It was with pure excitement that the budding candidates joined me early on a sunny November Thursday morning at Queenscliff harbour, for what could be the first ever Freediving Instructor course held in Victoria.

Seconds ago, you surprised yourself with the level of calm, poise and fascination that you held whilst immersed 10-metres deep on one single breath, staring contentedly out of your mask and straight into the curious eye of a 2.5m long Grey Nurse Shark suspended there like a torpedo, very much within your arms reach.

In Australia, we love the underdog. The struggler, the battler.

The one we least expect to overcome adversity. The least likely to come out on top. The one considered weaker of the opponents. Less powerful, less funded, and unfairly treated, less just. The one entrenched in some kind of adversity, struggling for success.

We love to see them rise to the top. And take out that poppy. The tallest one, with its neck stuck out.