic hurdles that would normally come with such concentrated field experience.
The Georgia Aquarium is a non-profit. The program is apt for its stated mission, which is to inspire awareness and preservation of the oceans and aquatic ecosystems worldwide, according to its website.
Aggressor Adventures stands to gain as well, says Brown, because it’s more than just a recreational facility that “puts you on a boat, takes you out for an hour or two, and brings you back.” It is a business based on delivering enriching and informative experiences.
“We show diving videos with different information about the country you’re in, the culture, the different species you might encounter,” said Brown about the factors motivating Aggressor Adventure’s role in the partnership. “They get to see that it is, in itself, a comprehensive learning experience for everybody that comes out with us for a week.”
The Ocean Science Learning Leadership Program is currently accepting applications. For more information, visit https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/ocean-science-leadership-program/.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering Columbia County with The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
