The first time I purchased my own SCUBA gear was off a French backpacker who was due to leave the country the next day. I believe paid $90 for both a BCD and some regulators, it was more expensive servicing the gear than it was purchasing it… I got a nice pair of fins from the tip for $4 and used my fathers old mask and snorkel that worked a charm.
Although all of my gear was old and rugged, I had enough to do what I loved. To be underwater immersing myself with local marine life was all I wanted. My second-hand thrifting served me superbly to jump from 15 to 50 dives in 2023 and 2024 with the assistance from both Sunreef Mooloolaba and Reef Check Australia, who trained me towards becoming a better diver and a certified citizen science diver. More importantly, my old gear assisted me in becoming eligible to apply and become the 2024 Australasian Scholar of Our-World Underwater Scholarship Society.
I’ve been pinching myself every day since I was told I won the scholarship. The penny didn’t truly drop in my mind until I visited Sydney in April to prepare for the year, by fulfilling a life-long dream. I spent a weekend listening to the various wonderful stories Jayne Jenkins had from being involved with the society for decades and eventually starting the Australasian chapter for the society. I was even fortunate enough to spend an evening listening to the adventurous and inspiring stories of Valerie Taylor and how she came to be a prominent conservationist and underwater photographer. I was beyond ecstatic to hear how she came to protect the first shark species in the world the grey nurse shark, as it was the focal species I studied during my honours thesis last year.
On Monday we visited the amazing Tabata Warehouse where both TUSA and Waterproof gear sponsors were waiting for us with the incredible David Balsom. You sincerely enter a divers biggest dream when arriving at the warehouse, with David’s experience helping me choose the most fitting gear for everything and anything you could ever need as an Australasian scholar. This included various wetsuits and fins for tropical, temperate and arctic diving, a top of the line rear-inflating BCD, first and second stage regulators, a sweet rechargeable dive computer, mask, hood, gloves, a dive bag and duffel to fit everything in as well as other small tools.
It was a surreal experience that had me grinning the entire day from head to toe. I felt like a child on Christmas morning uncovering their latest new toys. I cannot thank David and the entire Tabata Australia team for sponsoring OWUSS with all of their wonderful gear as well as experienced knowledge in preparing me for a year of underwater adventures.
The fun didn’t stop there either, with the second stop at Mako eyewear just as exciting as the first. I’ve spend quite some time working on beaches and in the marine realm. As a young student on a shoestring budget, I haven’t really invested in a proper pair of sunglasses ever before in my life.
So you can imagine my excitement when one of the worlds leading marine sunglass brands welcomed us with open arms into their company. The owners of Mako eyewear Gail and Ian provided me with a wealth of knowledge about how the correct lens and polarisation can not only help reduce glare but increase sharpness when working outdoors. I was extremely joyous to receive multiple pairs of sunglasses for different occasions from them as well as plenty of other sun-smart clothing to keep me covered throughout my scholarship year and beyond.
I am beyond grateful towards the OWUSS and the Australasian volunteer team for creating and facilitating such amazing opportunities for early career scientists like myself whilst also juggling their own lives. It fills me with hope towards turning the dream of being a marine scientist into a reality. I would love to thank the primary sponsor that makes this scholarship possible, Rolex. I would also like to once again thank sponsors at Tabata Australia, TUSA, Waterproof International, Mako Eyewear, and long-standing scholarship supporters DAN, and PADI.
