National Marine Sanctuaries

The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides. - Jules Verne

For centuries, the ocean has drawn people to its domain. From Phoenician sailors to modern-day commercial fishermen to biologists studying tiny limpets in tide pools, people have made a living on or near the sea.

The salvage diver worker for the U.S. Navy. The young kid who dreams of some day finding the next significant shipwreck and does! The artist who becomes a marine-mammal-observing pilot. All share one thing in common - a passion for the ocean.

And for many, that passion can become a career. Just about any land-oriented job can be translated into an oceans-related one. A student in a high school biology class can become an oceanographer. A law student can become a maritime lawyer. Even a world-class chef can present his culinary creations to ocean-going travelers.

The ocean world is vast, and today there is no end to how an individual can turn his or her talents seaward.