Written by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope “Weights, Mask, Dive Computer, Transect, slate, GPS tracker, camera…That’s everything”. “All good to go?” Kirsty asks, “Yup!” I reply, as we plunge into the water off the back of the catamaran. As we descend into the water column, I can’t quite believe what we were seeing. 30m visibility allows us to […]

Written by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope Bright flashes of torchlight pierce the inky depths around us. The sweeps of golden light illuminate a seemingly bare sea floor, a gentle sandy slope leading into the gloom. There, out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of colour… I approach the tiny turquoise gem nestled in […]

Written by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope The rain thrums on the roof above us, as we huddle in underneath a tin roof for shelter. We’re walking through the mangroves on a raised platform, heading to a meeting with the local community. The vegetation around us is glowing an incredible vibrant green, leaves dripping with droplets.  Later on, […]

Written by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope Imagine the early morning trills of birdsong as you walk through a lush jungle garden to breakfast. Bordered by fringing reef and world class diving at your doorstep. And some of the most adventurous and international research teams congregating in this one location.  This is what it is like to stay […]

Written by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope Note to self: When it’s your first time driving in Sydney, don’t take a hire car into peak hour traffic going across the Sydney Harbour Bridge… I survived! Despite the chaos, I must admit it was quite a unique experience getting to drive across the Sydney Harbour bridge at sunset with […]