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Eline Feenstra
New kid on the block
Several weeks ago, I got the final call from Elvin Leech, vice-president of the European Operations and chairman of the Board, that I had been chosen as the new 2008/2009 European Rolex Scholar by the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society!
Everything just stopped at that moment and, completely overwhelmed, I started the journey that will continue through this entire year. The OWUSS enables participants to pursue a career in underwater-related disciplines, and it is hoped that by giving young, enthusiastic and educated individuals the opportunity to expand their horizons, they can help protect our oceans and the underwater environment.
Therefore I am extremely excited, grateful and honoured to be given this worldly opportunity. Past and recent scholars have shared their experiences in Sport Diver. I will continue this great initiative and hope that I will live up to your expectations as well your interest.
My name is Eline Juliette Feenstra. Born as a Dutch citizen in Amsterdam, I am 22 years old and was awarded with a bachelor degree in Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. Fascinated by marine life, I started diving in the Netherlands at the age of 16.
Taking my first breaths underwater determined my future. During my studies, I travelled extensively, combining every adventure with our world underwater and my love for diving. I conducted dive courses up to PADI Divemaster and TDI Extended Range. Equipped with more or less 200 dives, I am ready to jump in the deep! And it is the scholarship that gives me the opportunity to do so.
The last few weeks have been too good to be true. I visited the Dutch and London International dive shows and just returned from the annual meeting at the Explorers Club in New York! During these events I was introduced to many people who revealed a world to me that is surrounded by a great energy and enthusiasm.
I can’t thank the society and Rolex, as well as my other sponsors, such as Fourth Element, Northern Diver, Light and Motion, Zeagle, Beaver, Seac Sub, Suunto and Delta P Technologies, enough for what they are making possible for me.
This year I will travel many roads. With a huge bag of dive equipment, a Rolex watch around my wrist and an incredible team and network behind me, I will jump into this adventure. Determined to learn as much as possible, I consider this as my ticket to pursue a diving-related career.
This scholarship is not only a way to enrich myself, but is also my ‘master’ degree to an industry I would like to work and live in. And as the new ambassador of the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society, I truly hope I live up to my own, as well to everybody else’s, expectations.
Leading the way in diving conservation
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:48pm
When I was told about the Wakatobi Dive Resort I knew straight away that it was a place I wanted to visit and find out more about, so it was with great excitement that I received the news that they had accepted to host me for a some time.
Wakatobi is famous for having amazing diving, full of untouched reefs and lots of different species to look at. After all it is situated in one of the most biodiverse areas in the world. But not everywhere in this area looks this pristine, with plenty of places being plagued by over fishing and extremely damaging fishing techniques like cyanide and dynamite bombing, leaving behind dead reefs and completely destroyed ecosystems. So what is different about Wakatobi? This is what I was here to find out.
It all started at a very small scale, with owner Lorenz Mader asking one of the villages if he could lease 6km of reef, the amazing house reef, to be used by divers. And so the Collaborative Reef Program was born, giving fishermen an alternative income, instead of just telling them not to fish in a certain area. Over the years the program grew to include 20km of reef being protected, with all 17 villages around the resort involved. Regular patrols and self-policing ensure that everyone abides by the rules. I went on one of the patrols, and even though they could not speak much English (was still much better than my Indonesian) I could see that these ex-fishermen enjoyed their work and understood the importance of it.
Throughout the years the resort has always made a point of employing locals, with about 150 people from Lamanggau, the closest village, now working for them, meaning less people depending on fishing as their income. Lamanggau also receives electricity from the resort. Ultimately it is providing the local people with income from conservation and ecotourism, leading to their development.
The resort also helps the locals with any other projects that they might have, sponsoring sport tournaments, festivals, and other social events, and with the help of guest donations they provide school supplies for the children on the different islands and even scholarships for orphans and others that cannot afford to go to school. While I was there I went along with the Wakatobi staff to Lamanggau to help distribute some of the supplies and it was very rewarding to see the way the pupils received things that we normally take for granted, but that for them it makes a huge difference in their futures.
And the marine environment benefits amazingly. The coral cover on the protected areas is over 80 per cent in places, with colourful corals everywhere. One of my favourite parts of the dives was the long stay in the shallows at the end of the dive, when the wall would level off at five or so meters and the coral would burst into all sort of colours under the sunlight. And there are plenty of critters to look for, one of the most remarkable being the pigmy sea horses. Also, as the relationship and trust grew stronger, Lorenz and the rest of the staff have persuaded the locals to abandon cyanide and dynamite fishing in favour of less destructive methods of fishing, reducing their impact.
