Paula Petri: Becoming a Marine Biologist

My family had no choice but to take me to the ocean every year for vacation. Being from Germany, my contact with the saltwater was limited, but didn't stop me from developing a love and respect for our oceans.

From a very young age, I was fascinated by the ocean and wanted to do nothing else but be underwater. As soon as I arrived at the sea I would grab my mask and be underwater for as long as I could. My mom introduced me to the traditional practice of the Hawaiian culture, Hula, and decided to visit the island of Kauai when I was 10 years old. There, we booked a boat tour and went snorkeling along the Napali Coast with Captain Tara.

*Paula’s first boat dive with Captain Tara, March 2022*

She told stories about the water and the land around us and pointed out the significance of the reefs and healthy oceans. Since that day I was inspired to become a marine biologist and one day a captain. Seeing her steering the boat and leading the way through the open ocean was my main inspiration to be a marine biologist myself. Sadly I couldn't just stay on Kauai by myself at 10 years old and had to go back to finish my school in Germany. As soon as I had my high school diploma I worked for a couple of months, so I could travel to Kauai again.

In 2019 I came back to Kauai and informed myself about possible ways to study marine biology on Kauai and possibly meet Captain Tara again. Now I am in my 5th semester of studying marine biology on Kauai and currently working on my marine options program to test for possible micro-plastics in the river mouths of Kauai. I can not wait to eventually inspire other girls the same way captain Tara inspired me and to help keep our oceans healthy.