“Wow, my life just changed!” That one phrase completely sums up what was going through my head the morning after being awarded the scholarship. Since that moment, gears started moving, emails started flying, and it has been an awesome ride.
I would like to start off by introducing myself. My name is Christian Clark and I love the ocean! At first, it might seem strange that someone who grew up primarily in landlocked areas would find himself living in Hawaii studying everything ocean related. Actually it has been a natural progression since seeing my first fin whale while on a whale watching tour with my family. In fact, water has always been a strong part of my life, starting with family trips to the Amazon and Pantanal as a child living in Brazil, to time spent out on the family boat in Canada and Georgia, progressing to most recently going to college in Hawaii and working.
Hawaii definitely put the icing on the cake for me. As soon as I landed in Hawaii I hit the ground running. I knew exactly what I wanted; I wanted to be on the water or in the water as much as possible. On the other hand, I didn’t want to be just a diver or just a researcher. My pursuit was bigger; I wanted to understand everything I could about the ocean and the Hawaiian culture was exactly what I needed. So, I took classes in Polynesian celestial navigation, was banged up in surf, learned to freedive, spent exhausting hours out on the water fishing (all in the name of science), took workshops in boat handling, and lived on a sailboat. All this was done with the hopes of achieving my bigger pursuit, known in Hawaii as being a waterman. After almost six years in a place I now call home I look back on weekends spent helping with the University of Hawaii scientific dive program, weekdays filled with classes and shark tagging, and summers consumed by fieldwork and research cruises knowing that Hawaii is where my love and respect for the ocean flourished.
Now back to the beginning of my awesome ride! Since being awarded the scholarship in late February I have had a lot of firsts. I made my first trip to Alaska, my first trip to New Jersey, and my first trip to New York City.
My time in Alaska consisted of a couple of weeks spent drysuit diving, filming, and photographing with three other researchers off the charter vessel Northern Song. Our dives were spent in 35-40 degree water studying deep sea red coral colonies in the Tracy Arm. The fjord was pristine, remote and exactly my style. Diving off shear fjord walls a thousand feet deep with sleeper sharks lurking in the depths and the occasional seal showing up to say hello is my version of vacation. Having the chance to study these corals on scuba is something I will never forget and an opportunity that most deep sea biologists would revel in.
After Alaska, it was back to the normal grind. I took a week to catch up on some work in Hawaii before heading off to New Jersey for my first dive show called Beneath The Sea. I met my new Mermom, Robin Parish, and Maureen Sweeney at the airport before heading off to the show to sit on a panel for a workshop about applying to scholarships. After going through the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society selection process my biggest piece of advice was no matter how competitive a process is…don’t be pessimistic! Put in the time, effort, and turn in the application on time. Easier said than done, considering I wavered about even submitting my finished application.
The rest of the weekend was spent meeting sponsors, hosts, and friends of the scholarship society. One of the first people I was introduced to was Dan Orr from Divers Alert Network. Dan made it his mission to introduce me to as many people as possible and I can honestly say that while it may not have looked like it, my jaw was on the ground for three full days. I was overwhelmed to say the least. On Thursday I was organizing a container full of shark research gear and by Friday I was meeting people like Jill Heinerth, Dan Orr, Phil Nuytten, David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes! Not only did I get to meet underwater legends but I also had the chance to check out gear from sponsors like DUI, Halcyon, Light and Motion, Aqua Lung, Olympus, Reef Photo & Video, and Ultralight Control Systems. By the end of the weekend I was ready to get back to Hawaii, pack up, and head to New York City for the OWUSS annual weekend to start my year.
My first trip to New York City was awesome! I had arranged to stay at a small hotel on Wednesday night and planned to have a restful night before the weekend festivities began. Plans changed as soon as I stepped off the plane and turned on my phone. Awaiting me was a text from Josh Stewart, the current 2010 scholar, saying “Hey dude, it’s Josh. Call me when you get in!” Having an idea of what I was in for I hurried to my hotel and called Josh before jumping in my first New York City taxi. Arriving at Josh’s place I was excited to meet the person whose adventures I had been reading about for the last year! To my surprise I got three for the price of one and ended up meeting not only Josh but also the 2010 European and Australasian scholars. The night progressed from there as we met up with Anthea Ibell, the 2011 Australasian scholar, and traded stories until finally agreeing we should all probably get some sleep.
Thursday morning I was introduced to some of the European contingent of OWUSS, the 2011 European scholar Erin McFadden, Elvin Leech, and Jim Standing. Following a brief chat Erin, Anthea, and I headed off to the Rolex headquarters with Robin and Elvin to meet Rolex representative Mr. John Flaherty and be fitted for our new watches. Walking into the Rolex headquarters, my first impression was “Awesome, they have dive magazines everywhere.” I don’t know what I was expecting but that was a pleasant surprise. Soon enough John came out and we were fitted for our watches. Amazingly, all of our watches fit perfectly! I had mixed feelings about trying my watch on though because I really didn’t want to put the watch on my wrist before it was officially mine. However, after seeing it I quickly changed my mind. Following our fittings we had the opportunity to check out the art department, where once again I was surprised at all of the dive photos and magazines! The visit to the Rolex headquarters gave me a completely different view of Rolex as an organization.
Once leaving Rolex, the five of us went out to lunch to relax a bit before the weekend moved into full swing. Getting back to the hotel it seemed that everyone had arrived and I found myself face to face with parents, a bit of a surprise, and being introduced to all of the people that I had only known through emails up until that point. The day continued with a bit of a break before reconvening for a trip to the theater, hosted by Mike Emmerman and Pat Stockhausen. I didn’t know what to expect but the production was fantastic and afterwards Mike and Pat arranged for the group to have drinks with the cast at a café across from the theater. I found myself squished tightly behind a table having genuine conversations and thinking, “I really like the family I have just become a part of!”
The night ended and I head back to my hotel room to find my mom, dad, brother and twin sister all filling my room waiting to catch up and see how everything was going. The only people missing were my oldest brother and his wife; they surprised us at breakfast the following morning. Friday started with a much-needed breakfast and then a trip to Mr. Emmerman’s building to be formally introduced to the OWUSS board as the 2011 North American Rolex scholar. Following our introductions, Anthea, Erin, and I were given the rest of the day to rest up and get ready for the Friday night dinner hosted by past scholar Ted Janulis and his wife Barbara. Prior to the dinner I was introduced to a host of friends of the scholarship and found myself taken aback at how far so many people had come just to send off the 2010 scholars in style and welcome the unproven newbies. I found myself thinking, “Wow, the possibilities for this year are endless!” Toward the end of the dinner, recognitions were given out and a somewhat expected hazing was handed down to us rookies by the outgoing scholars. I can honestly say that I wore my North American sash, Hawaiian lei, cowboy hat, and fish hat with honor (at least for a bit).
Saturday marked the big day of the weekend with informative seminars at Mr. Emmerman’s building in the morning and the Explorers Club banquet in the evening. The morning session even further opened my eyes to not only what I could expect from my scholarship year but also what I could strive for 10 years down the road. Andy Bausk from Olympus Imaging and Dr. Matias Nochetto from Divers Alert Network attended the morning seminars and graciously presented Anthea, Erin, and me with all kinds of awesome goodies! It’s not everyday someone hands you multiple cameras and an emergency oxygen kit. My Saturday afternoon consisted of practicing my thank you speech over and over again. In my opinion, preparation is a sign of respect and I also really wanted to prove that I was the right person for the job. Visiting the Explorers Club was a life-long dream come true. Walking through the gate and into the front door I could immediately feel the history that filled the building. I also thought, “Yeah, I can see why my family wanted to come so badly.” The building was filled with one-of-a-kind relics from adventurers and explorers who had truly pushed the boundaries of humankind.
After touring around for a bit the evening’s events started and Josh, Ingrid, and Will presented their films. Each of them truly had an amazing year and I found myself wondering, “Hmmm, can I have two years?” Soon after the presentation of their films Anthony Ruberecht from Rolex Geneva and Ariel Fuchs from Sea Orbiter announced a spectacular new partnership between Rolex and the groundbreaking Sea Orbiter project! It’s hard to hard to get even more excited than I already was but this announcement still managed to shock me. Soon, we were presented with our beautiful new Rolex watches and more gear from Divers Alert Network, Olympus, and Light and Motion. Following a few thank yous the festivities commenced and the after party began. A fourth straight late night didn’t faze me but I did find it a bit tough waking up in the morning. Sunday we all headed over to the Emmermans’ house for brunch before saying our goodbyes. The bagels were probably the best I have ever had and the informal setting allowed for casual conversation and the planning of the beginning of my year. It was the perfect finale to an amazing weekend and a great start to a life-changing year.
