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The Days at Darling:
Scientific divers at the Darling Marine Center, Walpole, Maine
Fabio Buitrago wades into the water of Sand Cove Beach in Walpole, Maine, for a dive. Buitrago, a Ph.D. student in the biology department at Boston University, was a teaching fellow for a three-week scientific diving class under the Marine Semester: a hands-on field and laboratory-based program offered at BU every fall semester since 1985. In September of 2024, the class spent a week at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole, Maine, under training for scientific diving certifications.
Buitrago (left) teaches Georgia Fanthorpe (right) how to fill a lift bag with air while underwater. Lift bags are used by scientific divers to lift their samples or equipment to the surface of the water.
Maeva Vasquez straps on her compass before diving at Sand Cove Beach. Despite being a business major, Vasquez said she would have studied marine science in another life and that the Marine Semester allowed her to pursue this passion.
Scuba gear and scientific equipment litter the divers' tarp on Sand Cove Beach.
(Left to right) Sierra Kroeber-Marx, Maeva Vasquez and Karina Scavo Lord search for periwinkle snails and green crabs among piles of rockweed at the Darling Marine Center.
Sierra holds up a European Green Crab (Carcinus maenas), an invasive predator that has threatened New England ecosystems since the 1800s, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. Growing up in Maine, Sierra said she and her sisters would smash green crabs for fun.
Sierra, Karina and Maeva lay on their bellies to investigate what grows beneath the dock of the Darling Marine Center. The three aim to start a Natural History Club at BU dedicated to learning about the native species of New England through interactive field trips.
(Left to right) Sophie Beredo, Ellie Bosacoma, Sophie Martorana, and Sierra relax in their cabin dorm after a long day of diving.
Sophie Beredo completes the American Academy of Underwater Sciences e-learning course required for the scientific diving certification.
Paige Becker ditches her rashguard to explore the rocky intertidal zone of Sand Cove Beach.
Lissette Bayona, the assistant dive safety officer at the New England Aquarium, swims back to shore with a dive flag at the end of a dive. Bayona joined the BU trip to observe how scientific diving certification courses are run.
The dining hall at the Darling Marine Center erupted in song to celebrate Ellie, who turned 22 during the trip.
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