Written by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope
Jayne and I slowly kick up and down the net, weaving between the pylons underneath the jetty. The green water, tinged with sediment from the recent rain, makes it difficult for me to see her even 3m away.
Jayne’s large camera strobes slowly illuminate the netting in front of her. She pauses, seeming to hone in on a small dark blob. I drift closer, as she gestures towards me, urging me closer. As I approach, the blob takes form and I see a tiny tail wrapped around the netting, and little gills fluttering away. My first Chowder Bay sea horse!
After my time in South Australia I stopped in to Sydney to connect with the original Australasian scholarship coordinator, Jayne Jenkins, who hosted me at her beautiful Manly home and took me for some dives in Chowder Bay! It was a pleasure spending time with Jayne and trading scholarship stories old and new. Plus, I got to have lots of cuddles with scholar dogs Barnaby and Sally!
Despite limited visibility, I had a ball playing around with macro photography and discovering many curious creatures in the fabulous muck diving Chowder bay has to offer. The bay hosts a garden of macro life, including various octopus, cuttlefish, seahorses, nudibranchs, numb rays, pipefish, and delicate invertebrate life. I have to say, the colourful cuttlefish would have to be my favourite!
While I was here, I also had the great joy of reconnecting with one of my close friends Sabrina, after being on the road for months! It was special to share our first dive together.
In this period I also met up with 2017 Australasian Scholar Melinda Brown! This was a great stop in before heading back to Brisbane to see friends and family over Christmas.
The following month, I also popped back down to Sydney to continue my dive education!
A big thank you also to David from Tabata who made a trip over to deliver my drysuit, along with new accessories like dry gloves. I had a lovely day exploring Sydney with you. Thank you again to my sponsors from TUSA and Waterproof International for the fantastic gear, that will enable me to push my boundaries this year!
GUE Drysuit Training
In preparation for cold water diving later in the year, I went and completed my GUE Drysuit Diver training with Dive Bondi. This was a one day course with theory in the morning followed by practical in water dive in the afternoon. This was my first time training with GUE (Global Underwater Explorers) and it was great to gain an insight into their unique ethos and training methodologies.
Testing out my thermals in the 30 degree heat certainly made me feel like I was walking around in a sauna, but it felt exciting to try out a completely new type of diving, the world of drysuits! Keiron ran us through a variety of drills and trainings, to ensure we were comfortable in the suits.
These included learning exist strategies to kick down in an emergency if you become “inverted” feet first, and practicing vertical ascents in neutral trim, with stops every 9m, 6m and 3m. I don’t normally dive with a long-hose and back plate system, so this was also a good opportunity for me to get familiar with a different system of gear.
While I was here, I also also took the time to update my CPR and O2 training via the HLTAID015 – Provide advanced resuscitation and oxygen therapy certification.
Keeping first aid skills current, in particular oxygen administration is an important part of any divers toolkit, and I encourage you to do the same!
Keiron’s helpful feedback while instructing, and Duncan’s friendly and conversational nature had me feeling right at home. I’d recommend Dive Bondi to anyone who wants to see the wonders of Sydney’s underwater world!
My beautiful friend Sabrina getting up close and personal with a Chowder Bay sea horse on our first dive together!
Thank you to Dive Bondi, Jayne Jenkins, and the friends who hosted me during this time!
I am so grateful to OWUSS for making opportunities I would not have dreamed of before and broadening my horizons to a global scale. A special thank you to the countless volunteers behind OWUSS, and the sponsors that make this scholarship possible at ROLEX. I would also like to thank my equipment sponsors at TUSA, Waterproof International, Reef Photo & Video, Mako Eyewear, Penetrator Fins, my camera gear sponsors at Reef Photo & Video, Nauticam, and long time scholarship supporters DAN, and PADI.
To follow along on my adventures, I highly recommend you follow me on social media!
My Instagram @sophie_dives is where I post most regularly.
You can also contact me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Tiktok, and the Australasian Scholar Facebook Page.
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