Making Aquatic Science Research Safe
Abbey Dias Discusses Her Role as UC Davis’ Assistant Diving and Boating Safety Officer
Abbey Dias was always drawn to the mysteries of the ocean. Growing up outside of Seattle, Washington, she’d head to the shore during low tide, the waters drawing back like a curtain to reveal the life beneath the waves. She’d comb the beach and tide pools for sand dollars, sea stars and other creatures. She’d snorkel in the shallows. But all the while, her eyes and mind would wander back to the deep, to the waters just beyond her reach.
“What exists in the rest of the ocean was always very intriguing to me,” said Dias. “I’ve always had a perspective of humans being part of the environment, but I think too often we separate nature and humans.”
But what happens in the oceans affects humanity. Shifts in one environment affect the others. It’s a chain of change, one that can be cataclysmic without care towards the environment.
As an assistant diving and boating safety officer for UC Davis based at Bodega Marine Laboratory, Dias works with UC Davis researchers to coordinate and provide guidance for critical fieldwork that’s helping us understand the health of our oceans and waterways, and in turn, our global climate.