Science Beneath the Surface
Jump into the Pacific with a scientific diving course where students build skills in one of the world’s most challenging marine environments.
Written by Robyn Kontra Tanner // Photos by Joe Johnston
Video by Dylan Head and Matt Yoon
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Students in Cal Poly’s scientific diving course explore underwater environments throughout the Central Coast.
MSCI 410: Scientific Diving is arguably one of the most vivid Learn by Doing experiences a student can have at Cal Poly. Unlike many other electives, a unique blend of self-reliance and collaboration is central to the curriculum. Over two weeks during the summer term, students learn to conduct scientific methods and data collection underwater while adapting to the notoriously strong swells and murky conditions off the Central Coast.
When students in this select cohort complete the circuit of 12 boundary-pushing dives, they hold a coveted certificate in scientific diving that will open doors to new research opportunities and career paths.
“Diving is one of the most important tools for discoveries in marine science,” said Jason Felton, co-instructor and the university’s diving safety officer. “Every time you dip beneath the waves, you never know what you’re going to see. It’s a challenge working underwater, but the good news is, if you can learn to dive successfully here, you can dive pretty much anywhere in the world.”
Follow the class through this whirlwind of skill building, team bonding and confidence fortification in the vast classroom of the Pacific Ocean.
From the Classroom to the Pool
The course begins with three days of dry-land lectures focusing on the physics and physiology of diving. Students also grasp the basics of underwater data collection while studying local marine species they will encounter in the ocean.
The group then heads to the Rec Center for two days in the lap pool. While each diver already holds their scuba certification, the instructors make sure each person has the core skills — like breathing techniques and rescue protocols — they need in the ocean.
First photo: Instructors Jason Felton (center) and Kaitlin Johnson (right) give guidance on the pool deck. Second photo: A student takes the plunge. Video: The divers practices skills underwater.
One of the toughest assignments is completing a “ditch and don,” where each diver removes their scuba gear under water and puts it back on before surfacing.
“For me, that was extremely, extremely challenging,” said Clare Beezhold, an environmental management and protection student. “But it definitely showed me I can do things that are really hard!
“I think it showed us all that we were capable of a lot more than we thought we were, which is great, especially in a field like this where you have to do things that take you outside your comfort zone.”
Checkout Dive at Dog Beach
On the course’s fifth day, the group ventures to the Pacific for the first of 12 open-water dives. After gearing up on Dog Beach in Avila Bay, each diver walks into the waves for a “checkout dive.” Instructors Felton and Kaitlin Johnson (M.S. Biological Sciences ’16) assess each student’s skills in the ocean and ensure their equipment is calibrated properly for the conditions.
“They are kind of jittery in the beginning,” said Johnson, who is an educator and a professional scientific diver for an environmental consulting firm. “One of my favorite parts is just seeing their skills and their confidence progress. Nothing beats experience — just get them out there, get them in the water and have them practice these subtidal surveys.”
First image: Students prepare their gear on the sand in Avila Beach. Second image: A pair of divers enter the surf. Video: Students feel nerves and exhilaration as they navigate their course’s first dive in the Pacific.
The divers learn to leverage the buddy system, a standard practice in any diving scenario. Each duo works together to prepare and don their gear. Beezhold was known to the class for her thorough preparations with her buddy.
“Before every dive, I want to know exactly how we’re signaling to each other every single instance, and I want to have an exact plan for the whole dive,” she said. “A lot of it is checking in on how you’re feeling, hyping each other up, maybe doing a little dance.”
First image: A diver shows off their pressure gauge. Second image: Students confront the limited visibility in the shallow waters off Avila Beach. Third image: Instructor Jason Felton holds a dive slate while student practice using equipment and recording data in the water.
During this initial dive, students practice handling their data collection tools, including a transect tape and dive slates equipped with waterproof paper.
“A lot of sampling techniques are based on having two people,” said Felton. “Having a second set of eyes and a second set of hands helps keep people out of trouble.”
Diving at the Cal Poly Pier
Throughout the class, the cohort takes full advantage of the Cal Poly Pier, a hub for research and marine science education that offers easy access to the Pacific. The pier stretches more than a half mile from the shore and offers immediate access to a thriving marine environment 40 feet deep.
Video: Students prepare for their first dive from the Cal Poly Pier. First photo: A wealth of scuba gear on the deck. Second photo: Lexi Hollister takes a giant stride into the Pacific from the Cal Poly Pier.
After splashing into the water from the pier’s lower deck, students find a spectrum of organisms living on the pier pilings: barnacles, mussels, nudibranchs, urchin, sea stars and more.
“I was super geeked out the first time we went under the pier, and I just kept saying, ‘oh my gosh, oh my gosh!’” said marine science student Sarah Lazaro. “There ended up being such vibrant orange and beautiful pinks and reds — everything was just so new.”
The divers practice managing all their tools, including a dive slate where they record everything they observe.
First photo: Dive buddies enter the water and prepare to descend down the pier pilings. Second photo: The Cal Poly Pier, seen from the Pacific. Video: Students were amazed by the biodiversity they saw below the Cal Poly Pier, including organisms like crabs, octopus and barnacles.
Bennett Woodward, a marine science student, noticed the species on the pilings change with more depth. Near the surface, he saw sessile (or stationary) organisms like anemones. But farther down, crab and octopus were on the move.
“We saw a sheep crab, which was the biggest crab I’ve ever seen,” recalled Woodward. “It was probably the width of my shoulders and that wasn’t even fully extended. It hung upside down on one of the horizontal pilings. That was really cool.”
Boat Diving from Cal Poly's Marine Vessels
One of the biggest challenges of the course is the boat dive where students explore a rocky reef and kelp forest. The day begins early with safety briefings while divers learn more about preparing different types of marine vessels. Members of the group also contend with seasickness as the boats face rolling waves en route to the waters off Point Buchon.
Students and instructors take Cal Poly’s marine vessels to a dive spot off the coast of Point Buchon.
“This year it was extra tricky because the currents were really raging and the visibility wasn’t great,” said Johnson. “We were trying to encourage them that it was going to be worth it — it was going to be an amazing dive — and you could see a little bit of hesitation in their eyes.”
Once divers jumped in, a current pushed them toward the back of the boat. They had to swim hard to the bow to grab the anchor line and descend in the water column toward the reef. Johnson, who had set the line, told divers the visibility wouldn’t open up until at least 15 feet down. She encouraged her students to push through.
First photo: Instructor Jason Felton supervises from the boat as divers use the anchor line to descend into the ocean. Second photo: Clare Beezhold reviews the dive plan with her partner. Third photo: Bennett Woodward surfaces at the edge of the boat.
“They stuck with it. They used their skill set and they were able to really enjoy the dive,” she said. “A good dive in a kelp forest is hard to beat: the sun shining down on the algae and the fish swimming through are amazing.”
Lazaro was one of the students hit by seasickness, but it resolved once she got in the water. Her persistence led to several memorable firsts.
Students and instructors explore a rocky reef off the coast of Point Buchon.
“We got to go to this cool rocky reef with a bunch of rockfish — I’d never seen rockfish before,” she remembered. Despite the obstacles, she notched a new max depth of 52 feet.
“The most fulfilling part is seeing the students progress with their skill set and knowing they are the next wave of marine biologists,” said Johnson.
Diving at Night
The final dive of the class is a night dive from the Cal Poly Pier with a distinct objective: instead of mastering a new skill, divers must get comfortable underwater in the dark. It is the first time many of the students work in the water after sunset.
“I was kind of terrified to do a night dive,” admitted Mia Muzquiz, who is double majoring in biology and Spanish. “I had a hard time wrapping my mind around only being able to see what was in my view under my light.”
She remembers her adrenaline pumping as she descended the stairs to enter the dark, glassy water.
“Me and my buddy had to turn off our lights at the same time. Seeing nothing and knowing that you were just floating in the water column — that freaked me out for a second,” she said. But Muzquiz’s preparation paid off.
“I actually felt calmer in a night dive than I felt in any other dive,” she said. “I was building my skills so much and I was getting so much more comfortable in the water that I actually didn’t need to see what was going on around me. I felt so confident that I knew what I was doing there.”
First image: Divers prepare their gear on the Cal Poly Pier at sunset. Second image: Guided by flashlights, students begin their first night dive.
Almost as if Mother Nature was rewarding the group for their two weeks of hard work, the class enjoyed a bioluminescent show that night.
“We were asked to turn off our dive lights because there was an algal bloom underneath the pier,” said Lazaro. “And sure enough, we turn off our lights and I wave my hand in front of me, and everything sparkles for a little bit. It’s very faintly blue. And it was honestly the closest I will ever get to being in outer space.”
After the final exam, students echoed that this course was not only an unforgettable milestone in their Cal Poly journeys, but it also became a centerpiece of their resumes. If they had a message for other science students considering the course, it would be: don’t be afraid to take on this challenge.
“It’s daunting at first, but also what a privilege to be able to practice something that you love to do,” said Lazaro. “It definitely opened my eyes to a whole new world. This sounds super cliche, but it’s the best example of Learn by Doing I can think of.”
The scientific diving cohort. Back row L to R: Bennett Woodward, Kaitlin Johnson, Lexi Hollister, Clare Beezhold, Olivia Halter. Front row L to R: Ella Leback, Sarah Lazaro, Jason Felton, Mia Muzquiz.
