West Australian Freediving and Spearfishing Academy

So overjoyed! I have put up my hand, with the invaluable encouragement of my friend Barry Brumble, to take a trip overseas this winter to Indonesia (10-18 August), to show people who love freediving and the ocean some of the underwater wonders of these remarkably biodiverse waters.

I've been running my sole trader business for almost 10 years now (next year is a BIG year to celebrate) and have taken groups of freedivers from the remote Ningaloo region (Gnaraloo) to freedive with turtles down to the whale-filled bays of Banjelungup-Bremer Bay and across to Wadjemup-Rottnest Island to roll around with the sea pups underwater by Cathedral Rocks. After almost 20 years of freediving and 13 years of training freedivers, it feels like a reward for patience that this moment may be arriving soon.

It has always been one of my dreams to start guiding curated overseas freediving tours with Blueback Freediving & Yoga, teaching people about the remarkable beauty, complexity and integrity of the underwater world but with covid, cancer-care for my Dad and running the Fremantle Underwater Film Festival, dreams have often been on hold.

It feels good now to poke my head out of my turtle shell and venture back overseas, back to watching giant mantas flying through the ocean and back to the feelings of positive overwhelm surrounded by the phenomenal biodiversity and abundance of tropical coral reefs.

It is my pleasure and privilege to guide and educate people in how to connect safely with the ocean. For me, it is the most effective way to instantaneously inspire wonder and enhance well-being while allowing the experience itself to raise curiosity and concern for the natural world.

My hope is that this work deepens our human connection to the biotic community we are a part of, in such a way that one is reawakened to just how beautiful it is to be alive and also, how important it is to act thoughtfully when moving within ecosystems or interacting with other members of the biotic community.

I am feeling both inspired and terrified in equal measure when I consider the responsibility of looking after people far away from home but also incredibly grateful to have the time, skills and capacity to now fill these shoes, take others by the hand and guide them forward to rewire, rewild and reconnect with the part of themselves that knows it belongs here, wants to live fully, and is ready to be restored through saltwater, sunshine and 'Duchenne smiles'.

What have you always dreamed of doing?

One of our favourite places to really feel lost in wilderness. Well worth protecting.

We love these little freaky fish. Why not get behind the survival of their tribe? They are uniquely Australian, after all.

Can you spare a minute to help Tania Douthwaite? 5 signatures are still needed! Protect Seadragon Habitats in Banjelungup-Bremer Bay