Career Ladders: Jellyfish Dreams

In an aquarium behind the front desk of Encore at Wynn Macau, hundreds of moon jellyfish playfully dance. Blue light illuminates their translucent bodies, creating an effect that is dreamily serene and hypnotically beautiful.

Macau-born Ray Chan helps to care for these jellyfish. It is his dream job.

When Ray was 10 years old, he moved to Canada with his family. He had always been fascinated by marine life and he went on to earn a degree in Marine Ecology and Evolution at Simon Frazer University in Vancouver. However, finding a job in his field in Canada was tough. When Ray returned home to Macau, he worked for a number of casinos, but felt like a fish out of water. His work did very little to nurture his love of nature.

Fortunately for the young marine ecologist, Wynn Macau came up with the idea to create a spectacular jellyfish aquarium – the largest of its kind – inside the entrance of Encore Tower. A team of aquarists would naturally be needed to look after both the jellyfish and the aquarium, so Ray leapt at the opportunity and landed a job as an Aquarist Trainee at Wynn Macau. “I was over the moon to learn that I got the job,” says Ray.

Ray now works with a world-class marine team including three other aquarists. Australian Robert Mort is the Aquarium Curator and has more than 20 years of experience at aquariums in Australia and Asia. Senior Aquarist James Bruce from Wales works alongside Aquarist Toshihiro Yoshida from Japan, who holds a Ph.D. in marine biology. “I am so lucky,” says Ray, “I am trained by the best in the world, right here in my hometown.”

Caring for these beautiful creatures is no easy task. The team arrives at 6:30 each morning to clean the aquarium. For breakfast each day, the jellyfish eat highly nutritious shrimp known as artemia. The aquarium water must be closely monitored to ensure the jellyfish stay healthy. Each night, Ray covers the tank with a mural so that the light-sensitive jellyfish can get a good night’s sleep.

“There are some routine things to be done every day,” Ray notes, “but it never gets dull. Right now, for instance, we’re helping the jellyfish reproduce. Every day we change the water, monitor and measure their growth, and check to see if there are any new baby jellyfish.”

“I have the opportunity to learn about the entire operation of the aquarium. No one holds anything back. And when the other aquarists are on vacation, the curator helps with everyday chores. The one-for-all and all-for-one team spirit at Wynn has really made a strong impression on me.”

For young marine enthusiasts out there who want to pursue their dream job in Macau, Ray recommends they take an interest in biology and chemistry when in secondary school and then go to a university with marine science or aquaculture. “As long as you have the interest, go for it. Gaining the experience is just as important as your educational background,” he says.

Ray believes there will soon be a large-scale marine theme park in or near Macau, which would offer even more opportunities for aspiring aquarists. “This job and Macau’s rapid development over the past several years...,” Ray pauses and smiles. “It’s really almost beyond my imagination.”

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