Agnes Milowka

AgnesMilowka.com

It didn't take long for Ag to become hooked on blowing bubbles - after her first underwater breath she thought 'this is what I want to do with my life!!' Indeed since then diving has been at the very center of her existence. Initially fascinated with reefs and fish, it wasn't long until the focus shifted to wrecks.

Captivated not just by their sheer beauty but also by their stories and history, she went from being a keen and avid wreck diver to a wannabe maritime archaeologist and did a Graduate Diploma in Maritime Archaeology at Flinders University. Her desire to pursue untouched and pristine wrecks meant going ever deeper and having to play with more gear and gases to do so. Recently, when tackling deep dives, the O2ptima has become her weapon of choice.

These days it is the caves, both wet and dry, that have her enthralled and she is most passionate about the exploration of never before seen passage. Ag spent a year living and diving in Florida's cave country, where she got her first taste of laying line. It is a phenomenal feeling to reach a place that no other human has ever seen before and she was hooked. Since then Ag keeps coming back to Florida and has kept loosing line in the caves. She has laid several kilometers of line across a number of cave systems the most significant of these has been making the connection from Peacock Spring to Baptizing Spring and as a result extending the system by over 3 km.

She feels privileged to have seen the far reaches of some of the most beautiful caves in the world in Australia, the US and the Bahamas. In Australia she became one of only a handful of divers to dive to the back end of Cocklebiddy Cave, the longest cave in Australia and holds the current female penetration record for Oz. Currently based in Melbourne, she continues to be a danger to all virgins… virgin caves that is. Recently she pushed through numerous sumps in order to discover in excess of 1500m of dry cave passage, in what has become the deepest cave in Victoria.

Ag continues to go where no man has gone before, exploring and pushing new cave systems and bringing back images from her adventures. She is an underwater photographer and regularly brings back images from her adventures and exploration. She is pursuing her passion for both photography and video with vigor. Last year she was part of a National Geographic Team on a project to the Blue Holes of the Bahamas and worked as a stunt diver on the 3D James Cameron cave diving feature film 'Sanctum.'

Virgin Territory: Devils Eye past the restriction

Find out what happens on the other side of the infamous restriction deep inside the Devil's Eye cave system. Click the title to read the full story.

Let's talk about the "S" word

If you mention the S word at a dive site more often than not folks get a little freaked out, give you a funny look and assume that you have a death wish. It is easy to see why, the first SCUBA course teaches us two things; never hold your breath and always dive with a buddy. Yet the idea that solo diving will automatically kill you is akin to the myth that doing it solo will make you go blind. Click the title to read the full story.

Negotiating Rock Bluff

Rock Bluff is a beautiful but tight and silty cave located in North Florida. While there are challenging restrictions throughout, it is the entrance that is the most difficult. The entrance is small, tight and has an incredible amount of flow pumping through it - there are no bouts about it - not everyone gets in!

The refuse of World War I: Victoria's J Class Submarines

Victorian waters hold their very own piece of WWI history and the scuttled subs have become exciting and awe inspiring playgrounds for divers. You can enjoy a dive swimming along the outside of the hull checking out the towering conning tower and huge schools of fish, or venture deep inside them for a very different view and a most exhilarating dive. Click the title to read the full story.

Heaven is a place on earth.

Find out why one Aussie cave diver thinks Florida is heaven on earth. Click the title to read the full story.

Why Ginnie and I are like peas and carrots

Find out why Ag and Ginnie Springs are like peas and carrots. Click the title to read the full story.