Underwater Adventures The worlds oceans offer such amazing experiences but they are in peril and protecting them is in the interests of all people around the world

As a passionate and adventurous underwater enthusiast, conservationist and aspiring amateur videographer I took this video whilst scuba diving near Ahe Island, West Papua, Indonesia in December 2010. West Papua’s coast and surrounding islands offers one of the last unexplored and unpolluted underwater frontiers.

I felt in awe and privileged as these amazing creatures allowed me to observe and film them as they swam and my adrenalin was pumping when one chose to take a closer look at me. As it approached I tried to balance my camera whilst trying to get out of its way, which lead to me rising above my decompression stop just below the waves.

This was worth the risk because it allowed me to appreciate up close, and to capture on video, these gentle giants of the ocean, who unfortunately continue to be hunted in some parts of the world.

Winning this scholarship would provide me with a unique opportunity to further my aspiration and dream of leaving the rat race to become a documentary professional, to learn more about the Aboriginal way of life and the challenges they continue to face and to explore the coast of Arnhem Land and its underwater world.