Sophie Kalkowski-Pope

Sophie is an avid science communicator, diver, and marine conservationist from Cairns, Australia. Growing up amongst the reef and rainforest of Far North Queensland, Sophie has been passionate about the marine world from a young age. However, it was witnessing the 2017 bleaching events on her local reefs that sparked her enthusiasm for marine conservation, and reconciling the interaction between people and planet. In 2023, Sophie was awarded the Australasian Scholarship of the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society, where she spent a year intensively travelling and upskilling her research skills and diving capabilities. She has a background working in citizen science and conservation based not-for-profits, and will be a trained PADI Divemaster, Molchanovs freediver, and ADAS scientific diver. A keen photographer and videographer, she also loves educating people about our environment, and has won several awards for her presentation skills. Her goal is to continue her advocacy for our oceans, while inspiring people to protect our natural world. Sophie will be assisting through all parts of the operation, so feel free to ask her about anything ocean, photography, or logistics related.