Ian Kessler

9/15/19
SPH-R479

11th Week Report

Goals and Objectives-

1. Create better marketing materials for Scuba programs offered as Sea Base.
a. coordinate with the Scuba Commissioners and Admin staff on the needs and policies about
content that is used for marketing
b. Take photos and videos both above and below the water that highlight the programs
offered.

2. Learn more about the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) and how divers
positivity/ negatively affect it.
a. Attend REEF programs during my off time
b. Reach out to the Coral Restoration Foundation to learn about volunteering with them and
the work they do.
c. Learn about the agencies that have a stake in the FKNMS and their different roles such as
NOAA and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

3. Understand Cost Benefit analysis of Scuba programs

a. Talk with Seabase admin staff to discuss financial decisions that impact sea base
programing.

Progress in Meeting Goals and Objectives

I have spent more time taking photos of sea base programs, and got to follow a crew around for
a few days documenting there time. The goal of the photos it to help provide an idea of what
the program offers and help get participants excited about

I also got the experience to go work with a group that is doing a lot of conservation work. This
group is called the Coral Restoration Foundation and is a Non-for profit that works on coral
conservation and out planting. They rely heavily on volunteers to help with their efforts and
currently have three nurseries all throughout the Florida Keys. They primarily focus on staghorn
and elkhorn corals and have seen a overall success rate of 77% based of all of the out plantings.
We got experience cleaning on the nurseries and checking up on already out planted corals on
one of there reefs.

Significant Experiences
Since the last report, I have gotten a few more crews as well as experienced more of the behind
the scenes work. Part of this behind the scenes work includes gear maintenance and inventory.
Due to the size of our scuba program the amount of equipment we have is massive and we are
consistently having to work to ensure that things are clean and taken care of. We have close to
500 tanks and about 250 sets of BCDs and Regulators on top of hundreds of masks and fins that
Ian Kessler
9/15/19
SPH-R479

we outfit our participants with. So being able to work and maintain some of this gear at this
scale is something you would not get at a smaller operation.

Work Plan
My work plan over the past few weeks has been very similar to that of when I first arrived and
started to get crews. I have been floating as well which is what we call staff who take over
crews when it is someone’s day off or if someone gets sick.

Assessment of the Internship

I will still have to state that my experience with this internship has been a phenomenal
experience. Being able to float over the past few weeks and interacting with a wider range of
participants brought its own uniqueness and changed up the experience which was great. The
continued experience of helping participants with their diving skills still helps me learn about
communicating with participants and teaching them new skills and working around challenges.

Concerns and issues

I have no real concerns or issues about the internship.

Questions from the previous Report

Q1: Day to day my schedule varies depending on what point of the week it is with my crew but
roughly there is a rough outline that each day follows. Each morning there is a 7:30 all staff
meeting that everyone attends where we discus certain tasks and information that people need
to know. After that we meet our crews at flags at 7:50 where we then go to breakfast where we
eat with our crews. After we are done eating there is some downtime before we start to load
the boats around 9AM… at this time we load the boats with gear and pack our lunches. During
this time, I am checking in with my divers being sure they have full tanks, the equipment they
need and also talk about the dives or skills we are doing that day. We often try to leave the
dock between 9:30 and 10 AM. From there we travel out to our dive sites these can range from
travel times of 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the day. We do two dives and then eat
lunch and allow the kids to snorkel around whatever site we are on. During this the dive
masters are leading, handling lines on the boat, and interacting with participants. We then
travel back to base and try to get back between 3:45 and 4:30 PM. When we get back to base
we unload the boat, rinse gear, check in with or participants and then have free time till flags
and dinner at 5:45 PM… After dinner, we often do dive logs with our crews and then there is a
evening program that someone in the dive staff runs which talks about different topics which
starts at 7:15 and will go to anytime between 7:45 and 8:15 PM. After the evening program
participants and staff are free to do whatever they wish.

Q2: My manager’s management style is one that is in a way laid-back but is straight and to the
point when it comes to tasks and responsibilities. If there are issues or info that is needed then
he will be the first to tell you. Additionally, because of the role we are in a lot of the training is
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9/15/19
SPH-R479

done by the certifying agency so in terms of on the job training a majority of the skills are
covered so it just boils down running of the program. He also has a very dry sense of humor
which helps lighten the mood on rougher days.