This is where my love for the ocean really started ! How can you not ? At the age of 26, I was able to do slow travel while working on the side. I’ve been all over the country. I spent most of my time in Western Australia, where the rugged beauty caught my eye. Initially on a road trip from Perth to Darwin, I had an impulse to set foot in Exmouth when I arrived in this unique little town during the whale shark season. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate my birthday than to see my 1st whale shark in the open ocean ! So I literally jumped in ! Their grace, their polka dots, their impressive size and their beauty went straight to my heart. It was a magical moment, I had to pinch myself ! Being in this coastal town with this pristine Ningaloo Reef, opened up my eyes to the underwater world. Witnessing this, I decided to pursue my Divemaster certification, where I encountered the Indian Ocean on an almost daily basis. I learned to teach scuba diving and in exchange I gave my time on a whale shark charter, guiding the snorkel groups. Let me tell you that I had the opportunity to see many more gentle giants, but also orcas hunting, humpback whales breaching, manta rays from up close, impressive long lion’s mane, flying fish gliding through the air, several types of sharks and so on.
In the evenings, after my boat shift, I would quickly change, still with my salty hair, and would work as a food runner at a restaurant in town. It wasn’t uncommon to run into the same customers I’d met on the boat, which always gave them a little giggle !
BUNBURY
Another way that facilitated my slow travel was being an Au Pair in different families. I helped out part time at home ; driving kids to school, cooking, playing sports, doing arts & crafts, little one got to learn to ride a bike without little wheels. My 1st stay down in Argyle, WA was pretty special and meaningful. When I was welcomed by Marnie, who gave me a tour of the yard, starting with the chicken coop and introducing me to all the chooks with their names and descriptions, in her sweet Australian accent !
Her older sister, Grace, told me stories about blue tongue lizards. On the weekends, the family would sometimes take me to music festivals, surf competitions or road trips. It was pretty lucky to connect in that way ! And all the extra time I had, I invested in slow travel ! In my spare time, I volunteered at The Dolphin Discovery Center, an interactive, educational and research facility, focused on bottlenose dolphins. After dropping the kids off at school, I would drive (on the left side of the road) to the DDC. I would volunteer on a rotation ; helping to educate the public about bottlenose dolphins, doing beach clean ups, spotting for any dolphins coming into Koombana Bay and helping with maintenance. Once a week, I would assist with research tasks on a small boat and some other times I would assist clients on dolphin snorkel tours. I had an unforgettable time, which was a perfect hub for meeting other like-minded travelers.
PORT LINCOLN
This next chapter of my life feels surreal. This shark cage diving company, based out of Port Lincoln, decided to make me part of their crew as a videographer. I made videos for clients diving with the great white shark ; from filming, to editing, to selling video packages. I loved this job ! It was the right balance between movement, adrenaline, socializing, sun and screen time. And being on the ocean ! Meeting new faces every day and sharing the joy of that 1st shark encounter was also a rich experience. Despite the lovely family owned business and the fantastic crew, what stood out to me was their ethical approach. Instead of attracting sharks with bait and Berley like most charters do, they would have a more gentle way by using acoustics. They would have their underwater speaker dangling in the water and play some ACDC ! The low frequency range would often make the sharks inquisitive, but not aroused. Seeing them in their natural behavior made so much more sense, avoiding the unfortunate association that sharks are scary. Sharks are part of our ecosystem, keeping our ocean clean and balanced.
Here is a video project introducing you to the fantastic crew of Adventure Bay Charters !
MELBOURNE
My 2 years abroad ended up with a few months spent in Melbourne, a totally different lifestyle and pace than the small towns I’ve been in. Even though I grew up in Montreal, I’m not a big fan of cities. I’d rather live at slower pace and be by the sea when possible. But that didn’t matter, I was in Melbourne for a specific reason ; a job in virtual reality and a potential sponsorship !
As my working holiday visa was coming to an end and was not ready to leave after 2 years, my plan was to get a sponsorship through an employer that would allow me to stay in the country for a longer period of time. Since my main background is Television Production and since immigration often goes for skill sets they can’t find in their own country, the strategy was to target an employer in virtual reality. I had a plan in mind to make this happen and learn about virtual reality in an autodidact way.
When I returned to Montreal for a short TV contract to work on CBC Rio’s Olympics, I decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. I took a one-on-one informal virtual reality workshop, after seeing Jeremy’s Youtube channel. I contacted with him and met him in New Jersey. It was a full 2 days of learning about VR – how to shoot, how to edit and how to stitch. At the end of the class, we put together a small video project that became my demo for the employer I was seeking in Melbourne.
Thanks to my little sister, for being part of this virtual reality project. I turned her into a female version of Waldo exploring New York. Can you find Waldo in the Big Apple ?
My hard work was finally paid off. I really wanted that virtual reality job and I finally got it ! I was hired by Jumpgate VR, based in Melbourne. I wore many hats, but I mostly worked as a production assistant on set and editing 360 videos in the office. We had a variety of projects ranging from wildlife, sports, fiction and dance. The main projects I worked on were a horror short, an LGBTQ dance short film and the AFL Grand Final.
It turned out that I wasn’t sponsored by the company as planned. However, that decision was for the best, as the work wasn’t really aligned with what would made me truly happy professionally. I believe that rejection is a redirection in a positive way. It opens up to other possibilities down the road that are usually more aligned ! But what I do know for sure is that I came back with a load of cool experiences, new knowledge and knowing myself a little more. And that is priceless !
MUST DO
If you find yourself on the West Coast of Australia, a visit to Karijini National Park is an absolute must for its rugged beauty, ancient gorges, and remote landscapes. Embark on a road trip, navigating through the remote wilderness of Down Under !
