BAVINA SOOKDEO
Diva Amon, 36,a world-renowned Trinidadian marine biologist, had some advice to share with young women worldwide on International Women’s Day.
“Don’t compromise on those values that you hold dear. Stand by them. Preserving your self-integrity will allow you to believe in your actions and live with joy and a peace of mind.”
Amon, who recently completed Welcome to Earth, a Disney+ National Geographic series with US actor Will Smith, comes from Maraval and is an alumna of St Joseph’s Convent, Port of Spain. She has a PhD in ocean and earth science, and her journey into marine biology was deeply influenced by her upbringing in TT.
[caption id="attachment_1068820" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Dr Diva Amon and Will Smith preparing to dive into the deep. - Photo courtesy Diva Amon[/caption]
“I feel so grateful to have grown up in TT and the Caribbean, where hours were spent playing on the beach, snorkelling, and sailing. Often I would look out to sea and wish I could pull away that dark water to reveal what was living down in the depths.” Amon reminisces. “The Caribbean was where my love for the ocean blossomed, but it wasn’t until years later, while at university, that I realised there was so much more about the ocean to love than what meets the eye in the shallows.
“Many of my earliest memories include ocean life. Growing up, the ocean was my playmate, but now the ocean has become like a family member – a place that I want to understand, to protect and to respect.”
Amon’s passion for deep-sea exploration was ignited during a university module when her professor highlighted that far less than one per cent of the ocean had ever been explored.
“And who doesn’t want to be an explorer?
“Now my desire to explore has evolved away from exploration for exploring’s sake, into exploration to better understand and conserve.”
[caption id="attachment_1068818" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Dr Diva Amon swimming with giants - filming with manta rays in the Maldives for the Disney+ National Geographic series Welcome to Earth. - Photo courtesy Michael Pitts[/caption]
Amon’s work often takes her to remote marine environments worldwide, spanning 45 countries, all continents and all ocean basins. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, from the Mariana Trench to the Cayman Trenches, to St Paul and Peter’s Archipelago, the Seychelles and most of the Caribbean, Amon has traversed the globe in pursuit of oceanic knowledge.
However, she admits, “Despite this, I am still happiest sitting in my back garden in Trinidad.”
[caption id="attachment_1068821" align="alignnone" width="1012"] Dr Diva Amon, Trinidad-born, world-renowned marine biologist. - Photo courtesy Tegwen Rajnauth[/caption]
As a marine scientist from Trinidad, Amon brings a unique perspective to her field. She emphasises the lack of diversity, equity and inclusion in deep-ocean exploration, noting the disproportionate representation of wealthy nations in marine science.
“Deep-ocean science is incredibly resource-intensive – you need expen
