One of the many great aspects of the Rolex Scholarship is the amazing number of courses and training opportunities on offer to the scholars. There are courses available in diving, underwater photography, videography, medicine, and science, just to name a few! Subsequently, I chose to spend a few weeks in Sydney fine-tuning my diving and learning underwater videography techniques. Through this process, I was fortunate to meet some fantastic and dedicated instructors who have expanded abilities underwater and passed on some great skills that I can carry forward with me on my scholarship year.

My journey started in Sydney’s southern beaches with Peter Lightowler of Down Under Aquatic Imaging. Peter has wealth of experience in underwater videography and has worked in everything from documentary film making to advertising. Peters love of shooting video underwater was infectious, and it was a pleasure to learn from someone who truly loved their work.

Peter took me through several different underwater video workshops. The first of these was the set up and use of a RED digital video camera in a Gates underwater housing. These cameras are frequently used by large video production companies such as the BBC and National Geographic and are common in high-level cinematography.

Whilst the size and complexity of the camera was initially intimidating, Peter took me through setup, operation, and disassembly of the set-up step by step. I learnt that these cameras and housings are actually fairly robust and surprisingly managable to operate. 

Once I was over my fear of dropping some of the overwhelmingly expensive components, I had the privilege of taking one underwater on a dive at Lilli Pilli dive site. Assisted by Peter, I was able to practise filming underwater. These cameras were incredible fun to use, and I had a great time filming cuttlefish, leatherjackets, blennies and all manner of critters that call this dive site home.

After working with the gates housing, Peter took me through workshops in video editing and colour correction. This was incredibly useful as I have no previous experience underwater videography using the DaVinci Resolve software. I can’t wait to utilise the new skills on upcoming projects and throughout the rest of the scholarship year.

After my time with Down Under Aquatic Imaging I headed to Dive Centre Bondi to undertake a Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) fundamentals course. Global Underwater Explorers were established as a means of improving and standardising diving training across the globe.

GUE instructors are known as some of the best in the business and our instructors, Duncan Paterson and Laurent Dahan, were no exception.

The Fundamentals course provided the opportunity to advance my basic diving skills such as trim, buoyancy, and propulsion. We began in the classroom, where we covered the basics before we were introduced to twin tanks and long hose configuration. This was my first time diving properly on twin tanks and with a long hose. Although challenging, I loved the experience.

The course progressed through propulsion, trim, buoyancy, teamwork, surface marker buoy deployment, and emergency drills. After each dive, we were treated to a review session, where we were able to watch footage from the morning dive and discuss corrections or alterations we could make to our diving. The use of video feedback in diving was not something I had come across before and was incredibly useful in refining our skills.

Overall, the GUE Fundamentals course was one of the best scuba courses I have done. There is something in this course for everyone and I recommend it no matter how much diving experience you have. Duncan and Laurent were knowledgeable, professional and great fun to dive with and I can highly recommend Dive Centre Bondi as a training facility.

I look forward to taking these new skills with me as I move forward on the scholarship year.

Thank you to Australasian Vice President Jayne Jenkins and Colin Kesteven for hosting me during my time in Sydney. Jayne and Colin’s warm hospitality makes staying in Sydney a pleasure. The bonus company of ‘scholar dogs’ Barney and Maisie provides for a great stay.

I would like to thank Rolex and the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society for making these experiences possible. So far this year, my time as a Rolex Scholar has surpassed all expectation and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the year takes me. I would also like to thank Tusa, Waterproof, Reef Photo and Video, Light and Motion, Paralenz, and Mako eyewear for their continued support.