Scuba Sunday is a feature on scuba divers both here in New Zealand and some of the divers I have come in to contact with from all over the world.

Today’s interview was completed by Nicci Johnson.
Nicci and I bonded online – over our Facebook pages and then we found each other on Twitter.
We talk marine conservation and travelling and share our photographs.  I call Nicci my western island friend however we both have a plan to make diving together as buddies a reality.

Where are you based?

I’m based in Sydney, Australia. I actually live an unholy 45 minutes drive from the ocean tucked away in “the sticks” with my resident bush turkeys, but I prefer it! I lived on Sydney’s beaches for many years but my motorbike rusted to pieces and the local “yocals”, who have breathed in too much salt air for too long, did my head in! *Insert painful Australian ocker accent*, “Price check on aisle 10 Shazza!”
I would come back from simple tasks, like grocery shopping, in a rage! Now I live further inland I happily blend in with my fellow hillbillies as I wander round the local streets in my flanny and ugh boots: heaven!

Why scuba diving?

Back in 2005 I endured a horrible nasty painful breakup with a horrible nasty painful guy. I realised I had to change my focus to something more positive so I sat down and did some serious goal setting. One of those goals ended up as “SCUBA with a whaleshark”. Being asthmatic and claustrophobic, SCUBA wasn’t something I was really interested in long term – my goal was all about being with a whaleshark underwater. If I had to endure SCUBA to achieve my goal, then so be it, damn it!
One of my best friends, Julie, was a SCUBA convert and had just done her DM. She was like, “Nicci! Out of ALL my friends, YOU would love SCUBA soooooo much!” I was like “Pfft! Let me think, no!” But I did my OW, survived my well disguised panic attacks in the 1.5m pool, and jumped on Julie’s trip to Exmouth, Western Australia, to dive with the Whalesharks… oh wait…. when I arrived I realised you’re NOT ALLOWED BY LAW to SCUBA with the whalesharks (unless one happens to swim past you whilst you’re underwater)! Oh, the irony! Turns out I fell in love with SCUBA while I was there anyway (OMG “Navy Pier” ROCKS!), and fell in love with a hot instructor on the boat! WOOT! And although the relationship with the hot instructor didn’t last (long distance reasons only I tell you, he wasn’t one of those slutty male instructors – you know the ones!) my relationship with SCUBA is still going strong!

Has scuba diving changed your life in any noticeable way?

Before I found SCUBA my fulltime gig was teaching dance (jazz, tap, street, contemporary etc).
Although I taught adults, the majority of my classes were children 5 – 16yrs. So getting on a boat every weekend with ADULTS was absolute bliss! It was my “grown-up” time. And I didn’t have to ACT grown-up which was even BETTER! I have met, and continue to meet, my bestest friends through diving (yes, “bestest” is totally a word)! And now, through social media, I continue to meet awesome divers who I haven’t even actually MET yet! (Like the fabulous Dive Mistress, Tara Sutherland herself!) How exciting! It’s a fantastic community of like-minded, tremendous people – what more can you ask for? (So much more! Let me tell you!)

In addition to your new diving pals, there is just being underwater: when you are diving you are so utterly “present in the moment” (a feeling magnified by an underwater camera in your hands) you don’t have time to think about your problems, your work, your bills, your blah blah blah! It’s just you and this cool little nudibranch with the amazing psychedelic colours, or you and this crazy fish chasing the bubbles in front of your mask, or you and the – holy crap! What is that? I’ve never seen one of those before! How cool is that? SCUBA rocks!
So I can safely say two aspects of my life which have benefitted the most from SCUBA are my Sanity and my Social life!

Your favourite dive?

Naming my favourite dive is like naming my favourite friend – ouch! I think that’s impossible and somewhat disrespectful! But if I was to jump in the car and drive to a dive locale right now I’d probably head down to Clifton Gardens in Mosman. Shallow, muck diving, awesome little weird critters everywhere ready to say “cheese” to my camera: sweet! BUT, if I wanted to go further afield and surround my self with underwater bliss I’d head up the freeway 3 hours north of Sydney to Nelson Bay and jump in at Fly Point – too cool for Fish School! Teeming with life – possibly what Sydney “once was” (before over fishing, over use, over population etc). BUT if I wanted to go away for the weekend on a super duper dive adventure I’d head south, 6 hours drive to Montegue Island, Narooma. I make sure I visit several times a year. It’s the home of a large population of fur seals and I love it so much I might have to marry it!!

Favourite piece of kit?

My drysuit. Hands down! I actually have two (so if one leaks I have a backup)! I love swimming up to divers underwater and giving them the underwater signal “Are you cold?” They are usually overcome with relief that someone has recognised their agony, and they nod their heads fiercely as if to say “Hell YES!” At this point I fan myself and roll my eyes to let them know “Sheesh! I am SOOOOOO hot!” Heh heh heh. They usually give me a very rude hand signal in reply and swim off! Suckers!

Favourite marine life?

Giant Pacific Cuttlefish are AWESOME. I can confidently say I’m a very good Giant Pacific Cuttlefish “whisperer” and have mastered the art of having them hump my arm during mating season: good times! They are SO smart, sensitive and expressive. I hate hearing divers talking about “being attacked” and having punched an over enthusiastic cuttlefish! *Gasp!* A gentle squeeze on a tentacle (or just the action of gently peeling off a tentacle) is enough to convince a Giant Cuttle to ease off.

I also really love seals. I reeeeeeaaaaaaaallly love seals!

Your diving bucket list – is there;

1. a course that you want to complete
2. a place you want to dive
3. something you want to see?

My diving bucket list revolves around marine animals I’d like to be underwater with.
Happily, I recently ticket off Mola Mola in Bali – WHOOP WHOOP! AWESOME! I saw them THREE days in a row! Booya!
The remaining critters on my Top 10 list (in no particular order) are:

• Leopard seal
• Giant Pacific Octopus
• Puffins
• Greenland Shark
• Stargazer
• Goblinshark
• Orca
• Grey Seals
• Iguanas
• Basking Shark

So obviously there are some trips to Antarctica, Canada, England and the Galapagos involved. But hey, a Scubasquirrel’s gotta do what a Scubasquirrel’s gotta do!

You are given 30 minutes to talk to anyone about anything ocean or marine related. Who would you talk to and what about?

I think I’d like to talk to a cetacean – an elderly one who has been round the ocean a few times and has some amazing stories to share. I think most species would have something interesting to say although a conversation with an Orca would be most interesting. I would ask them why they were so mean on the Blue Planet documentary by killing that poor baby humpback and then only eating a tiny portion! Bastards!

What do you do on your safety stop?

I usually look for something to photograph to kill the time! The chicken dance is also fun if you have a willing buddy!

 

You can find Nicci in a few places around the internet – when she is not diving!

http://www.facebook.com/GetYourNutsWet

http://twitter.com/#!/ScubaSquirrel

http://scubasquirrel.com