Wild Boyz Photography is proud to have Jess Keller join us this month as a featured photographer. Jess is a graduate from Indiana University in underwater archeology. She is passionate about protecting the world's ocean and was able to do that while working for the National Park Service. Currently, Jess works for NOAA and is able to continue her pursuit for knowledge as well as teach future generations to understand and respect the underwater environment. Let's find out more about Jess Keller.
Lots of ways but hiking, walking slow and absorbing the little things is one of my favorite ways other than my passion for diving. On the other side, diving is special because I get to immerse myself in a new world by moving up and down, left and right, upside down or whatever direction you want. Not very many people get to see underwater life and I love being able to appreciate the beauty and fragility of this environment. We are responsible as stewards to make sure we take care of the earth because things die very quickly and that is especially true underwater. A little rock can be home to numerous creatures and things you really have to focus in on and as soon as you stop and look, you will really see things that your eyes didn’t see before. You really get to experience a whole different world underwater.
I worked there for over 7 years as an underwater archeologist and it was amazing! It was a lot of data collection and it was incredible to be responsible for the resources that are in national parks. There are a lot more to national parks than people realize. For example, most people, when they think of national parks, think of the big ones like Yellowstone or Yosemite, but there are actually a lot more smaller ones like national recreation areas, seashores, or historic monuments that fall into the National Park Service as well. It’s such an obligation to understand and have a baseline of all the archeological sites and know what is there and then also have a plan for how to protect it. It was such a privilege to go to these places and be a part of a place that people have thought was ‘cool’ for centuries. I got to see such a variety of uses both historically and present and it was fascinating to be a part of and a great way to unite people together.
I have quite a few favorites for different reasons. Some of my favorites are actually not based on the resources but the people who shape and protect it. Perry’s Victory, for instance, an international peace monument on an island in Lake Erie, is small but I fell in love with the people who work there. They were so nice and just welcomed you there like you were family and that to me makes a park. However, for a more typical answer, one of my favorite parks is the Pearl Harbor Valor Monument because of the history and importance of it. I got inspired to work for the National Park Service because I knew they were the stewards of the USS Arizona. It was sort of a dream to be a part of because I love the history, my grandfather fought in the war. I thought if I could dive and protect it one day that would be amazing and when I finally got to do it, it was extremely emotional. You could really feel the importance of that place and it was quite moving as well as something I will never forget.
My favorite is the juvenile spotted trunkfish. They are super cute and teeny tiny, about the size of a pea. Their fins are sort of see through, so they look like a little round ball. They are super hard to see and bounce around erratically so it’s pretty rare to find them. I’ve only seen about 4 or 5 in my life.
It was actually luck. The town I grew up in was very small and I just didn’t fit in there. I was on the swim team and was always drawn to water. I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I went to college, so I started out as a theatre major and took a lot of random classes. Through that I stumbled into a scientific diving course because I liked water and it sounded cool. In the first couple weeks of class I was hooked. Our professor showed an animal planet video of him and some students going into to jungles of the Dominican Republic and rappelling into a sink hole and then diving 100 ft to find these pristine artifacts carved by the Native Americans. I then knew that I wanted to do that too, sign me up! Now I feel that it is my responsibility, not only as an underwater archeologist, but also as someone who grew up in the Midwest to show people the possibilities of what is out there. It is so important to share our information about why it all matters as well as inspire the next generation to get involved.
I had a trip planned last November to Chuuk Lagoon. Diving is usually a part of my job so to take a dive trip for fun is not in my vocabulary usually. This was going to be a fun trip for me to just experience the archeology and history of this lagoon. There are ships that are still fully loaded with cargo from WWII. Human behavior does not change over time and it is very neat to see how these ships were left from so long ago.
That list is so long. I wouldn’t be where I am at today without countless mentors and people who just gave me a chance. That is what I like best about our small community, everyone is there to help each other out. Everyone from my professors, to Quiescence Diving Services, to the National Park Service and NOAA all have helped me out along the way. Receiving a scholarship from Women’s Divers Hall of Fame in 2012 was huge and allowed me to network and connect with so many incredible women in the industry. We all have to help build each other up and I am very appreciative of the mentors that have helped me in the past. I hope to be that mentor to others in the future because I wouldn’t be where I am at today without them.
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