Meet the Researchers

Jake Levenson

Hi! My name's Jake, I'm a Junior at UNE and am a Marine Biology Major. I enjoy SCUBA diving, sailing, and photography. I'm really psyched that you decided to check out this web site. This is my second On Location with the Gulf of Maine Aquarium: check out our first: On Location in Belize.

So what's the point of taking pictures of the fish and reef? Well, it gives a great idea of the amazing Biodiversity found on a tropical reef! I can also take the pictures of this year's reefs and compare them to last year's pictures I took before Hurricane Mitch. This way we can spot different types of coral damage and diseases. I'm also taking pictures for another reason. I'm currently a volunteer diver at the New England Aquarium and am working on a project to find out the different reproductive modes of coral reef fish. There are even some fish found on coral reefs that nobody knows how they spawn. That's what I'd like to learn more about from this trip. There are some kinds of fish like squirrelfish that no one knows how they reproduce. Because we are here during a new moon, I'm hoping to use some high-tech photographic equipment to see if any possible nesting or spawning behaviors that might happen at night. Wanna go for a virtual dive in the tropics? Well stay tuned for some really cool night photos and videos!

One more thing...I'm the guy on the other end of the digital camera sending you guys images back to the Internet. I would love to answer any questions that any of you might have. I love email so feel free to send me any questions about fish, coral reefs, Israel, the Red Sea, or SCUBA diving in general. Hope to hear from you soon.
Email me .

Jud

Hi my name is Jud. This is my second trip with Jake, I went with him to Belize. I have been to sixteen different coutries, this will be my second time to Israel. I am looking foward to diving in this part of the Red Sea. I hope to see dolphins and a Napoleon Wrasse while I am here. My intrests are diving, traveling, woodworking, and photography. Since I will be doing three out of the four on this trip I am very excited to get started. In Maine I work at a cabinetmaking shop and also repair and build guitars. After I am done assisting Jake I will continue travelling to Jordan, Eygpt and then into sub-Saharan Africa to continue diving. If you have any questions please Email me .

Elizabeth

Hi, my name is Elizabeth. I have been diving for a few years now and this is my first trip to Israel. I'm extremely excited to be here and am looking forward to exploring the wonders of the Red Sea. It will be so cool if I get a chance to dive with sharks in the wild. I also can't wait to see the marvelous colourful array of corals, anenomes and variety of marine life. Last year I dove in Bermuda and I'm looking forward to doing some more warm water diving after all the cold water diving in New England. On Saturdays I volunteer at the New England Aquarium. I've worked with the penguins and now I work with seal pups that have been stranded. We rehabilate them and then release them back to the ocean. Just recently I got to dive in the Giant Ocean Tank and it was the most incredible hour of my life. Feel free to Email me and ask me any questions.