Tassie Tales: Rebecca Chabot

“I love Tasmania’s coasts. As a scientist with a deep love of the ocean, I am fascinated by the variety of coastal environments we have on this little island.

The Tasman Peninsula is where I would take someone coming to Tasmania for a day. From rocky jagged cliffs with wild smashing waves at Waterfall Bay to white sandy beaches with calm water at Stewarts Bay, to vast shallow mudflats covered in soldier crabs at Dunalley.

Also on the peninsula is Roaring Beach, a remote surf spot with consistent, peeling waves for those who are keen for an adventure. Drive 5km down a long windy dirt road past huge gum trees and beyond the power lines to a wild beach that faces the great Southern Ocean. Roaring Beach is true Tassie wilderness and surfing there is an incredibly humbling experience.

All around the island you find similar special places. Big waves at Marrawah on the West Coast, calm mud flats in Bridport on the North Coast, and beautiful stretches of white sandy beaches as you walk south from Eddystone Point in the northeast.

But the diversity goes beyond the coast and into the water, which is the must-see part of Tasmania I love that many people don’t know about, even those who have lived here for generations.

The underwater world is full of abundant and unique Tasmanian marine life: from kelp forests to intricate underwater caves to sand flats, there is so much to see, even without a scuba tank. All you need is a wetsuit (the thicker the better) and some goggles (or a mask and snorkel). I am not only a surfer, but also an ocean swimmer and I spend hours in the water every week observing the stingrays and pufferfish, sea horses and sea urchins.

People always say to me, ‘The water is cold!’ True, but that’s a hurdle that can be overcome with some good neoprene. Imagine if no one climbed Everest because it is cold!"