What's your job? Sara Jayne Smith, jellyfish handler

If you ask Sara Jayne Smith how she got into jellyfish, she'll tell you she practically grew up with them. As a kid living near the ocean on Vancouver Island, Smith tracked jellyfish blooms, or swells in population, every summer.

As a teenager, she learned more about jellies in high school and later went on to specialize in marine biology completing a science degree at the University of Victoria, while also getting hands-on experience caring for the billowy, brainless creatures at a local aquarium. Now, as an aquarist at the Ripley's Aquarium of Canada in Toronto, Smith's primary job is to take care of Planet Jellies, a sprawling nine-tank exhibit that is home to more than 350 jellies.

From feedings to tank maintenance, which includes slipping into a wet suit and lowering herself into a 65,000-litre kreisel tank, jellies are now a big part of Smith's day job rather than simply a natural wonder.

But the aquarium is home to 16,000 marine animals — more than 450 species including four types of jellyfish — from sharks to fish to sea turtles and more, potentially opening the door to other areas of specialization, and the aspiring marine biologist says there's rarely a dull moment in her work day.

Do you get stung often and does it hurt?

I get stung every day. The moon jellies have such a very light toxin or light sting that you can't feel them. With the sea nettles, they are quite a bit more powerful. They feel like a wasp sting. It can be a surreal feeling because you don't really feel the arms, but you feel the sting.

Have you ever had a bad reaction?

I've had reactions to anemones before, which are in the same family. I've never had an adverse reaction to jellyfish. It’s a bit of a confusing one. There was a nudibranch, which is basically a type of sea slug. It happened to be one that eats anemones. So this particular one had been feasting on something that was quite potent because it stores the stinging cells and then releases them as its own defence.

What happened?

All of sudden my hand started to get these little hives and spots and get really painful, really quickly. It spread over my hand. It was burning for a few hours.

How did you get into jellyfish?

Right by my house in Victoria, where I grew up, there would be these moon jelly blooms every summer. You'd go down to the inlet and there would be a sea of jellyfish. It'd be like you could swim through them instead of the water.

And science generally?

My dad works at an engineering firm. He really got me interested in science when I was young. We lived near a nice beach that had exposed cliff faces and we'd talk about geological activity. We'd talk about different types of soil, rocks. It really started to get me curious about the natural world.

What specifically about jellies intrigues you?

I like the fact that they are so different than any other animal in the ocean. When I first started to study them, they were already starting to climb in numbers and you were seeing more blooms. They were thriving in an environment with other animals that had brains and full nervous systems.

What is surprising when it comes to taking care of jellies?

They're really cool in theory, but they're incredibly complex to care for. One thing that I didn't realize when I got into it was how much the flow of the water in a contained environment is really important for jellyfish. So we have special tanks called kreisels (a tank that has no corners or hard edges). You need that because the jellyfish can get caught in corners or snagged on sharp edges.

What about the water movement?

With the kreisels you have to make sure you have circulation cells in the water to keep the jellyfish off the bottom of the tank and to keep them from hitting the sides and from hitting each other and getting stuck.

Do you dive in the tanks often?

The one that we go in most is the sea nettle tank because it's the largest. The interesting thing about jellyfish is you can't get any bubbles in their bells or they can't swim properly. Before I can clean it I have to get all of the sea nettles out of the tank.

How much knowledge do you need for the job?

Everyone in the animal care team has a degree or background in marine biology. Everyone has also had animal care experience before, whether it's been in larger public aquariums or fish stores. Everyone is also a diver. At least the first level in PADI certification. We all take mandatory CPR. We also learn about emergency oxygen administration.

What's the range of compensation?
Most entry animal care starts in the neighbourhood of $30,000.

What do you like about the job?

I love the challenges I get every day. We never really have a typical day where you can outline, step by step, this is what we do. Something always pops up. It's not just within the jellyfish gallery. It's all the animal care, the diving, there's just something new every day.

Is there a downside?
The one thing is I really do miss living on Vancouver Island.

What is one of the most memorable moments with jellies or any other animal?

We have two giant Pacific octopuses in our Canadian Waters gallery. One of them, Pepper, has a Mr. Potato Head. We put her food in it so she can play with it. One day she happened to take apart his face and left a lot of the pieces in the tank. I was free diving to get the pieces. When I was resting on one of the rocks in her tank, she came on to the top of the rock and crawled into my lap.

What was she doing?
She put her mouth on my stomach and started playing with my weight belt, wrapped her arms around me, tried to steal my flashlight. This six-foot octopus was sitting in my lap. It was amazing.

*This interview has been edited and condensed.