The second stop was the island of Bonaire where I repeated the same process. However, in Bonaire I got a bit more time to meet up with old friends and research colleagues, and to enjoy some beach time. Scuba diving is my passion, but when you dive for research you don’t get to focus on the fun because you are working. However, in my opinion, it’s the most beautiful office in the world!

College of Science: Tell us your favorite story from the field - perhaps the most memorable field research experience you've had!

Alicia Reigel: I think the most memorable story I have from the field is the day that two bull sharks were a little too curious. Bull sharks are notoriously nosy and can often be aggressive so even some marine biologists are slightly wary of them. I was doing research and carrying around a lot of equipment on a dive and I was not focused on the surrounding water. While I had my head in the reef counting corals my dive partner tapped my shoulder. I turned to look and saw two large bull sharks “pacing” behind us.

I had a momentary panic, but remembered to relax and just keep working. Most often sharks are just curious and will move on. I kept telling myself that until I was bumped by one of the sharks. Bumping usually indicates either curiosity or a test to see how delicious you might be.... not a great sign.

We began to make our way shallower to get out of the water, but these two were very persistent and would not stop following and bumping us. As we made it to the shallows the two sharks suddenly lost interest and just swam away. I can’t deny the sigh of relief I had watching them swim away. I’ve spent a lot of time in the water with sharks, but that story definitely stands out. I think those two bull sharks were just overly curious.