Charlie Huveneers. Age 26. Originally from Belgium but has been living in Sydney for 4 years

What do you do? I'm a Marine Biologist. What do you specialize in? Shark biology and ecology.

Any close encounters we should know about? My work involves lots of work on or under water. I have dived with and studied a large variety of shark species, including basking sharks in England, lemon sharks in the Bahamas, white sharks in South Africa, whales, tiger sharks and hammerheads in Australia, bull sharks in Fiji and focused research on wobbegong sharks in NSW which are commercially targeted for 'flake'. Some of the underwater work includes tagging sharks with a modified hand-spear to attach acoustic tags around the shark's first dorsal fins. The shark's reaction is varied and ranges from no reaction to charging at you.

What are you loving right now? Aussie BBQs (nothing better than a good feed with some chilled beverages and your close mates)

What inspires you? I'm enjoying the Australian lifestyle and being close to the ocean.

What do you love about Bondi? I find it great that so many people get up early and do some kind of sports on the beach in the morning. It gets crowded but it's good to see that people make an effort

What book are you currently reading? Just finished "Eddie Would Go", biography of a famous Hawaiian surfer who died prematurely

Do you read magazines/newspapers, if so, which? Mostly Scuba-diving magazines and Surfing World.
Any websites you read on a regular basis? Aquabumps and Swellnet

What TV shows do you enjoy watching? None, they're mostly all American shit or trashy Aussie soaps

Who are you listening to on your iPod? Chris Cornell, Muse, Cake, Foo Fighters.

In your opinion what are the powerful brands in the world right now? Shell or any petrol company.

What 3 cool things should someone do when visiting Sydney? Dive with the sharks at the Manly Aquarium to realize sharks are not the deadly eating machines people usually picture them as. Do the Bondi to Coogee walk to get an idea of Sydney's amazing coastal landscape. Have a barbie (BBQ) in Bronte, kick the ball around and try out surfing.

Have you ever auditioned for a reality TV show? Nope and I reckon I'd be the first one kicked out of Big Brother, as I'd be having fun annoying everybody.

What's the most interesting place you've visited in the last 12 months. Just been to Fiji and did some work with the Bull sharks which was fun, shame it was flat though

What's your fav city in the world and why? Any remote town with good beaches to get away from the big cities when you need a break. Port Stephens can be great although I might get bored if lived there.

By the year 2010, you will what/where? Having fun somewhere

Which is the coolest surfing brand on the planet? Good question, but the short of it is they're all too expensive!

Share it -

Delicious

Technorati

Digg

Stumble