We pan around the rugged coastline, huge pine trees standing guard at the edge of the water. I’m here, on a zodiac in the Pacific Ocean near Vancouver Island – I can’t stop smiling. For the first time in my life, I’ve just seen whales. They seemed to fly through the waters around me and at one stage, a humpback breaches dramatically, soaring weightlessly out of the water. This was the moment I became interested in cetaceans and marine biology.

Just one year later I am carrying a heavy tank to the waterfront, sweating it out in a wetsuit, to prepare for my next great adventure – this time, I’m heading underneath the surface of the waves. Even though the waters in the Netherlands are murky and cold, I couldn’t have wished for anything more. There is visibility of around five metres and a voice in my head says that I shouldn’t be doing this. Nevertheless, I keep on swimming and an unexpected form of excitement takes hold of me the moment I see a crayfish. It is hard to explain what it feels like if you see wildlife for the first time while being underwater, but positivity and joy swelled in my chest. Once I emerge from the water I am already longing for the next dive.