My first blog entry as the new OWUSS 2011 Rolex scholar comes after some delay as I have been in the final throes of my dissertation. But with the majority of my university career behind me now I am extremely excited at the prospect of the year ahead! So much to see, so much to do……..

The past few months following the interview have been a complete whirlwind. Having known about the scholarship for a few years I had never dared dream I would ever get an interview – let alone get the scholarship. But a matter of hours after my interview I got the phone call. From that moment on my life has taken a whole new and exciting turn, and I have had plenty to distract me from my dissertation!

A university scientific diving field trip to Sulawesi in Indonesia was the first distraction. We were lucky enough to be

joined by the world-renowned photographer and videographer Doug Allan and by the end of the trip my fellow classmates and I were undeniably snap happy after some inspirational insight from Doug. If you are ever throwing a dinner party then invite Doug, he has great chat! “Have you ever been in any hairy situations Doug?” His nonchalant response went something like “hmmm, not that I can recall, oh no wait, I was taken by a Walrus once….”                       

My second distraction was my first ever trip to the states – and my first official engagement as the new scholar – for the OWUSS Annual Weekend in New York. The weekend was insane, not least because it involved getting a Rolex Submariner timepiece fitted and gifted to me. I also got to enjoy the official awards evening dinner in the evocative surroundings of the Explorer’s Club, where Ariel Fuchs and Anthony Ruberecht introduced everyone to a sensational new project called SeaOrbiter. It’s fair to say the room was transfixed by their presentation. During the course of the evening us newbies were introduced to everyone and were presented not only with our Rolex, but also with an impressive stock of camera gear from Olympus and excellent safety gear and insurance from DAN.

The morning before the awards dinner a symposium was held in the offices of Mike Emmerman, where I proceeded to be overwhelmed by the view out of the window across the New York skyline all morning. This was a chance for the outgoing scholars and some interns to present their experiences from the past year. Previous scholars Joe Stevens and Kerry Nickols also gave everyone an update of what they had been up to since their scholarship year. It was really exciting for Christian, the N.American scholar; Anthea, the Australasian scholar and I to hear these presentations and get a feel for what is ahead of us.

The weekend was fast paced and there is so much to mention I can’t do it all justice. Some of the other highlights included trips to the theatre; mojitos at lunch; pizza at 3am and Sunday brunch at the house of Mike Emmerman and Pat Stockhausen. I met so many wonderful people who are dedicated to the society and ultimately give us scholars the opportunity to do exactly what we are doing. I am so grateful of their support and I hope to do them all proud over the coming year and in the future. I didn’t really know what to expect from my weekend in New York, but now I feel like I have been introduced to a new family, all of us sharing a passion for diving and the underwater world.

So now I am ready to properly plan the year ahead and I can’t wait to get stuck in. After months of holding off and keeping focussed on my dissertation I am free and ready to roll……