My name is Olivia Johnson and I feel extremely honoured to be able to say that I am the 2018 Australasian Rolex Scholar of the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society! I had previously heard about the Rolex Scholarship and had been following the 2016 and 2017 scholars on their journeys through their social media pages, but had never really known when would be a good time to apply. Encouraged by peers and colleagues, I made a last minute application before the deadline in December last year.

I could not have been more surprised when I received an email from Jayne Jenkins, Vice President of the OWUSS Rolex Scholarship Australasian Operations, informing me I had reached the final interview stage in Sydney. A phone call later that afternoon just before I boarded a flight home, had Jayne at the other end asking how I would feel about her being my mum for a year! This left me questioning whether I was, in fact, awake or dreaming after she had just told me I was the 2018 Australasian Rolex Scholar. It still has not sunk in and I am not sure it ever will!

My background

I was born in Hobart, Tasmania, and I’ve recently completed a Bachelor of Marine and Antarctic Science with honours at the University of Tasmania with majors in Marine and Antarctic studies, Ecology and Zoology. My honours project involved utilising local Tasmanian divers’ ecological knowledge to model and map the distribution and abundance of a range-extending sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) along Tasmania’s entire East Coast.

My fascination for the ocean began at a young age with a father who was a commercial diver, as well as a big love for swimming, snorkelling and fossicking through rock pools. However, I discovered my true passion for all things marine when I was in Year 9 at Taroona High School in a course called “Exploring the Ocean”. After only a few lessons, I knew this was what I wanted to spend my life learning about and being a part of. I progressed to the advanced course, which allowed me to gain my PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver certifications, further opening up what the underwater world had to offer. During my university degree, I undertook a commercial course in Scientific Diving, which allowed me to gain my ADAS and AAUS certifications. I have further continued my diving education by working with different marine diving research projects at my university, at a local dive centre where I have attained my SSI Dive Master certification, as well as for my honours degree, where I have undertaken a closed-circuit rebreather and Advanced Nitrox certification.

After graduation, I received an internship for six months as a Marine Biologist at one of the most renowned resorts in the Maldives, One&Only Reethi Rah. From here, I received training in Manta Ray and Turtle identification and cataloguing, coral bleaching events, coral restoration projects, Olive Ridley Turtle rescues and Ghost Net removal. I assisted in turtle DNA sampling, Green Sea Turtle nesting and hatching events, as well as making a positive impact on guests through education and guided snorkelling tours, opening up the underwater world to them. I have been lucky enough to have worked, researched and dived in some amazing parts of the world including right here in my own state Tasmania, the Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii, Maldives and Japan, but I couldn’t be more excited to explore the rest of the world’s oceans during my scholarship year.

Getting kitted up

The start of my journey as the 2018 Australasian Rolex Scholar began in Sydney, Australia, where I was fortunate enough to stay with the wonderful Jayne Jenkins, her husband Colin and their fur babies Barney & Maisy.

First up was a visit to David Balsom, general Manager at Tabata Australia, who have been sponsoring the Australasian scholar for the past 11 years. David helped kit me out in all of my new diving gear ready for the 12 months ahead. I am so incredibly lucky to receive everything from new wetsuits, fins, mask, snorkel, dive computer, a drysuit (my very first!) and know I will be diving in style thanks to sponsors TUSA and Waterproof International. Also my wonderful and stylish eye protection thanks to Mako Eyewear! As if the day was not exciting enough – that night I had the honour of dining with an Australian diving icon, Valerie Taylor. We are pictured together below and she is holding the first Asia Pacific edition of Scuba Diver Magazine with my article in it. I have been given the opportunity to publish an article in this wonderful and free online magazine for the next year, so make sure to check it out!

The next day Jayne and I went and tested out my new dive gear at a favourite dive site of hers, Chowder Bay, in Mosman. This was definitely one of the best dives I have ever done, with some wonderful photo subjects, especially for an invertebrate nerd like me! We saw everything from nudibranchs, a bubble snail, many octopus and cuttlefish, pygmy leatherjackets, anglerfish, urchins, sponges, anemones, striped pyjama squid, seahorses, hermit crabs, filefish, and many more amazing species. My new gear worked an absolute treat and I cannot wait to use the rest of it during my scholarship year, wherever it may take me!

New York Bound!

New York April 2018 is where it all became official! I got to spend the week with the 2017 Australasian Rolex Scholar Melinda Brown, Jayne Jenkins, as well as Sue Crowe the Australasian coordinator. We explored New York from Time Square, the Rockefeller Building, Central Park, the High Line walk, all the way to the Natural History Museum! I met my fellow scholar brothers, Èric and Yann the European and North American 2018 Rolex Scholars respectively. It was one of the most overwhelming and eye-opening weeks of my life, being welcomed into this brilliant family that is the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society. From meeting all the members and incredible volunteers, everyone’s supporting words and eagerness to help you throughout the year, to being inaugurated into the Explorer’s Club! It was an incredible week to say the least.

I will be sure to capture all my underwater adventures throughout the year thanks to the amazing sponsors including Reef Photo & Video, Nauticam, and Light and Motion, who also kitted us out with our photography gear in NYC. Listening and watching the inspiring 2017 Rolex Scholars years added to our excitement of what was to come and the amazing amount of things you can achieve in one year. We were announced as the 2018 Rolex Scholars at the New York Yacht Club and received our Rolex diving watches thanks to the incredible sponsor Rolex. It was a tremendous honour, I met some remarkable people to say the least and with what felt like the blink of an eye it was all over!

 

I feel extremely honoured to have received such a life-changing opportunity and I hope to make a significant contribution to marine conservation and the underwater world during my scholarship year, wherever it may take me. My key areas of interest include ecology, Climate Change, bridging the communication gap between the latest science and the public’s knowledge, as well as human interactions and impacts on the marine environment. This year I hope to gain more practical research experience and skills, increase my overall diving capabilities for both scientific and marine-related fields, as well as increase my underwater photography skills. I endeavour to give back positively and contribute to the oceans in the same way it has influenced my life.

Once again I would sincerely like to thank Rolex, OWUSS and all of the volunteers that make up the society, Waterproof International, TUSA, Reef Photo & Video, Nauticam, DAN, PADI and Mako Eyewear.

For my first experience, I am heading to Pacific Harbour in Fiji, where I will dive with Beqa Adventure Divers to come face-to-face with Bull Sharks and learn about their conservation.

I look forward to sharing my adventures over the next year with you all!