At age 12, Ashley Jacob knew she wanted to work with marine mammals. Her path there took her through elephant seal fieldwork, challenging funding landscapes, and an unplanned move across the Pacific. Today, she's a marine scientist guiding manta ray swims in Hawaii. Her story shows how persistence and a clear sense of purpose often matter more than any perfect plan.

In this episode

How Ashley’s early love of the ocean and animals evolved into a career in conservation and manta ray advocacy
Choosing research, outreach, and education over aquarium work, and why following your values can get you further than a perfect plan
How a single wildlife encounter can shift perspective in lasting ways
Why you don’t need to be a large company to make a meaningful impact in conservation
Practical advice for anyone who wants to build a career in marine science

Key moments:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:25) How a childhood film sparked Ashley's marine mammal career

(07:00) Marine biology at Humboldt

(11:34) Scientific diving and choosing conservation education over aquarium work

(16:05) Elephant seal fieldwork on California's Lost Coast

(20:34) Elephant seal migration patterns

(23:25) Florida shark and ray tagging

(26:21) Moving to Hawaii for work

(30:47) Finding Manta Ray Advocates and aligning work with personal values

(35:43) What makes manta ray encounters so transformative

(38:20) Ashley's advice for building a career in marine science

Episode page and resources: https://oceanwingspodcast.com/episode/ashley-marine-biologist

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More about manta rays on mantarayadvocates.com