Career Confessions: The female aquarist who is fulfilling her best friend’s dream

Do you like your job? Or wonder what it would be like if you’d gone against your parents’ advice and pursued your dream career? Her World’s Career Confessions column spotlights the professional journeys of its subjects and reveals how each individual’s career path and the choices they have made can have an impact on their personal finances, psychological health, and interpersonal relationships.

Growing up with her grandmother while her father worked as a tour agent in Phuket in order to support her family financially, Beverly Yao’s childhood was far from ordinary. Despite the distance, her father played a pivotal role in shaping her values. He was not only a provider but also a hero during the 2014 tsunami, rescuing stranded victims and donating essential supplies. 

This unwavering support and the strong values instilled by her family guided Beverly through challenging times, including a rebellious teenage phase. “Thanks to the strong values and support from my dad and grandmother throughout the years, I’m doing fine – I now hold a stable job, value self-care and consider myself a decent daughter and granddaughter,” she reflects. “Their sacrifices have guided me in life and I hope that my choices have lived up to their expectations and made them proud.”

A natural-born animal lover, Beverly filled her childhood with encyclopaedias about wildlife and surrounded herself with pets, including her current furry and feathered companions – two rescue dogs and two parrots. 

Her love for animals and the sacrifices made by her loved ones paved the way for her fulfilling career as an aquarist at S.E.A. Aquarium. Over nine years, Beverly has cared for everything from newborn and unwell animals in quarantine to the majestic sharks and manta rays in the aquarium’s largest habitats. 

But this wasn’t just a career path – it was a calling, driven by a promise to a dear friend. She shares more in her career confession below.

Name: Beverly Yao Hui Ting
Highest Education: Diploma In Tourism & Hospitality
Job Title & Industry: Aquarist at S.E.A. Aquarium
Years of Work: 9 years as an aquarist in S.E.A. Aquarium

What inspired you to pursue a career as an aquarist? 

Beverly: My journey to becoming an aquarist is deeply personal and rooted in a promise I made to my best friend, John. I first met John when we worked at Underwater World in the Guest Services team. He was a bubbly guy who never complained about life and was always there for others. He was a great and compassionate leader who was good with people – great at managing angry guests and guiding his teammates – but his heart was also with animals. 

We both shared a vision of working with animals one day. His dream was to be an aquarist, specifically in S.E.A. Aquarium, while mine was to become a veterinarian. Tragically, he passed away due to a brain haemorrhage just a few years after I met him. 

Losing my best friend was very difficult and I grieved for many years. At his funeral, I heard someone remark that it was a waste that he never got to fulfil his dream of working at S.E.A. Aquarium, and I latched on to that, vowing to pursue the dream he never had the chance to fulfil. It was a glimmer of hope and a way of processing my grief. 

So I quit my job and went out of my comfort zone to sign up for a dive master course in Thailand, in order to earn the necessary diving certifications that were pre-requisites for the role. While doing my dive programme in Phuket, I had a profound realisation. 

Even though I initially embarked on this path to honour my best friend, I fell in love with the ocean and marine life. I began to understand why he was so passionate about being an aquarist. There’s something amazing about being able to be close to marine animals, that I can’t quite put into words. 

When I got back, I applied for the aquarist job at S.E.A. Aquarium. I didn’t hear back at first, but a friend encouraged me to keep trying. It was a challenging period, but I was always comforted knowing that it would bring me closer to achieving our shared dream. 

Thankfully, I got the job after sending my resume five to six times over nine months, and I’m glad I didn’t give up. Now I’ve been at S.E.A. Aquarium for the last nine years, and I am so grateful. This journey has shaped who I am today, and every day I feel a deep connection to both my best friend and the incredible world of marine life that mesmerised him even in childhood. Each day brings something new and interesting. 

And I feel at peace, knowing that what had been John’s dream gradually became my own as well. Would I still pursue a career as a vet? That’s something I’ve been asked before, and I think I would do it if the timing is right. I live with my grandmother who is in her 90s, and she has dementia. Taking a vet course would mean plenty of night classes after work, and I would prefer not to do that right now so that I can spend more time with her, and take care of her.

Can you describe a typical day in your role as an aquarist at S.E.A. Aquarium? 

Beverly: It starts in the kitchen at 8:10AM where I spend an hour or so preparing carefully measured meals for a myriad of marine animals, making sure we provide them with balanced and quality nutrition. After that, I suit up for dive feeding. Underwater, I target to feed specific sharks and rays while closely monitoring their food intake for any abnormality which could point to their state of health. Throughout the day, I also observe their behaviour for the same reason. 

I also work in planning and dedicating duties and roles for the team on a daily basis to make sure operation runs smoothly, the habitats are clean, animals are fed and health checks are done!

Have you ever faced a crisis or unexpected issue with marine life? How did you handle it?

Beverly: Yes, working with zebra shark eggs can be quite challenging. Out of all the eggs produced, only about 30% are fertilised, and of that percentage, just 20% of the pups inside manage to hatch on their own. If a pup hasn’t emerged after its yolk sac is depleted, we perform assisted hatching, a delicate process to manually open the egg case. It’s usually not something done in the wild, but given that zebra sharks are endangered, we take every possible step to ensure their survival. 

I’m the main person in charge of this project, and as of the time I’m typing this, there’s an egg that’s due for assisted hatching in a few days!

What are some common misconceptions people have about working in an aquarium, and how do you address them?

Beverly: A lot of people think working in an aquarium is all about business, but that’s far from the truth. Every decision here revolves around the animals’ welfare. We’ve rebuilt exhibits just to suit a specific animal’s needs, and the daily care – from high-quality diets to top-notch medical procedures – is exceptional. 

Beyond the care, our conservation efforts, like rehabilitating and releasing sea turtles, are also often overlooked. It’s a commitment to both animals and the environment that goes beyond what most people see.

What challenges have you faced in pursuing your career?

Beverly: One of the challenges I’ve faced is having limited education. I don’t have a degree in any of the fields of study recommended for this role, relying on my dive master certification and extensive hands-on experience to score this job. Also, I got the job almost a decade ago, when degrees and diplomas in marine biology were not as common. My willingness and eagerness to learn, fueled by passion, have been key in bridging the gap. 

And I’m super grateful that Resorts World Sentosa has been developing courses to expand the knowledge of aquarists and my colleagues from other departments. One great example is the E-Aquarist Vet course, in which I learned about life support systems for animals, biology at the micro level (down to understanding cells), motivations behind different veterinary treatments and how to take care of various species.

What are some societal pressures and stigma that have arisen from your unconventional career choice? 

Beverly: I’ve met people who assume that the role of an aquarist is too physically demanding or technical for myself. Especially in large habitats where we have to dive daily, deal with large animals, and sometimes having to hold and transport big animals for health procedures. The stigma usually results in people underestimating me, or me having to prove my capabilities more than others. 

When I demonstrate my skills and expertise consistently, however, people start to let go of their preconceived notions about being a female aquarist. I don’t blame people for having those notions though. Many tasks as an aquarist seem to require brute force (such as using a 30kg scrubber machine to clean the habitat and coiling thick underwater hoses that can go up to 30m long.) 

But even if we are lacking in brute force, we can still get it done with a little bit of resourcefulness. I would like to share that my family, especially my dad, was very supportive of me becoming an aquarist. He used to be a divemaster instructor himself and while I was in Thailand doing my dive cert, he drove me for an hour to the pier every morning for 6 months at 5am, consistently and picked me up when the diving was done.

Anything else you would like us to know? 

Beverly: My journey in this field of animal care is driven by my deep passion for marine life and animal welfare. Despite having chosen an unorthodox career, I find satisfaction in working with like-minded folks dedicated to animal welfare, marine conservation and education. 

My experience has taught me that while formal qualifications are valuable, it is an aquarist’s genuine care for and dedication to the animals that make the most impact. If you’re considering a similar path, remember that passion, perseverance, and an eagerness to learn can take you far.