From surfing came a love of the ocean

Name: Codi
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Mosman

I grew up taking holidays on the coast of New South Wales, sometimes north, sometimes south.

Once I had my own freedom, my own sort of ability to transport myself, I grew up surfing. I surfed a lot in the south coast of New South Wales, and you put yourself into some really special locations there. One place comes to mind, Wreck Bay, which is an indigenous settlement that we have there. Looking at the way that Indigenous communities live so sustainably, they maintain their natural beauty. I fell in love with the ocean at a really early age.

I remember telling a story where I finished my university degree when I was 24. At the time I was doing a lot of climbing, and I went to the US, and I wanted to climb full-time for a year, which I did. I'd probably been six months without seeing the ocean and I didn't realise just how that affected me. And so I remember driving nearly a thousand miles right across Texas to the Gulf of Mexico, just to touch the ocean, put my feet in there. I spent a day there, and I turned around and drove a thousand miles back, to my friends, to continue my climbing trip.

I think I'll always have that deep connection with the ocean, but having said that, I think so many people in Australia have that deep deep love and connection, whether they realise it or not.

Bridge City Harbour Bradleys Head — Brett Fenton developed a lifelong love of the ocean surfing in New South Wales. He now dedicates his life to restoring the marine environment of Sydney Harbour. Image: Sydney from gooragal / Bradley's Head, Phill Pullinger

I'd probably been six months without seeing the ocean and I didn't realise just how that affected me. And so I remember driving nearly a thousand miles right across Texas to the Gulf of Mexico, just to touch the ocean, put my feet in there.

Brett Fenton

Brett Fenton is the Chief Operations Officer at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science

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I grew up taking holidays on the coast of New South Wales, sometimes north, sometimes south.

I think I'll always have that deep connection with the ocean, but having said that, I think so many people in Australia have that deep deep love and connection, whether they realise it or not.

I'd probably been six months without seeing the ocean and I didn't realise just how that affected me. And so I remember driving nearly a thousand miles right across Texas to the Gulf of Mexico, just to touch the ocean, put my feet in there.

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