Griffin Hoins

Griffin Hoins, 28, grew up on Marrowstone Island, Washington. His life has centered on the ocean and its conservation since his childhood of sailing on the Salish Sea, clamming and crabbing for dinner, and exploring bioluminescent plankton.

Griffin graduated from the University of Washington (UW) in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science with Honors in aquatic and fishery sciences. While studying at UW’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, he researched the red sea urchin and its impact on benthic ecosystems. He also became certified as an AAUS Scientific and SDI Rescue Diver. To further broaden his marine experience, Griffin organized an internship at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology studying the physiological acclimatization of coral to climate change.

Upon graduation, Griffin was awarded the Bonderman Travel Fellowship. As a Bonderman Fellow, he traveled solo for ten months and investigated resource management, climate change, and environmentalism across eight countries, from Greenland to Palau. Since his return, he has worked as a scientific diver in Puget Sound conducting habitat surveys and long-term eelgrass monitoring. He has also pursued his passion for education and outreach as a marine educator and deckhand on the historic tall ship Adventuress.

Griffin is honored to be the 2023 NPS Research Intern and excited to explore the diverse projects conducted by the Submerged Resources Center. He will bring his energy and enthusiasm for conservation and community engagement to his work as the NPS Intern while also learning all that he can from dive leaders striving to protect our nation’s resources.