Dekota (she/her) has been on a journey of understanding the ocean and the role it plays. Captivation turned to curiosity which progressed to concern. The ocean is so intrinsically linked to our life on land, it makes up so much of our planet, yet there is a general lack of understanding the fundamentals. This very fact become a passion, to change the narrative. Dekota aims to inspire and educate communities and the next generations to connect with the ocean, understand the ocean and therefore care for the ocean. This journey has taken her underwater to explore her own blue backyard, and she is excited to keep exploring and hopefully bring others along with her.
In striving for these goals, Dekota has founded and produced a podcast, Let’s Dive In – Ocean Conversations, all about marine conservation and making the underwater worlds and concepts easy to grasp for a wide variety of people tuning in. She loves to engage with new people from diverse backgrounds, learning about the path they have paved for themselves, all in the pursuit of similar goals, to safeguard our ocean. Dekota is helping to inspire the next generation of ocean stewards, through her role as a marine education officer, where she engages in playful activities and conversations with early childhood and primary aged children about the ocean and the wonderful things living beneath the waves.
Dekota has recently embarked on a new journey, starting her Master of Marine and Antarctic Science in Hobart, Tasmania. The perfect place to explore her captivation with the southern temperate ocean and her curiosity for kelp ecosystems. Here she will continue to be involved with marine education and further explore the interplay between marine science and social sciences, to best understand how people connect, learn and care for our ocean. Dekota is especially interested in establishing stronger connections between stakeholder groups and fostering effective knowledge coproduction to incorporate Indigenous science with policy and western science methods, creating a more holistic management of our oceans and Sea Country.