Last Days in French Polynesia...

Ashlynn’s final days in Moorea were not the best as she became disillusioned with academia after witnessing how some of the researchers undermined the others. It was also quite hot, but she still went on an occasional run...

…or hike. 

She really debated about whether to head to Rangiroa, the world’s second largest atoll (ring-shaped island), with some friends after she completed her research. Happy to hear that it was a great place to celebrate her 24th birthday with diving that she described as surreal.

Ashlynn had a great time diving on her birthday and the following day with incredible visibility. Much of the diving was in the open sea rather than on a reef. She said it felt like flying: Was really like we were astronauts.

She wrote that while some fish seemed to show no recognition of her existence, the dolphins, including the baby, knew they were there and came to them. We were guests in their world and they were observing us. She also saw lots of sharks and a manta ray and barracuda. It was great that she could end her three-month adventure on such a high note.

 

April Fun in Moorea...

Ashlynn continued to work hard and play hard in Moorea in April .

March Fun in the Tropics...

While Ashlynn worked hard during the week, going to bed much earlier than she ever did in Glasgow, she played hard on the weekends. She loved going hiking with the other grad students...

...as well as spending time in the crystal clear water. 

 

Snails and Swimming in Moorea...

Crossing fingers that this video works of Ashlynn explaining what it took to reset up her lab inside of the facilities.

Our scientist at work!

She basically had to start her research over and thus had to collect new snails.

It was crazy how much plumbing she had to do as well as set up a lot of monitors. 

This photo was featured on Scuba Diving Magazine’s article about Women Divers Hall of Fame Awards 2024 Scholarships and Grants. Ashlynn worked hard to submit applications for funding for her research and her hard work paid off as she was granted the Graduate Marine Conservation Scholarship worth $2,000 to help offset her travel costs. She also received several other awards from other organizations.  

Much of the surrounding reef was very shallow...

...so she actually didn’t do much scuba diving there. 

 

Collecting Snails in Moorea...

The first three places that Ashlynn searched for her test subjects, tiny coral-eating seasnails called Drupella, there were none. This made her nervous, but that there were lots at the next site. It was bittersweet for Ashlynn as she knew she needed them for her research, but it was bad news for the reef because there were so many of them. 

Here are the snails in their temporary tank inside just after being collected. 

It didn’t take long before the snails discovered the coral bits (which she had to collect weekly as their only source of food) in the tank and start munching. 

It made her laugh that they could climb between the tanks. 

She didn’t think twice when her lab advisor instructed her to use these outside tanks. She spent several days setting up the tanks before realizing that the temperature of the water coming in wasn’t controllable and there was no way to cool the tanks to what she needed. 

On the weekends, Ashlynn enjoyed hiking, snorkeling and drinking beers on the beach with the other grad students. 
 

Arriving in Moorea...

It was quite funny when Ashlynn said that she was sure we’d never heard of where she would be doing fieldwork for three months to collect data for her master’s thesis: Moorea, an island in French Polynesia. Ironically, Jimmy and I had gone there for our honeymoon for one week in July 1993. Sadly, the Club Med where we had stayed was shut down in 2000 and is now just ruins.

Ashlynn spent her first few weeks on the island staying in a house with a family of marine biologists. It wasn’t close to the lab, but it was very close to the beach, which she loved. 

We’re really proud of how hard she worked to secure grants to fund her trip and her research. One such funding source was from the Women Divers Hall of Fame Awards 2024, which awarded her the Graduate Marine Conservation Scholarship.