Diving with Purpose - 8 week Marine Citizen Science Program

Jaden Padgett Start Date: May 31, 2021 - End Date: Aug 28, 2021
  • Costa Rica

My Travel Story

by: Jaden Padgett Start Date: May 31, 2021 - End Date: Aug 28, 2021
I think I've always had a connection with the ocean, since I was a toddler, I would always rush into the ocean despite not knowing how to swim at the time. The first real experience I had with marine science was during a school field trip, where I had the pleasure of disecting a squid, and got to see the color changing cells in action. My next experience was during the summer after 7th grade when I got to join a week-long overnight program at UNCW for Marine Biology. I disected a fish and learned about some of the tools used for monitoring marine life. Ever since I've really been entranced by marine science and I wanted to know more. In 2018, I had another chance to study marine science when I traveled to Costa Rica wih my mom and brother. I joined a 12-week program with Connect Oceans, and through it I became a certified diver.  Since then I have dived several times in Costa Rica, and twice in Florida. Being able to go back is more than a way to upgrade my college applications, but also for me to keep enjoying my greatest passion.

About the Program

More regionally we are preparing for strategic partnership agreements with Conservation International and the University of Costa Rica/CIMAR.Both organizations will be helping us with our next level curriculum development and app integration. Our apps will be extended tools of their research and conservation objectives.

A bit more detail on the training and research that will be conducted:

Our first phase of our App is currently designed and used to create a Marine Life Census in and around the Las Catalinas Islands here in Northern Guanacaste. It includes 4 surveys that we are currently using  to track biodiversity and population counts and bank data onto the Open Data ArcGIS Platform:

Fish ID :
Species presence can give valuable insight into ecosystem health and community assemblages. By collecting this data, we can evaluate current ecosystem state, track community changes and demography and propose evidence for a protection strategy in order to ensure the longevity of these important communities.We are collecting this data through Scuba Divers, Snorkelers and Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations.
2.Rays:
There are over 600 species of rays in the world, a quarter of which are threatened with extinction due to targeted and accidental fishing (IUCN). This survey will contribute to the global monitoring of rays partnered with the Manta Trust Foundation https://www.mantatrust.org/costa-rica  to help ensure their global conservation.We are collecting this data through Scuba Divers, Snorkelers and Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations.We are also using laser photogrammetry units to measure the sizes of the rays we encounter during data collection.
3.Sharks:
Sharks are one of the oldest species on the planet. There are about 470 different species with many facing extinction and many shark species are data deficient i.e. not enough data to accurately classify their conservation status. This survey will contribute to the global monitoring of sharks and aim to alleviate the data deficiencies within this group to help ensure their conservation.We are collecting this data through Scuba Divers, Snorkelers and Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations.We are also using laser photogrammetry units to measure the sizes of the rays we encounter during data collection,
4.Vessels:
Vessel Surveys provide critical information on the use of marine resources in local communities. By collecting information of the type of vessels utilizing the area, we will be able to ascertain the resource pressure exerted by unregulated fishing. We plan to share this information with the local coast guard, as enforcement is one of the largest shortcomings within global marine conservation strategies. This information will be used to assist with sustainable management of our marine resources.We collect this data on all of our dive trips through the local diving and snorkeling communities.

With the start of the Marine Census survey we have been collecting the data manually. In November 2018 the Beta version of the 4 surveys were completed and we are currently populating the data onto the ArcGIS portal for spatial distribution.The goal is to use this as a baseline to propose the creation of a MPA of the Las Catalinas Island.
Every trip we do with guests visiting Las Catalinas we contribute to these surveys by getting the guests to contribute and participate in the surveys.They learn about how to deploy Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations, how to measure sharks and rays with laser photogrammetry units and they also help us count and asses a variety of key indicator species when snorkeling and diving. Each trip we survey the vessels around the island and enter it onto our mobile app.
Not only is the experience educational but the guests feel that they are positively contributing to science and research.The great thing about the ESRI ArcGIS open source platform is that every time we take guest diving and collect data , it gets banked on the platform and we are able to create a much clearer picture of the biodiversity and in turn the importance of the island.The data from each survey can be collected and layered over each other allowing us to see a connection between the anthropogenic activities and the ecosystems. This data is open source and we work with local researchers and universities to propose better management and use of these resources.

In addition you will also be involved in our ConnectOcean Community Supported Fisheries Project as part of our efforts to engage small scale fishermen in and around the Las Catalina Islands:
As part of our main objective we are working towards creating a community-supported fisheries platform to incentivize the participation of Artisanal fishermen as stakeholders in the project.The idea here is to create a similar model to the sustainable agriculture model with Farmer markets but instead create a virtual community fish market where local communities, hotels, restaurants and guest houses can buy the fish directly from the fishermen.It is essential that we try and create economically viable model for the fishermen in the community in order to get them invested in strategic and sustainable management measures of the Las Catalinas islands.With current challenges of Covid it is even harder and they need the help more!

Earlier this year ConnectOcean participated in the UN’s Reboot the Challenge.We entered our project for Artisanal Fishers and was placed first in the sustainable fishing category.This enabled us to connect with Mark Kaplan from Envisible (click here)   ,a company that uses Whole Chain for food traceability. Mark was one of the judges and who is collaborating with us to develop the project a bit further.



  • Costa Rica