Baylie comes from Nashville, Tennessee, located far from the nearest ocean - her only exposure to the ocean growing up was through annual beach vacations to Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, where her love for the ocean developed.

Despite attending school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, located even farther from the ocean, she still managed to find pieces of the ocean while she was there. While studying there, she had the opportunity to participate in a field course on the Georgia coast, and it solidified her desire to be closer to the ocean. This experience helped take Baylie to South Bimini, Bahamas, in January of 2021, where she is now based at the Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation.

“As storytellers, we have the ability to share stories and connect with people in unique ways using whatever outlet this may be. ”

— Baylie Fadool

When did you first start your storytelling journey?

Stories are what connect us all. I have always been drawn to stories and have used many different outlets to tell them. My earliest outlet to tell stories was through art, which I continue to practice today. When words seemed hard, I would use a painting or a photograph to tell the story.

I got involved in dance from a young age as well, a unique way to use my body to express stories and emotions. I also found lots of stories through documentaries and television. It allowed me to connect with different feelings I had never felt or experience worlds I had never been to. The power of documentaries and videos has always kept me connected to the stories of the sea. Because of all these different outlets I had used and been gifted, I had developed a unique way to connect, understand, and tell stories.

When I arrived in Bimini, my storytelling journey truly began because of the inspiration all around me. It was as if all the marine life began to guide my words and use me as a vessel to express what they couldn’t themselves. I recognised the important role that I needed to play for our seas. I started taking photographs and videos of the ocean and all its creatures and combining them with words. I realised that the ocean had made me its storyteller, and I had become a part of its team.

What are the fondest memories from your upbringing that you feel impacted your life choices and lifestyle today?

I was very blessed to be able to visit the ocean at least once a year before the age of 10. Memories of sinking my feet into the sand as waves crashed over my feet are etched into my mind. My dad and I would build empires in the sand, with me, as its mermaid queen. I am entirely grateful that my family never tried to steer me toward a specific career path. For a few years, when I was very young, I wanted to be a pet store owner when I grew up.

Flash a few years forward to when I was in high school and some of my goals had changed. My dad and I were riding to school one morning, and he told me, “Go be whatever you want to be. If you want to be a pet store owner, go be the best dang pet store owner anyone has ever seen.”

This has stuck with me ever since. They have always supported me with my ever-changing interests and choices, and for that, I am so grateful. Without their support, I would not have had the courage to move 800 miles away from home for school and then travel to an international country for the first time by myself to begin a journey that would alter the course of my life and goals.

What path did you choose after leaving school?

Immediately after leaving school, I began pursuing marine science. Not even two weeks after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in biological sciences, I boarded a plane to move to South Bimini, Bahamas, at the Bimini Biological Field Station. I came to gain field experience but have gained so much more than I could have anticipated. I was only supposed to be here for four months for a short-term internship, but I remain the Media Manager and Outreach Coordinator today. Not only have I gained experience as a marine scientist but also as a mentor, teacher, and writer.

I have fallen in love with the ocean, its amazing life, and the beautiful island and its people. My love extends beyond this beautiful place to the world as a whole. I have learned to appreciate the little things more and be grateful for every day I get to be here on this planet. I am still learning and growing and becoming more of who I am meant to be and am excited to see how this continues to develop and translate into my work.

What/who currently inspires you?

Growing up in a landlocked state in the United States, I did not know where to turn to pursue a passion for marine science. I did not know anyone directly who could point me in the right direction. In Nebraska, it was also quite difficult until a field course was offered to gain experience in marine science. There were many times I questioned whether I would be able to find anything in marine science just because I did not have as much experience or connection to it.

Today, I am inspired by the many people that reach out to me and ask how I could do it or find a position when I lived so far from the ocean and did not have as much experience.

I am inspired by the people who felt the same way I did. I want to help show that it is possible, and someone should not feel limited just because they do not live close to the ocean. If you are passionate and dedicated to making a difference in a career in marine science or a marine-related field, there is space for you. Being located far from the ocean growing up and in school has also allowed me to have a wider audience and reach people that may otherwise have no connection. Receiving one message about me changing someone’s perspective or making them more open-minded reminds me of my purpose and compels me to keep sharing stories.

What would you most like to change in the world/environment today?

Mental health has become an increasingly important topic, and I have become more and more of an advocate through recognising and learning myself more and listening to the stories of others. Mental health is so important and can control all aspects of our life, physically and emotionally. I have found that spending time in nature, surrounded by the beauty of our natural world, has done more for me than anything else ever has. When experiencing a particularly hard day, seeing a baby lemon shark cruising through the mangroves or an octopus sleeping in a crevice on a reef has the power to alleviate what I am going through at the time. It reminds me of my place and purpose in this world.

We have strayed so far from this as we continue to develop more and more of our natural world. Development strips away people’s connection to the world and leaves them feeling empty and struggling to find how they fit in. A simple acknowledgment from a butterfly landing on your hand or a fish staring at you while underwater reminds you of your existence and why you matter. You are a part of it all.

In this biodiversity crisis, these encounters are becoming less and less. It may not be possible to cure it all completely, but I can try. Ever since encountering a squid laying her eggs underwater, I have made it my mission to do so. Seeing a mother squid’s last minutes of her life but giving life to the next generation ignited something in me. I want to share the natural world with as many people as possible because it ultimately gives life to all things, whether that means things that are already living or things that have yet to be born.

After this encounter, I began sharing more and more pictures of the underwater world paired with positive and uplifting stories. I want to expand this into a project one day that goes beyond just social media to reach as many people struggling with their place and purpose as possible and remind them that they belong here and are connected to it all.

Are there any books/documentaries that have guided your thinking, and that you'd like to recommend to other ocean lovers?

A book that absolutely changed the trajectory of my life and that I recommend to all friends is The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery. A good friend recently recommended a book to me called Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy, and anyone who is passionate about saving our world should give this a read.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to follow their dreams as an Ocean Storyteller?

If you have a story to tell, share it. Chances are there is someone out there that needs to hear it. I have been the person that needs to hear it, and it has helped guide me to where I am today. Don’t worry about it not being perfect or beautifully and eloquently written. There is a reason you were gifted that story and had that particular experience. As storytellers, we have the ability to share stories and connect with people in unique ways using whatever outlet this may be. Use yours.

What legacy do you hope to leave?

All I hope is that one day as you look out at the sea or remember one of my stories is that you smile and are grateful for the person that made them care a bit more about our natural world and being a part of it. And, one day, as you are recounting a story of your own, you realize that you, yourself, have become the world's storyteller as well.

Current Projects

Through my role at the Bimini Biological Field Station – Shark Lab, I have multiple projects that I work on. Some of my biggest projects involve sharing our work at the Shark Lab with people from the local and wider community.

I give presentations at the local schools with the students, many of which have never been swimming in the ocean. I travel in the wider community, most often to Florida in the United States, to collaborate with other researchers, run booths at conservation events, and give presentations at schools. Through social media, I like to share our work by doing Instagram LIVE events and speaking with our followers.

Next to all of these, I can always be seen with a camera in my hands in and out of the water to capture all of these events and the natural behaviors of the marine life all around us. A common theme I recognise when I participate in any of these outreach events is the power that visuals have. It is one thing for me to give a presentation without visuals but pairing them with photographs and videos that capture the beauty of our natural world always produces the most amazement from students and the general public. I share many personal stories online and during presentations when showing a visual, and I find that these are the things that people cling to and remember the most afterward. Continuing to pair visuals with words in different ways will be the focus of many of my future projects.