- Ryan LaPete
- Habitat Technician
Born in Birmingham, AL and raised in the farmland of North and Central Florida, the simple life was the good life, but it was time for a change. At the tender age of 5 I decided to set out and begin my education. The first few years were nice with recess and a nap after lunch, but that didn’t last long. Quickly, life became more complicated. Year round sports including baseball, soccer, and swimming became the focus, then it was on to my first car (’82 Datsun Pickup) and first job as a Lifeguard.
Lifeguarding had its ups and downs, mostly because it’s not as fun to sit poolside and tan in the winter months. The lure of the power that came with that whistle and zinc oxide only lasted for so long. It was time to get serious and finish up my 4th and final year at Tallahassee Community College. At some point I had become interested in Crime Scene Investigation and my advisor thought a combination of this and my interest in the aquatic realm would do for a path to graduation. On to Panama City where I entered the FSU Underwater Crime Scene program.
In the true spirit of continuing my education, I “dove right in” to the idea of working under water. From the class room to the Dive shop, spearfishing, then eventually running dive boats, and dive mastering for recreational divers, every day became training for a life as a working diver. FSU’s UCSI program gave me an important opportunity to experience Aquarius first hand. After a three month internship, graduating with a BS in Criminology and minor in UCSI, and finally obtaining my USCG Master Captain’s licence, I was offered a position as an undersea research diver on the Aquarius crew. Now the real education begins…
Since starting here I have begun to enjoy sunrise dives in pristine blue Atlantic waters, Sunset boat rides to reefs rich with marine life, and long walks on the sandy sea floor…
