A shark encounter inspired this researcher’s career in marine biology

Heidy Martinez ne'er dreamt of studying sharks. That changed during a survey overseas travel successful South Africa successful college. She went cage diving with immoderate classmates. That’s erstwhile divers presumption sharks underwater portion wrong a protective cage. Martinez was mostly determination for the thrill. “I truly conscionable wanted to scare [my classmates].”

The vessel thrust was proving to beryllium a bummer. The waves were choppy. Martinez’s wetsuit didn’t fit. And everyone was feeling seasick. When she entered the ocean, a pistillate beside her said she felt ill. “All of a sudden, she pukes,” Martinez recalls. “Then a question comes, truthful each that puke conscionable lands connected maine and my face.” 

At that moment, a achromatic shark approached the cage. To spot the shark, Martinez instantly dived, puke and all. But the show was worthy it, she says. Movies usually amusement these sharks arsenic bloody predators. But this achromatic shark looked wholly different. “I was shocked astatine however beauteous the shark was,” she says. “Seeing that achromatic shark was a pivotal infinitesimal successful my career.”

Today, Martinez is simply a freelance shark researcher. She works with antithetic organizations to survey however these food unrecorded and to research ways to support them. In this interview, she shares her experiences and proposal with Science News Explores. (This interrogation has been edited for contented and readability.)   

What inspired you to prosecute marine biology?  

My degrees are successful anthropology and psychology. So I began applying to science labs aft graduating college. I was convinced that was what I was going to bash with my life. Then I saw a documentary connected shark conservation called Sharkwater. That movie helped maine archer the quality betwixt loving thing and having a passionateness for it. I loved science and anthropology, but I felt passionate astir the ocean.

It felt truly scary erstwhile I yet decided to power careers successful my mid-20s. I decided to person a speech with my parents to spot if they supported my decision. I was acrophobic that they would deliberation everything I’d done truthful acold was a discarded of time. My household near Colombia erstwhile I was 6 truthful that I could person a amended future. But my dada really got teary-eyed erstwhile I told them astir my vocation change. He explained that helium had wanted to survey marine biology, too. But the vocation counselors astatine his schoolhouse told him to springiness up that dream. 

It felt similar this full-circle moment. My dada near everything down truthful I could bash what I love. And that occupation ended up being what helium ever wanted to do. 

On 1 duty to Terra Ceia Bay, adjacent Sarasota, Fla., Martinez tagged tiny blacknose sharks.MISS & maddygettyphotography

How did you get to wherever you are today? 

After I watched the documentary, I wanted to spot if this was really what I wanted to do. That meant I needed to bash fieldwork earlier deciding connected grad school. 

I connected with a task successful Nicaragua that created olive ridley oversea turtle hatcheries. From there, 1 accidental often led to another. People I’d enactment with during a task would archer maine astir different opportunities. That often allowed maine to prime up antithetic skills. I was moving a gig taking pictures of corals for a nationalist parkland successful Thailand erstwhile COVID hit. I was stuck determination for astir 5 months. 

I realized that I needed to find thing much committed. In 2022, I worked arsenic a probe adjunct studying whale sharks successful the Philippines. That led to my existent occupation moving arsenic a vessel biologist successful Mexico. Becoming a subordinate of the radical Minorites successful Shark Sciences besides catapulted my career. They connection opportunities and enactment to minorities that they don&rs...