In Conversation: Jena Goldsack on Freediving, Ocean Conservation, and Sustainable Wetsuits
On a clear Sydney morning, we meet British freediver and ocean advocate Jena Goldsack at Little Bay Beach, a quiet cove framed by sandstone cliffs and calm water. Raised by the sea in Cornwall, Jena has always felt a deep connection to the ocean. From early memories of spotting dolphins on the horizon to becoming an ambassador for the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, her life has long been shaped by the water. Today, she channels that passion through freediving, ocean advocacy, and Fulmar, her sustainably led wetsuit brand. In conversation, Jena reflects on the meditative pull of life beneath the surface, the moments that have left her in awe, and why protecting our oceans has never been more important. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your connection to the ocean? What fuelled your journey into ocean conservation? I was born and raised at the back of a beach in Cornwall, UK. One of my first memories of living there was looking out of the living room and seeing dolphins on the horizon. We took school trips and weekend trips to the local Seal sanctuary which rescues & rehabilitates injured seals, then if they can, release them back to the wild. Sometimes a seal will have such a bad injury they will end up being a resident here - there was one seal called Ray that had brain damage from a boat accident who happily lived there for 20+ years until he passed away! When I wanted to get more into charity work, I knew the Cornish Seal Sanctuary would be a great fit for me and I’m still an ambassador for them now. What do you love most about freediving? I had been a scuba diver for years before I started freediving and I didn’t get the appeal, but once I tried, as every Freediver will tell you, you genuinely just feel more free and natural with the water, like you’re meant to be there. Animals aren’t afraid to come near you because you’re not breathing any scary bubbles, and I think it’s amazing what our bodies are capable of, even when we think they aren’t. “YOU GENUINELY JUST FEEL MORE FREE AND NATURAL WITH THE WATER, LIKE YOU’RE MEANT TO BE THERE.” What’s your favourite place in the world to go diving? I think so far it’s been the Maldives as the water is just so so pristine. My dive friends call me a fair weathered diver and I’m not ashamed of it! I struggle holding my breath in cold water as I can’t relax. I originally learnt in the Cayman Islands and unfortunately I think that has tainted me to warm clear waters forever! What does being underwater teach you that you can’t learn on land? Something you don’t really get on land as much is that you can completely switch off, absolutely nothing is going on in my brain apart from being in the moment, it’s like a fine tuned meditation only a few people can seem to achieve on land. The only thing you are thinking about / appreciating is the water, your surroundings and feeling at complete peace. “THE ONLY THING YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT IS THE WATER, YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND FEELING AT COMPLETE PEACE.” [featured_images1] What inspired you to create Fulmar, and how does the brand reflect your values and connection to the ocean? I’m not going to pretend it has been a life long dream to have a wetsuit line! But it’s been a very natural progression. I suffer from eczema and every dive rental shop wetsuit would make my skin irritated. So I started looking for hypoallergenic wetsuit brands and there are a few great brands that already exist that use limestone neoprene, which is designed to be skin friendly, but I couldn’t find the perfect fit for myself as well as the right thickness (I get cold very easily!). There seemed to be a gap in the UK market for female specific wetsuit brands as the majority are made for men’s bodies, so I ended up creating some samples and it went from there. I wanted to create in small batches as to not waste any more product than I need - I wanted to keep the colours as earthy or oceany as possible and I aimed for only a few sizes at first to see what would sell best - and we are adding another couple of sizes in the next couple of months after some interest and feedback. We also had some leftover fabric from our blue steamer suit so we turned that into headbands so nothing would go to waste. Has there been a moment in the ocean that truly left you in awe? Two moments! One was after we had been diving with tiger sharks in the Maldives, we went out into deeper water and ended up around a pop of 1-2 thousand Mellon headed whales and dolphins - they were quite timid at first but we ended up spending hours swimming with them and the way they look you in the eye as if to say ‘wha are you doing here human?’. The second time was recently in French Polynesia, it was a tough day on the water as it was so rough and I haven’t had sea sickness since I was a child but I quickly lifted my head out of the water to try and throw up, and when I put my head back under, a humpback whale was about a meter away from me! I watched this thing come at me like a giant submarine and then turn away last minute, and again, when it’s eye catches yours you are truly in awe of the sheer size and elegance of this being. If you could leave people with one powerful message to inspire greater care and protection for our oceans, what would it be? I take a lot of inspiration from Sylvia Earle, one of my favourite ocean women - the world’s first female aquanaut! And who Fulmar’s steamer suit is named after - and something powerful she has said before is ‘No water, no life. No blue, no green’ - I think we can all appreciate that these are very calming colours and take you to a place of ease even when just thinking about them, so why wouldn’t you want these to exist? “NO WATER, NO LIFE. NO BLUE, NO GREEN.” [featured_images2] What’s on the horizon for you? Are there any projects or collaborations you’re especially excited about? Something I’m excited about for fulmar is that we have a new surf vest coming out in the next two months! This will be made from Yulex, a natural rubber, so it’s the most sustainable form of wetsuit we can offer. We are adding this in more sizes, and it’s a beautiful orange colour so I have named the colour Bondi Sunset, as I showed it first at our Sydney launch during the most beautiful of end summer sunset.
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