URI students
swim with whale sharks in Mexico as part of summer shark class
URI student Alexa Farraj snorkels
above a whale shark in August off the coast of Mexico. (Photo by Choy Aming)
University of Rhode Island students interested in learning about sharks
enjoyed the experience of a lifetime last month by swimming with blue sharks in
Rhode Island waters and with hundreds of whale sharks – the largest sharks in
the world – off the coast of Mexico.
They all returned home motivated to pursue careers in marine science and excited to get back in the water with these charismatic animals.
They all returned home motivated to pursue careers in marine science and excited to get back in the water with these charismatic animals.
The harmless, plankton-eating whale
sharks provided the most memorable experiences for the students.
URI student Bethany Deloof approaches a whale shark swimming
off the coast of Mexico. (Photo by Choy Aming)
“I went into the class with the
expectation that we’d see only a few, but before we even got in the water on
the first day we saw the dorsal fins of hundreds of them swimming around our
boat,” said Bethany Deloof, a junior marine biology major from Strongsville, Ohio.
“Once we jumped in the water, it was an incredible experience snorkeling with huge sharks swimming all around me. There were so many that one even bumped into me.”
“Once we jumped in the water, it was an incredible experience snorkeling with huge sharks swimming all around me. There were so many that one even bumped into me.”
“We were surrounded by them from all
sides and it was an extremely beautiful experience, but also a humbling
experience,” added senior Alexandra Farraj, a Park Ridge, New Jersey, native studying marine
biology. “They were just so large and yet so gentle, not even caring that we
were there.”
Brad Wetherbee, the URI professor
who taught the class, calls whale sharks “the gentle giants of the ocean.”
Although they can grow up to 60 feet long, most of those swimming around the
students were about 30 feet in length.
Twelve students were enrolled in the
two-week class designed to introduce them to shark ecology and shark research
methods.
The first week was spent at URI, where the students attended daily lectures followed by boat trips into Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound to fish for dogfish – a small common shark – and snorkel with blue sharks.
The second week was spent at Isla Mujeres, near Cancun, Mexico, where scientists discussed their shark research and the students swam with whale sharks and snorkeled at coral reefs. At night they observed sea turtles nesting on area beaches. Each student was also required to give a presentation about whale shark research.
The first week was spent at URI, where the students attended daily lectures followed by boat trips into Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound to fish for dogfish – a small common shark – and snorkel with blue sharks.
The second week was spent at Isla Mujeres, near Cancun, Mexico, where scientists discussed their shark research and the students swam with whale sharks and snorkeled at coral reefs. At night they observed sea turtles nesting on area beaches. Each student was also required to give a presentation about whale shark research.
“They could sit in a classroom for a
hundred days and not learn as much as they did in this class,” said Wetherbee.
“The ocean was our classroom, and it was a great learning experience for them.”
The students all agreed.
“I especially liked being in the
field and meeting scientists who do this work,” said senior Maranda Ealahan
from East Lyme, Connecticut,
a marine biology major. “We met multiple researchers from different countries
who do research on different species of sharks and rays. Being side by side
with them while they did their job was very cool.”
“What I enjoyed most was being able
to finally see animals in person that I have only ever read about,” added Laura
Berard, a senior marine biology major from Cumberland. “I also found it to be a different experience seeing
certain animals in their natural habitats versus seeing them in an aquarium
environment.”
Not only did the students have great
adventures and learn about sharks, they also learned a great deal about themselves.
“I learned that sometimes you just
need to go out of your comfort zone,” said Ealahan. “Before this summer, I was
scared of being in the water with sharks. Then, on our last day in Rhode
Island, we had the amazing opportunity to swim with blue sharks. I was pretty
scared at first, but I decided to just jump in with a 9-foot long blue shark.
It made me appreciate large sharks even more.”
Perhaps most important, the class
affirmed the students’ interest in marine science and inspired them to work even
harder to achieve their career goals.
“I greatly enjoy the research
environment, and taking this course confirmed that I love being involved in
field research,” said Berard.
“This class showed me how different
people can navigate this field and have amazing careers doing what they love,”
Farraj said. “I’ve always wanted to study coral reefs, sharks or marine
mammals, and this class definitely gave me a new appreciation for marine
biology and for sharks and coral reefs.”
“After taking this class, I have no
doubt that I want to be in the field as a marine biologist,” said Deloof.
“Sitting on a boat looking out at the open ocean, I realized that was how I
want to spend every day of my future career.”
