actually i got the job just by timing. Last summer i got my PADI recreational cert, then somehow my brother's girlfriend found the job posting. just so happens my boss (now at least), Jeff Marliave, was looking for an undergrad with a scuba cert with no experience that he could basically brainwash... i just fit the bill
And i think it helped that the guy who PADI certified me is a good friend of Jeff's! But yeah, just like at the Seattle aquarium, they usually hire internally for those kind of jobs and look for people with some experience. i was just really really lucky.
I do fish research. In the field it's mostly conservational research dive stuff, and in the lab we've been mostly focused on fish and shrimp breeding. Let me tell ya, rockfish larvae are HARD to raise :P but hey, it's a challenge and there's nothing wrong with that. I do love my job.
That San Juan thing sounds pretty cool. What kinda research is that focused on?