Dr Charlotte Kirk
Inspiring your adventures
Scuba diving
Learning to scuba dive on the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia, was a treat to ourselves when we had to switch our backpacking trip at the last minute away from Central America when the swine flu outbreak hit.
Today I'm both PADI Advanced and Dry Suit certified, and have completed almost 100 dives across 20 countries.
It’s such a unique and incredible way to explore the underwater world. I love wreck swim-throughs and have been lucky enough to dive with mola-molas, turtles, sharks, manta rays, crayfish, sea lions, and more fish than I could ever count in so many exotic places.
Dry suit diving in Iceland was cool – literally 1°C – but also because you can touch the European and American tectonic plates at the same time!
"After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea."
Sir David Attenborough - Ocean
Diving offers a unique perspective on the health of ocean ecosystems, and we're increasingly witnessing the impacts of climate change underwater - from coral bleaching and reef degradation, to loss of marine biodiversity.
From reef monitoring work in Australia & Indonesia, to conservation projects in Hawaii & New Zealand - I’m passionate about empowering divers to positively contribute to marine protection and restoration, to preserve the oceans for future generations.
That also extends to shipping on the surface. At Fortescue we built the Green Pioneer, the world's first ammonia-powered ship, which can have zero-emissions unlike vessels powered by fossil fuels.
We sailed it to Dubai for COP28, and given that my chemistry PhD was specifically in ammonia technologies, it was especially meaningful to be able to host global leaders on board including John Kerry, who at the time was the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.