Sonya Lee

SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR / DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER & DIRECTOR

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How long have you been diving?

Almost 14 years.

What made you want to become a diver?

I wanted to be a marine biologist since I was very young and I thought diving was mandatory, so I begged and begged my parents to let me get my PADI open water. They obliged the summer after I graduated high school right before university!

What is your most memorable encounter?

I am a small creature lover so it was seeing a clown triggerfish for the first time in Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was my first time diving on a coral reef and I thought the triggerfish was the most beautiful fish in the world—and they also look like a cartoon! I still scream when I see them. I also thought it was cool that they swam with their dorsal and anal fins.

How did diving change your life?

I try to hide it, but I am a fairly anxious and fearful person. Diving is the thing in my life that has always pushed me to practice mindfulness and practice trusting myself to push past my fears and push myself to be better. When I first started diving, I hated it. I thought it was so scary. But I wanted to be a marine biologist so I had to get over my fear. Then I needed to go deeper, get my AAUS Scientific Diver cert, my occupational scuba certification, and do more technical dives. Diving makes me push myself and grow.

What does diving mean to you?

Community. It is my sure way of finding amazing people in new places. Many of my good friends are divers. I was able to stay sane and see people during the pandemic through diving. I moved to a new city on Vancouver Island recently, if I didn’t have diving, I don’t know how I would have made friends and build a new life.