A Day In the Life of a MarineLab Instructor
By Patrick Malloy, Field Specialist
Getting students some hands-on experience with our mangrove critters!
Hey Everyone! I’m Pat, a MarineLab instructor who has been with the company for 5 years. I’m originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but escaped south to get away from the snow and freezing cold winters. I’m going to tell you what it’s like to spend a day in the life of a MarineLab Instructor, which I consider a dream job!
One of the great things about MarineLab is that there is never a typical or boring day at work. Every day is a little bit different based on what age of students we are working with and what kind of activities the school has planned with us.
Our eMarineLab classes mean we can teach anyone, even from across the country!
As a Marine Science Instructor, I teach school groups ranging from 5th grade all the way through college. Schools usually stay at MarineLab for two nights, but some groups stay for four or five nights. Some schools even travel all the way from Wisconsin and Oregon to stay with us! Many of these students have never swam in the ocean before, so all of the instructors at MarineLab are really excited to teach them all that we know about the beautiful habitats here in the keys. There are 12 other Instructors at MarineLab, and even though we come from different parts of the US, we all share the same love for education and ocean conservation.
One of my favorite perks of the job is coming to work in a bathing suit, tank top, and flip flops, because almost all of our days are spent in the water! Whether it’s teaching students to snorkel for the first time in our lagoon, which is home to the only underwater hotel in the US, or seeing the awe and excitement on students' faces when they first snorkel at a coral reef, every day is guaranteed to be a fun time!
A favorite among all age groups, even college students!
My typical work day starts at 8:30am. When I get into work, I start prepping the boats for the first trip of the day at 9:00. After a 3 hour boat trip with students exploring the seagrasses and mangroves in the Florida Bay, it’s time for a lunch break. Then I’m back to work at 1:30 prepping for yet another boat trip at 2:00, but this time I’m taking our excited students to the reef! When I get back from our afternoon trip at 5:00, it’s time for a dinner break and then I’ll head back to MarineLab for a variety of fun nighttime labs and activities.
Snorkeling at Molasses Reef is guaranteed to be a good time
All school groups get to choose two different night programs, one from 7-8, and one from 8:15-9:15. These could be anything from learning about fish and coral, to labs looking at plankton and other small animals under a microscope. We even offer a nighttime snorkel in our lagoon, which is my favorite!
After the nighttime programs, it’s time for me to pack up for the night and head home in order to get ready for another fun day on the water tomorrow!