I was born in Singapore to an English father and Dutch mother with a british and Australian citizenship. My life's journey began with constant travels. Within just five days, I found myself in Balikpapan, Indonesia, where my parents resided at the time. From there, due to my dad's work, we embarked on a nomadic lifestyle, moving every 2 or 3 years and living in various places, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Athens, Houston, Dallas, and Lafayette in the USA.

When I turned 10, I began attending a boarding school in the UK, situated in a quaint village in the Cumbrian countryside. This decision was made in order to provide me with a more stable education, even though it meant shuttling between school and wherever my parents were living around the world. I vividly recall receiving a postcard from my older brother, featuring Cottesloe Beach, which I kept on my desk at school. It sparked a desire in me to visit that beach as soon as I could leave the confines of the school.

After completing school, I ventured to Namibia for a short stinit of volunteer work in national parks there before making my way to Perth to enroll at UWA to study Environmental Science. Looking back, it feels like a different lifetime when I first arrived in Perth. During that period, I found myself on a dark path, struggling academically at UWA, and sinking deeper into a troubling lifestyle.

I hit rock bottom and ended up living in a deteriorating, boarded-up house, consumed by paranoia and resorting to the installation of security cameras all around the property. It was an undeniably terrifying chapter in my life.

In the midst of this chaos, a stranger who visited that very house told me, 'you're better than this.' Those words served as the catalyst I needed. I summoned the strength to leave the house and never looked back. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to recognize the potential within you, which you may have forgotten, and remind you that you're worthy of more.

With newfound clarity, my parents extended their unwavering support. They presented me with a simple yet pivotal question: 'When were you last truly happy?' The answer couldn't have been clearer - it was when I was in the ocean. Reflecting on my arrival in Perth in Christmas 1997, I fondly recalled how my brothers had taken me to Exmouth, where they gave me a unique Christmas gift by enrolling me in my PADI Open Water dive course.

My parents championed my passion and enrolled me in more diving courses, and from that moment, everything changed. I became a dive instructor, moved to Exmouth in 2001, where I met my wife, discovered the awe-inspiring beauty of Ningaloo, started a family, lived on Christmas Island, and then returned to Exmouth, my haven of happiness, to put down roots.

Today, I proudly serve as the skipper and owner of the Ningaloo Glass Bottom Boat, where I share my profound ocean knowledge and enthusiasm with our guests. When I'm not at the helm of the boat, I'm living my dream by capturing the incredible wildlife of Ningaloo through my drone photography and through my passion project Ningaloo Crew on YouTube.

Reflecting on how a single statement and question had the power to transform my life is truly astonishing. I hold immense gratitude for the chance to chase my passion daily and aspire to ignite the same spark in others.