As a kid, Peter Kelly says he dreamed of becoming an astronaut. As fate would have it, the explorer in his heart chose another frontier for him, as a diver.

Or, if you will, an aquanaut.

Thanks to a scuba diving class offered at Ole Miss, Kelly thought it sounded like fun. He signed up for the course and discovered he loved it.

“The majority of our planet is water. I love diving because it’s my ticket to experience our world fully,” said Kelly. “Being able to engage in a completely foreign environment and be totally outside of my element gives me the opportunity to see what others only dream of,” he mused.

Currently, Kelly is an “enriched air nitrox diver” working toward his dive guide certification. He’s also one of the divers who hand feed a variety of aquatic life on display in aquariums at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson.

“Working with the museum has given me the opportunity to support their incredible efforts to educate and create stewards for Mississippi wildlife,” says Kelly. “Plus, museum staff is incredible, and getting to help inspire kids through interpretive diving is such a cool way to promote the protection of wildlife and ecosystems.”

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Photo essay: How one diver hand feeds fish at Jackson’s natural science museum

by Vickie King, Mississippi Today
December 23, 2022

<h1>Photo essay: How one diver hand feeds fish at Jackson’s natural science museum</h1> <p class="byline">by Vickie King, Mississippi Today <br />December 23, 2022</p> <p>As a kid, Peter Kelly says he dreamed of becoming an astronaut. As fate would have it, the explorer in his heart chose another frontier for him, as a diver.</p> <p>Or, if you will, an aquanaut.</p> <p>Thanks to a scuba diving class offered at Ole Miss, Kelly thought it sounded like fun. He signed up for the course and discovered he loved it.</p> <p>"The majority of our planet is water. I love diving because it's my ticket to experience our world fully," said Kelly. "Being able to engage in a completely foreign environment and be totally outside of my element gives me the opportunity to see what others only dream of," he mused.</p> <p>Currently, Kelly is an "enriched air nitrox diver" working toward his dive guide certification. He's also one of the divers who hand feed a variety of aquatic life on display in aquariums at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson.</p> <p>"Working with the museum has given me the opportunity to support their incredible efforts to educate and create stewards for Mississippi wildlife," says Kelly. "Plus, museum staff is incredible, and getting to help inspire kids through interpretive diving is such a cool way to promote the protection of wildlife and ecosystems."</p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter" data-effect="slide"> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container"> <ul class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper"> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1086471" data-id="1086471" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Diver1.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Peter Kelly, saying hello from the depths of an aquarium at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1086470" data-id="1086470" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Diver2.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Peter Kelly, waves hello to visiting children as he feeds fish in an aquarium at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1086469" data-id="1086469" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Diver3.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Diver Peter Kelly offers a worm to fish as children watch at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1086468" data-id="1086468" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Diver4.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Diver Peter Kelly feeds a horseshoe crab at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1086467" data-id="1086467" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Diver5.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Diver Peter Kelly offers small fish, squid and worms to a variety of fish at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1086466" data-id="1086466" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Diver6.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Diver Peter Kelly offers squid to a variety of fish at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1086465" data-id="1086465" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Diver7.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Diver Peter Kelly feeds a variety of fish at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1086464" data-id="1086464" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Diver8.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Diver Peter Kelly prepares a variety of small fish, squid and worms he will feed to fish at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1086463" data-id="1086463" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Diver9.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Peter Kelly, a diver at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, checks his gear before entering an aquarium to feed fish, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-1086462" data-id="1086462" src="https://mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Diver10.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Peter Kelly, a diver at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, shortly before entering an aquarium to feed fish, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022.</figcaption></figure> </li> </ul> <p><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a aria-label="Pause Slideshow" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause" role="button"></a></p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white"></div> </div> </div> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://mississippitoday.org/2022/12/23/mississippi-museum-natural-science-peter-kelly/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://mississippitoday.org">Mississippi Today</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/mississippitoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/MT_square-thumb.jpg?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://mississippitoday.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=1086472" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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