Aerospace engineer hooked on Reef dives
DIVING on the Great Barrier Reef is an out of this world experience for US aerospace engineer Marilyn Goepfert.
Ms Goepfert has been travelling to Cairns from her home in the US state of Illinios since the mid-’90s, with the engineer diving as often as possible in her time spent in the Far North.
She has been on countless dives worldwide, with plunges into ocean off the coast of Florida and to the depths of the Great Lakes in the US but she said nothing compared with diving on the Reef.
“Cairns was something that was offered before we came, because we looked at a tour package … I was interested in the water up here, but not so much diving because I hadn’t been certified,” she said.
“In 1992, I thought to myself: ‘I’m really missing out on that’ when we were travelling around Australia and New Zealand, because this part of the world is ideal for diving.
“I’ve done some diving in the US, but I love the colour of the Great Barrier Reef. When the sun is out, it’s like being in a giant aquarium.”
Ms Goepfert, who is employed by UTC Space Systems in her hometown of Rockford, specialises in the design of aerospace equipment, including plane parts, tanks and missiles.
She said the most difficult part of her position was ensuring each of the parts and products created by the company met government regulations.
“When I was in high school, the classes they encouraged females to do were like cooking – but I took autoshop and drafting,” she said.
“Back then, I had to have my parents sign off on that because women just didn’t do that stuff.
“When you get to see the things you’re working on come to fruition and when you’re making things go up in the air ... we put it all on paper, or computer now.”
Ms Goepfert said her industry had seen large-scale changes with the transition into the digital era.
“There aren’t too many people left that started out doing drawings of missiles and aircraft equipment on paper, so now they teach the computer programs in colleges around the US.”
Ms Goepfert, who regularly dives with the Cairns-based company Tusa Dive, is estimated to have embarked on more than 195 leisurely diving expeditions with the company.