Hi all, my name is Joanna Smart and I am excited to introduce myself as the 2019 Australasian Rolex Scholar of the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society. I come from Hobart, Tasmania Australia and am thrilled to share this journey with everyone. You’ll be able to follow all my adventures on this blog (Subscribe), the OWUSS facebook account and instagram @joanna_smart.

My adventures underwater began in the cool southern-ocean waters where my parents passed on their passion for the marine environment to my sister and I. They encouraged us to explore rockpools, snorkel in the kelp and play in the surf. At 13, I gained my PADI junior open water scuba ticket and the adventure continued from there. You can read more about my background and early experiences underwater in my bio.

My experience so far has been in Marine and Antarctic science, seaweed physiology, environmental consulting and scientific diving. Since completing my undergraduate degree, I have worked as a guide on a tourism vessel, as a field research assistant examining the impacts of aquaculture operations on rocky reef communities, volunteered as a research assistant in Palau and most recently, worked as a project officer for a local marine environmental consultancy. In conjunction, I have been completing an Honours thesis examining how seaweeds species can be used in aquaculture operations to effectively uptake effluent.

Being selected as the 2019 Australasian Rolex scholar is an incredible opportunity that I an honoured to share with you all. Throughout the scholarship year, I hope to focus on four main goals:

1 Education –. to expand my skillset as a marine scientist through courses in diving, boating, statistics and photography

2. Innovation – to explore sustainable solutions to problems facing the marine environment including developments in aquaculture, fisheries and coastal resource management.

3.  People and the Sea – learn how coastal communities are affected by a changing ocean environment, and effective management strategies.

4. Diving for exploration – Explore how diving can be used as a tool to explore new frontiers and advance scientific research

It’s going to be a whirlwind adventure and I recently got my first taste of everything in New York City!

My first duty as incoming scholar was to attend a watch fitting at Rolex HQ where I also met my European and North American counterparts, Kim and Neha. Being fitted with a new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner was a truly mind-boggling experience that I never thought I’d have. I cannot thank Rolex enough for their support of the scholarship.

The next day Neha, Kim and I were presented with the most incredible underwater camera equipment. I cannot thank Reef Photo and Video, Nauticam and Light and Motion enough for this insane set up. I can’t wait to take it underwater and start documenting this wild ride.

Following on from this was a casual dinner where I got to meet a large majority of the OWUSS family and was present with some great safety gear from DAN (Divers Alert Network). DAN are amazing supporters of the scholarship and the diving community owes them a great deal of gratitude for all they do to keep divers safe.

On Saturday morning we headed to the explorers club to hear 2018 scholars Éric, Yann and Olivia as well as current OWUSS interns present their year. Watching the presentations was a great taste of what’s to come and seeing how much each of the scholars were able to fit into their year was inspiring. We were also presented with our Explorers Club Student Memberships for the year!

The explorers club was filled with incredible artefacts from expeditions all over the globe, including explorers club flags that had been to the moon, the top of Mount Everest and the bottom of the Mariana Trench!

That evening we headed to the New York Yacht Club for the 45^th Annual Awards Program. Éric, Yann and Olivia presented their videos from the year and Neha, Kim and myself were introduced as the incoming scholars, presented with our flags, watches and certificated. It was amazing to see so many incredible ocean advocates in one room, and I felt truly privileged to be able to participate.

Whilst in New York I really got the sense that OWUSS is a supportive family and I am entering into a special community. The weekend was fantastic and I met so many amazing people. It really seems like if you can dream it up, they can make it happen. New York is often said to be the city where dreams are made, and mine sure did come true this weekend.