Bimini, Bahamas · 1997–1998
The shark that started a journey
A first dive with sharks at the Bimini Biological Field Station — an encounter that became a defining early step in Rowan’s career.
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Rowan Byrne’s field archive
The Stories That Made Me a Marine Biologist
30+ years of encounters, discoveries, fieldwork and conservation
Explore the storiesEvery marine biologist has a story. Mine began with curiosity, grew through encounters with wildlife and developed through decades of fieldwork, research, conservation and environmental science.
These are the experiences that shaped my career — from encounters with sharks and endangered sea turtles to investigating plastic pollution, studying ecosystems and helping organisations understand environmental risk.
Some of these stories happened underwater. Others happened in forests, laboratories, ports, conference rooms and coastal communities.
But they are all connected by one thing.
The ocean.
A career in the field
The journey, in chapters
- 01
The beginning
Curiosity becomes a career direction.
- 02
First encounters
Learning at sea through early field experiences.
- 03
Fieldwork
Working across oceans, coasts and communities.
- 04
Conservation
Species protection and practical action.
- 05
Research
Questions tested through evidence and observation.
- 06
Climate and ecology
Understanding connected ecosystems.
- 07
Plastic pollution
From observation to practical response.
- 08
Marine ecology
Science applied to environmental risk.
- 09
Leadership
Turning field experience into wider impact.
- 10
The future
The record continues.
This series combines Rowan Byrne’s first-hand experience with scientific context and independently available historical sources.
Featured field accounts
The stories that shaped the work
Dominica, Caribbean · 2003–2008
Working with leatherback sea turtles
A documented fieldwork record connecting sea-turtle conservation, the Rosalie Sea Turtle Initiative, original photography and independent source material.
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Dominica, Caribbean · 2003–2005
The seahorses of Dominica
During years of diving Dominica's reefs, Rowan Byrne discovered that the most memorable encounters were often the smallest — longsnout seahorses hidden in plain sight beneath the Caribbean Sea.
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All published stories
Dominica, Eastern Caribbean
The Seahorses of Dominica: Small Wonders Beneath a Caribbean Sea
During years of marine conservation and diving in Dominica, Rowan Byrne discovered that some of the most memorable encounters were the smallest — seahorses hidden in plain sight beneath the Caribbean Sea.
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East Falkland, Falkland Islands
The Penguins of Bertha’s Beach
In 2008, while supporting environmental contingency planning in the Falkland Islands, Rowan Byrne walked alone along Bertha’s Beach and spent an unforgettable day observing Gentoo penguins at a vast coastal colony.
Explore furtherDominica, Caribbean
Observations on Dominica: The Story Behind the Book
After years of diving, photographing, conserving and working with communities in Dominica, Rowan Byrne created Observations on Dominica in 2005 — a photographic record of the island’s reefs, sea turtles, whales, dolphins, rainforest, history and people. Nearly two decades later, the story reveals the fieldwork, friendships and conservation experiences behind the photographs.
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Baja California Sur, Mexico
A First Encounter with a Full-Term Endangered Baby Manta Ray in Baja Mexico
In January 1998, after completing a stint at Dr Samuel Gruber's Bimini Biological Field Station, Rowan Byrne set off for Baja California Sur to work with renowned Mexican elasmobranch biologist Professor Carlos Villavicencio — and encountered something he would never forget.
Explore furtherBimini, Bahamas
My First Dive with Sharks: A Tale of Passion and Discovery
The year was 1997. Rowan Byrne had just said goodbye to his parents in Dublin and was heading to the Bimini Biological Field Station in the Bahamas — his first taste of the exhilarating world of sharks, and a defining moment that would shape his entire career.
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Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Night Diving with Spearfishermen in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, South Pacific
In 1999, Rowan Byrne was offered the chance to work in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands — a remote island nine hours flying from New Zealand. As a passionate marine biologist, it was a dream come true. Little did he know, this journey would be marked by a near-death experience that would forever change his perspective on life and the ocean's power.
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Philippines
Philippines, People and Sunsets
In 2000, Rowan Byrne embarked on an extraordinary journey to the Philippine islands supporting the Voluntary Service Overseas programme, spending over two and a half years immersed in the stunning yet contrasting tropical environment — discovering unknown dugong populations, working with fisherfolk, and witnessing both the beauty and the heartbreak of the Philippines' marine world.
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Dominica, Caribbean
Diving with Giants: A Young Marine Biologist's Unforgettable Encounter
In February 2003, fresh from years in the Philippines, Rowan Byrne landed an exhilarating opportunity in Dominica in the Caribbean — managing the Rosalie Sea Turtle Initiative. What followed over five years included working with Disney and Johnny Depp on Pirates of the Caribbean, collaborating with the BBC, and one unforgettable rescue of an entangled giant leatherback sea turtle.
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Gansbaai, South Africa
Encountering Great White Sharks: A Journey to South Africa
In August 2008, Rowan Byrne and his colleague Dr Matt Blackburn — both passionate marine biologists and graduates of Aberystwyth University — embarked on a life-changing journey to South Africa. A lifelong dream, finally coming to fruition: diving with great white sharks at Seal Island, Gansbaai.
Explore furtherConnected work
Explore the wider record
Archive in progress
Stories being prepared
- The forest that taught a marine biologist about the ocean
- The night I met a leatherback
- What a whale shark taught me about scale
- Following dolphins
- The photograph that became something bigger
- When I started seeing plastic everywhere
- Working where offshore energy meets marine life
- The most important lesson the ocean ever taught me
How these stories fit together
The Marine Knowledge Landscape
See how documented stories and original photographs complement science, conservation and taxonomy.
Explore the knowledge landscapeMarineCreatures.com
The story isn’t finished
The archive continues to connect first-hand experience, original photography, scientific context and documented history — as new fieldwork and stories are added.