Agnes Milowka
Encyclopedia
Agnes Milowka was an Australia
n technical diver
, underwater photographer
, author
, and cave explorer
.
She gained the international recognition for extending the cave systems across Australia and Florida, and as a public speaker and the author on subject of diving and maritime archaeology.
achiever award.
She received her graduate degrees in Maritime Archaeology
from Flinders University
(2007), Bachelor of Business
, Marketing and Event Management from Victoria University
(2008), Bachelor of Arts
, History and Australian Studies from University of Melbourne
(2005), where she was a president of the Melbourne University Underwater Club (2003–2005).
She participated as the researcher and diver in a series of qualitative underwater archeology, fieldwork and research projects.
In the effort coordinated by Victorian Speleological Association
in 2009, she and James Arundale extended Elk River streamway cave system by 5000 ft (1.4 km), which has potential to become the longest continuous stream passage in Victoria, Australia.
In a 2009 expedition near Cocklebiddy
, she reached the mid point of Craig Challen
’s 2008 line giving her the record for the longest cave dive in Australia for a female.
She worked as an underwater grip
for a film Discovery Channel Japan "Water's Journey" TV Asahi & Karst Productions in 2008.
She was part of the National Geographic Nova TV Special expedition to Blue Hole
s of the Bahamas, December 2008, as an underwater grip, followed by the expedition to look for similar sinkholes in Queensland, Australia in October 2009.
Milowka was a photographic assistant in National Geographic Magazine expedition to Bahamas Caves, November-December 2009, resulting in one of her photos being published by the National Geographic website.
In 2010, when living in Florida, she laid over 4 km of line across a number of cave systems, the most significant of which was Mission Spring. In August 2010, together with James Toland, they made the connection between Peacock Springs and Baptizing Spring, Florida adding over 10,000 ft (3 km) of passage.
She was the presenter and editor for AMP movie (Agnes Milowka Project, 2010) featuring underwater cave footage shot by Wes Skiles, Karst Productions.
Agnes Milowka was a speaker at a number of diving related conferences (OZTek 2009, EuroTek 2010).
She acted as a stunt double
for two female characters on James Cameron
's feature film Sanctum
2011.
In 2011 she was nominated as Dive Rite Ambassador.
One of her last jobs was as a diving supervisor at BIRTH, a short film for TRIMÄPEE fashion label. The movie has been dedicated in her name.
On February 2011, she ran out of air and died after parting company to explore a tight restriction, which necessitated going solo, in the Tank Cave near Mount Gambier on the South Australia
n coast.
In recognition of Milowka's achievements and legacy, The Agnes Milowka Memorial Environmental Science Award has been established by Mummu Media for underprivileged schools in the area of science, marine studies or exploration.
In May 2011 Agnes Milowka received the Exploration Award, in recognition of the outstanding and dedicated service to the National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section, USA.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n technical diver
Technical diving
Technical diving is a form of scuba diving that exceeds the scope of recreational diving...
, underwater photographer
Underwater photography
Underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while under water. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while snorkeling or swimming.-Overview:...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and cave explorer
Caving
Caving—also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems...
.
She gained the international recognition for extending the cave systems across Australia and Florida, and as a public speaker and the author on subject of diving and maritime archaeology.
Background
Agnes Milowka attended Caulfield Grammar School (1994–99), she was a house captain, champion school rower and was a finalist in the statewide VCEVictorian Certificate of Education
The Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete high school level studies in the state of Victoria, Australia. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases...
achiever award.
She received her graduate degrees in Maritime Archaeology
Maritime archaeology
Maritime archaeology is a discipline within archaeology as a whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains, be they vessels, shore side facilities, port-related structures, cargoes, human remains and submerged...
from Flinders University
Flinders University
Flinders University, , is a public university in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in the early 19th century.The university has established a reputation as a leading research...
(2007), Bachelor of Business
Bachelor of Business
A Bachelor of Business is a three or four year business degree offered by traditional and newer universities from the post-Dawkins era in Australia and New Zealand...
, Marketing and Event Management from Victoria University
Victoria University, Australia
Victoria University is a multi-sector tertiary institution based in Melbourne, Australia with 10 campuses.VU offers qualifications in higher education, vocational education , and short courses...
(2008), Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, History and Australian Studies from University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
(2005), where she was a president of the Melbourne University Underwater Club (2003–2005).
She participated as the researcher and diver in a series of qualitative underwater archeology, fieldwork and research projects.
In the effort coordinated by Victorian Speleological Association
Victorian Speleological Association
The Victorian Speleological Association Inc. was created in 1967 by the merger of the Victorian Cave Exploration Society and the Sub Aqua Speleological Society . It is a member of the Australian Speleological Federation which is in turn part of the International Union of Speleology...
in 2009, she and James Arundale extended Elk River streamway cave system by 5000 ft (1.4 km), which has potential to become the longest continuous stream passage in Victoria, Australia.
In a 2009 expedition near Cocklebiddy
Cocklebiddy, Western Australia
Cocklebiddy is a small roadhouse community located on the Eyre Highway in Western Australia. It is the third stop east of Norseman on the long journey east across the Nullarbor Plain. The area is noted for its underground caves and lakes.-History:...
, she reached the mid point of Craig Challen
Craig Challen
Dr Craig Challen is an Australian technical diver and cave explorer. He was the recipient of the Oztek 2009 Diver of the Year award for his services to caving....
’s 2008 line giving her the record for the longest cave dive in Australia for a female.
She worked as an underwater grip
Grip (job)
In the U.S. and Canada, grips are lighting and rigging technicians in the filmmaking and video production industries. They constitute their own department on a film set and are directed by a key grip. Grips have two main functions...
for a film Discovery Channel Japan "Water's Journey" TV Asahi & Karst Productions in 2008.
She was part of the National Geographic Nova TV Special expedition to Blue Hole
Blue Hole
Blue Hole is a diving location on east Sinai, a few kilometres north of Dahab, Egypt on the coast of the Red Sea.The Blue Hole is a submarine sinkhole , around 130 m deep. There is a shallow opening around 6 m deep, known as 'the saddle', opening out to the sea, and a 26 m long...
s of the Bahamas, December 2008, as an underwater grip, followed by the expedition to look for similar sinkholes in Queensland, Australia in October 2009.
Milowka was a photographic assistant in National Geographic Magazine expedition to Bahamas Caves, November-December 2009, resulting in one of her photos being published by the National Geographic website.
In 2010, when living in Florida, she laid over 4 km of line across a number of cave systems, the most significant of which was Mission Spring. In August 2010, together with James Toland, they made the connection between Peacock Springs and Baptizing Spring, Florida adding over 10,000 ft (3 km) of passage.
She was the presenter and editor for AMP movie (Agnes Milowka Project, 2010) featuring underwater cave footage shot by Wes Skiles, Karst Productions.
Agnes Milowka was a speaker at a number of diving related conferences (OZTek 2009, EuroTek 2010).
She acted as a stunt double
Stunt double
A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
for two female characters on James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
's feature film Sanctum
Sanctum (film)
Sanctum is a 2011 Australian 3D adventure drama film directed by Alister Grierson from a screenplay by John Garvin and Andrew Wight, and story by Wight...
2011.
In 2011 she was nominated as Dive Rite Ambassador.
One of her last jobs was as a diving supervisor at BIRTH, a short film for TRIMÄPEE fashion label. The movie has been dedicated in her name.
On February 2011, she ran out of air and died after parting company to explore a tight restriction, which necessitated going solo, in the Tank Cave near Mount Gambier on the South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n coast.
In recognition of Milowka's achievements and legacy, The Agnes Milowka Memorial Environmental Science Award has been established by Mummu Media for underprivileged schools in the area of science, marine studies or exploration.
In May 2011 Agnes Milowka received the Exploration Award, in recognition of the outstanding and dedicated service to the National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section, USA.
Author
Milowka authored articles on the subject of underwater exploration and her experiences and work as a diver. These include- Heaven is a place on earth
- Why Ginnie and I are like peas and carrots
- Virgin Territory: Devil's Eye past the restriction
- Deep holes in the ground that will blow your mind: Bahamas
- Mission Spring
- Cave diving in Victoria: Exploration of the Elk River streamway (co-authored with Jim Arundale)
- In the heart of Tiger's Eye
- Virgin Territory: Devil's Eye Cave System Beyond Restriction
- Deep Holes. Unraveling The Mysteries Of The Bahamas
- Mission Spring Exploration
- The Elk River Streamway: A hump to a sump
- Eye of the Tiger: On expedition in Tassie
- The Taming Continues: The Peacock to Baptizing Connection, co-author James Toland
External links
- Agnes Milowka at FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
- Deep Dark Secret, National Geographic 2010
- BIRTH short film, TRIMÄPEE FALL 2011