John Ahern: Humans of BioSciences
Meet John Ahern, a true legend in the School of BioSciences and formerly the Department of Zoology. John is the University of Melbourne’s Diving Officer and it is through his expertise, hard work and dedication over decades that Zoology/ BioSciences has been able to run the aquarium as well as our boats and diving program. John will be greatly missed when he leaves us at the end of this month.
John Ahern
Who are you and what do you do at the School of BioSciences?
I’m John Ahern, typically known as Tania Long’s work husband or the J-Man. My role includes the UoM scientific diving safety officer, the School of BioSciences marine and freshwater aquarium curator, and marine technical support. Tania also thinks I’m the animal house handyman!
When did you fall in love with underwater activities and how did you make them your career?
At conception! I spent my first 9 months in amniotic fluid and the next 50-odd years in Port Phillip Bay fluid. When not underwater, I try to hydrate with amber fluid!
In the early years, I worked as a diving instructor and freelance photojournalist. I also did science at La Trobe University - in fact, I was the first person from Frankston to attend a university! This helped me land the role of the marine technician in the old Zoology Department.
Clown fish and sea anemone (Lizard Island)
What are your favourite places to take underwater photographs and films? Are you inspired by any other marine photographers?
Lady Elliot Island on the southern Great Barrier Reef is the best place in the world to dive. (I haven’t actually dived all over the world, so I’m only guessing, but it’s a pretty good guess I reckon!)
If you’re looking for a pristine coral reef to dive on before anthropogenic climate change cooks everything, this is the place to go, check out a video of Lady Elliot I put together from a recent trip.
I’m inspired by anyone that attempted underwater photography years ago with the old 35mm film cameras. If you got 3 or 4 photos out of a 36 exposure roll you were doing really well.
Green sea turtle (Lady Elliot Island)
What was your most fun or outlandish experience at the School of BioSciences?
Back in the zoology days, I was working on an underwater documentary for National Geographic called ‘The Octopus Show’ and Julian Finn (Museums Victoria) and I had collected some octopus for filming. One of the octopus we caught was particularly rare and the director was keen to film it interacting with the other more common octopuses we had collected. We were diving late one night under Flinders Pier and the cameraman and lighting were all set up. My role was to release the octopus and separate them so their interactions could be filmed. I released a common octopus followed by the rare one and before the cameraman could film the action the common octopus had attacked and killed the rare one. Oops!
Blue ringed octopus (St Leonard's jetty)
The following night we were filming again when the underwater lights suddenly went off. I surfaced to find the generator on the pier on fire and some fisherman trying to put it out! Oops again!
Have you picked up any new hobbies during the Covid-19 pandemic?
Painting, carpentry, plumbing, landscaping, etc. all undertaken outside working hours of course!
What might people be surprised to hear about you?
I recently won an underwater photography competition. Was first prize a holiday? No! Cash? No, it was a t-shirt!
If you weren’t doing this, what might you be doing instead?
Operating a beach spray tan franchise on the Gold Coast. Or working with Barry Bruce on great white shark research. Yep, definitely the spray tan franchise!