History: the evolution of an underwater superhero
In 2005, Australian marine educator Lloyd Godson won the Australian Geographic Society’s “Live Your Dream” Wildest Adventure Competition. With his AUD $50,000 sponsorship prize, Lloyd began working on The BioSUB Project. His idea was to create the world's first underwater habitat incorporating a plant-based life support system. In just eighteen months he independently built an underwater habitat from recycled steel, lowered it into an Australian lake and lived self-sufficiently inside for twelve days. In 2007 he received the coveted “Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year” award.
More than 1,000 primary and secondary school students logged on via the Internet to participate in Lloyd’s virtual, underwater classroom sessions. Hundreds of E-mails flooded in from children and adults from all over the world and the international media found the story irresistibly quirky. By the time he emerged from his underwater habitat, it was clear Lloyd had achieved far more than a personal goal of living underwater.
The popularity of The BioSUB Project with young people led Lloyd and his wife, Carolina Sarasiti, to author a semi-educational children’s book titled “The Little Aquanaut”. Art imitated life as the polka dot design studio in Athens, Greece, illustrated the characters of Tik and Bubbles. The concept behind the book was to provide young people with the message to follow your dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem.
When Lloyd was a boy, his dad told him one thing every night, “If you dream it, you can do it”. He wants to pass this important message onto as many children as he can using innovative real-word education and contribute to making the next generation the most active, curious, compassionate and creative one so far. In November 2013, Lloyd established Tik and Bubbles and successfully funded Sea Stars of STEM using the StartSomeGood peerfunding platform. He raised AUD $33, 574, setting a new Australian StartSomeGood record in the process!
More than 1,000 primary and secondary school students logged on via the Internet to participate in Lloyd’s virtual, underwater classroom sessions. Hundreds of E-mails flooded in from children and adults from all over the world and the international media found the story irresistibly quirky. By the time he emerged from his underwater habitat, it was clear Lloyd had achieved far more than a personal goal of living underwater.
The popularity of The BioSUB Project with young people led Lloyd and his wife, Carolina Sarasiti, to author a semi-educational children’s book titled “The Little Aquanaut”. Art imitated life as the polka dot design studio in Athens, Greece, illustrated the characters of Tik and Bubbles. The concept behind the book was to provide young people with the message to follow your dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem.
When Lloyd was a boy, his dad told him one thing every night, “If you dream it, you can do it”. He wants to pass this important message onto as many children as he can using innovative real-word education and contribute to making the next generation the most active, curious, compassionate and creative one so far. In November 2013, Lloyd established Tik and Bubbles and successfully funded Sea Stars of STEM using the StartSomeGood peerfunding platform. He raised AUD $33, 574, setting a new Australian StartSomeGood record in the process!
