by Leonardo Thornton
Abstract
During shark month at Gili Shark Conservation, Gili Air, Lombok, Indonesia, I worked as a Sharkie/research assistant for four weeks, applying my knowledge and experience from my BSc in Marine and Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland (Waipapa Taumata Rau). Over the month, to help protect the local White Tip Reef Sharks (Triaenodon obesus) as well as the Gili Matra Marine Park’s coral reefs, I found inspiration in continuing my studies in this field after feeling great satisfaction from finally being able to apply all the studies I had accumulated over the last three years in Auckland. This programme led me to meet a diverse group of conservationists who made my experience on Gili Air extremely joyful, sharing time working towards a common passion and learning skills and experiences from all over the world. Overall, the four weeks I spent in Indonesia satisfied my yearning to apply the knowledge I had gained at the university over the last three years, as well as my wish to expand my knowledge and experience hands-on in the field of marine conservation.
Background
Growing up by the Hauraki Gulf on the North Shore of Aotearoa, the ocean has been a heavy part of my identity as a child; as a family, every summer we would go on snorkelling trips up north at the Goat Island Marine Reserve and swim countless times at our local Browns Bay beach, even occasionally going on fishing trips with my father’s friends out into the gulf. This identity led me, at 18, to pursue a Bachelor of Science (Marine Sciences and Biological Sciences) at the University of Auckland. Here I was able to study under professors with many years of field experience and meet peers who share my passion for this ecosystem, learning everything from the impact zooplankton have in the open waters to the sensitivity of a Shark’s otolith used for audio sensory. However, I was also taught of the struggles and decline of our Moana’s health through these papers, even via examples of my own Hauraki Gulf such as how the effects of commercial fishing techniques can decimate a fragile yet valuable environment; these classes were tough on me and led me to develop a heavy interest in marine conservation as a career after I would finish my degree. In 2026, now at 21 years of age, due to unfortunate university circumstances, I would be forced to take a gap year before I could return to start my Graduate Diploma of Science (in Marine sciences) at James Cook University, and I was left wondering where I could apply my Marine Science studies in the meantime.
A mutual of an Ex-Sharkie who had the same degree as I at the University of Auckland referred me to Gili Shark Conservation and its marine conservation programmes and opportunities, recommending that it would be perfect for my current situation. Looking into the programme, I found a place where I could apply my studies in a field I had a great passion for, so in January of 2026, I applied to be a Sharkie at Gili Shark Conservation during their shark month.
My time at Gili Air
Arriving at the tail end of March, Gili Air had exceeded all my expectations as a beautiful tropical island in the western Pacific; every day the weather was beautiful with minimal signs of rain, the beaches were glistening with light to draw in swimmers, and the local people had been nothing but kind despite my being a tourist. Every day feels like paradise.
The staff at Gili Shark Conservation / Yayasan Gili Matra Bersama have been amazing to work with. Each individual brings an intense love toward their ocean, whether they are local or not, which inspired me every day to commit towards their cause of protecting the Gili Matra marine park. And my fellow Sharkies. I could not have asked for a more diverse yet passionate group of peers to stand alongside me over the month and work to help support the Yayasan. Outside of the conservation work, the instructors at the Dive Centre had a huge impact on developing my diving skills, for instance, improving my trim and air consumption underwater, allowing me to glide through the ocean effortlessly for longer periods of time (Figure 1).
Finally, the time I spent outside of the water with my peers may have been the most fun I’ve had in years on holiday; every night was a night to be remembered, whether we went out to dinners at the local Warungs or had a few Bintangs at PJs down from HQ. Gili Air has been a most enjoyable holiday for me, not even including the satisfaction the programme itself gave me in terms of applying my studies and passions in the real world (Figure 2).
What have I applied and what have I learned?
Throughout the programme, we sharkies would spend our time attending seminars and presentations around marine conservation (history, techniques, case studies, etc.) as well as lectures on how the marine system works, which we would then apply out in the field. Coming from a Marine Science background, many of these concepts and techniques came naturally to me, whether they were content I had already learned or techniques I was already familiar with from university. This foundational knowledge of Marine Science and Conservation enabled me to quickly learn and contribute to the work of the Yayasan. An example of context is trophic cascades; this is a common issue in New Zealand’s coastal ecosystems, which is heavily covered throughout my degree. Thus, during presentations on the importance of protecting local sharks or the coral reef itself, the message immediately resonated with me. Thus, when going out into the water to do Shark IDs every Tuesday or coral cleaning on Thursdays, knowing the impact it can have in saving the local waters from threats such as a trophic cascade made me even more eager to act for the cause. Technically, scientific data collection via slate surveys and data entry using programmes such as Excel and ImageJ are methods I have become familiar with over the last few years at the University of Auckland. This experience enabled me to process data efficiently and accurately every afternoon after we finished our dives. Finally, the vast knowledge around marine species, ecosystem dynamics and ocean movement has helped educate and assist not just myself but others at Gili Shark Conservation in and out of the water; some things include answering curious queries about certain fish families and species, and others covered more risk heavy topics such as ocean currents and how to dive safely when affected.
Although I had studied this field at a highly regarded tertiary institution, the staff here on Gili Air have greatly expanded my knowledge of this passion, which I hold dearly. One of the biggest takeaways I’ve gotten from this program is how to apply scuba diving to science. Throughout the programme, our dives, although recreational, for the most part involved specific goals and tasks for scientific data collection and analysis, such as BRUVs. The Baited Remote Underwater Video involves deploying a weighted frame structure at the benthos, equipped with a camera and a berley bomb, which is left there for an hour to record which reef species are attracted to the excreted smell. The resulting video is then analysed, with the results showing/determining the overall health of the local reef, as it highlights a wide range of organisms across different levels of the trophic system. Gili Shark Conservation also taught me how to apply conservation in my private life, one of which was my introduction to Coral Watch. A programme and database run by the University of Queensland to track global coral health, Coral Watch, can be done anywhere, anytime globally (if there are corals to analyse) with just a slate; this analysis can be done during both diving and swimming, making it easy and accessible for everyone, including me, to help with conservation efforts in my free time.
Finally, this programme has increased my knowledge of scientific ID and data collection underwater, including underwater photography, used to analyse unique spots on Sharks and Turtles to identify them in their database and track populations. Here, I was taught how to calibrate and use lasers alongside diving cameras to capture, essentially, a shark or turtle’s “fingerprints” as well as its length. Afterwards, at the dive shop, we would match these “fingerprints” with existing sharks and turtles in the area, and they are saved in the database with updates of their growth and health, and even occasionally we will find a new unidentified organism which we have the honour to name ourselves (such as Lenny Jr., the Green Turtle).
Satisfaction
The last four weeks of my life have been the most enjoyable so far as an Adult. It still surprises me that, over the course of only four weeks, I could start in a position where I was lost with my degree, unsure if I would ever find a place where I could apply my passion and qualifications that I had worked tirelessly over the last three years, to a content PADI certified Scientific Diver who has made and will continue to make an impact in the fight for marine conservation. Even outside of diving and science, I am extremely pleased and overjoyed that I have met so many amazing people that I will remember and value as lifelong friends, remembering the time we had on Gili Air for decades to come. If you are someone who was lost like me after finishing a university degree in Marine Sciences, hoping to find a place where you can work to apply your passion and make a real impact, Gili Shark Conservation’s Shark Month may be the right option for you.
