It all started when the South Australian spearfishing champion, Rodney Fox, was attacked and nearly killed by a great white during the 1960´s. His relationship towards sharks changed drastically the following years – from fear and revenge to curiosity, admiration and understanding. His now lifelong interest in sharks culminated in Fox Shark Research Foundation and Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions – which together act as a platform for gaining a better understanding of sharks and their life cycle. I was very curious and eager to learn more about this organization, especially since one of my goals this Scholarship year is to identify and gain knowledge about the challenges within marine environmental and conservation issues. The organization focus on giving people the magic moment with the sharks, providing an opportunity to see a different side than the fierce, bloodthirsty predator you saw in ”Jaws”. Creating public awareness is a very important part of conservation, and since the great white shark is not only considered an endangered species, but also a merciless killer, it is in desperate need of lifesaving attention.

I volunteered as crew for two of their shark trips, and would make myself useful doing dishes, producing field trip DVDs and helping out with whatever was necessary on the boat. At the airport in Adelaide I met Joslyn Davis, the other volunteer on my two trips, and I knew right away that my time there was going to be great – she is probably the most jolly person I have ever met. Craig Hobson had been a volunteer since June, and was practically part of the furniture on the boat. He picked us up at the airport, and we immediately formed the A-team. Enlisting as crew on the Princess II meant we had no problem filling our days with stuff to do, and preparing the boat for the customers included everything from picking up chum and tuna to cleaning dive gear and doing laundry. Chum is the delicious mixture of fish guts and blood, which sharks seem to appreciate very much.

Together with the skipper and chef – Andrew Fox, Rodney Fox´s son, and Jennifer Taylor run the boat, and I must say; I really admire those who work on boats like these and manage to keep it up. You are not on duty for 8 hours (a normal workday in Norway), you are ON from the moment you wake up and until you hit your bunk for the night. That demands enthusiasm and a genuine love for what you do if you want to keep going and do a good job. Andrew and Jennifer does an amazing job.

I must admit, I had a couple of sea sickness incidents which immobilized me for a few hours now and then, and in order to cope with the choppy waters of South Australia I started munching motion sickness tablets. I tell you, I will never underestimate the power of this gift from God ever again.

My main task during the trip was to produce a field trip DVD for the customers, and after a couple of days being busy filming, editing and doing dishes – it was my turn to enter the water. What I saw submerged in a cage 18 meters below sea level was no doubt an apex predator, but also nothing more than any other animal trying to survive another day. The serenity of a 4,5 meter long shark gracefully gliding by only 2 feet away stunned me and I know I will never forget that moment.

Not only did I learn a lot about sharks, but this experience provided me with valuable training in making movies, and also handling the problems you can encounter during such a process.

It seems that my quest into the world of computers, hard drives and editing software continue to be blessed with challenges that some day will give me a nervous breakdown. After working with my production non-stop for too many hours, one of our portable hard drives (containing ALL our underwater footage) crashed. We managed to retrieve the data, but had to redo all the editing. After spending another day in front of the computer, I was about to add the last audio file and finish the product. Out of nowhere I got an error notification and all my video clips turned black. I summoned all my willpower to stay calm, disconnect and restart everything. Waiting for the software to start again seemed like forever. It turned out, my portable hard drive had magically erased all my video footage for the whole Scholarship year. Andrew later told me he saw my eyeballs pop out of my head with pupils fully dilated and the jaw on my chest. To cut a long story short, everything was retrieved, but I am convinced the world of video productions will give me a heart attack one day.

Working with Andrew and Jen made me realize that there are many portals into the world of conservation work, and I thank them for that. Can´t wait to go back!