SHIPWRECK HUNTERS FOR LIFE!
Divers Andre and Nush share a love of the sea – and each other
Hidden beneath the glistening shores of WA lies a treasure trove of maritime mysteries, and divers Nush Freedman and Andre Rerekura made it their mission to uncover them.
The wrecks, their secrets once confined to the seabed, have now been unearthed by a fearless team of Aussie ocean divers in a world-first Disney+ special, Shipwreck Hunters Australia.
The 20,000km remote WA coastline is notorious for its treacherous waves, intense winds and sharp terrain – adding up to a perfect storm for any shipmaster, no matter how skilled. There are 1600 known shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea there.
ADRENALINE PUMPING
Discovering the undersea world was the adventure of a lifetime for Nush and Andre.
“I feel more at home in the ocean than on land,” Anouska, or “Nush”, smiles.
“Every time you get into the ocean it’s completely different – you never know what you’re going to see. There’s so much adrenaline yet so much calmness.”
The 27-year-old marine filmmaker and ocean environmentalist has spent the past four years at the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef site. “The mystery of the wrecks really pulls you in and it’s amazing to see something on the sea floor that no one else has seen,” she tells Woman’s Day from her and Andre’s home in WA’S North West Cape.
“The Broome wrecks are really cool because we were diving in really bad visibility, which gets the adrenaline pumping. At times the
visibility was so bad that you couldn’t read your dive watch when it was right in front of your eyes!
“We were just all frothing out, having the most epic sunsets, watching whales jumping out of the water in the bow of the boat!”
Despite working in the marine industry for almost two decades, it was a thrilling experience for underwater camera operator Andre, who was captivated by the tales of lost sailors from the wrecks. “This was a unique story that needed to be told – not only for the world, but for the relatives who lost their grandparents and uncles at sea,” says Andre, 40. “These wrecks are like an oasis in the middle of a desert – all the marine life zap onto them like a magnet. We had the time of our lives.”
The duo were joined on the expedition by another two divers, and Captain Ash Sutton, maritime archaeologists Dr Ross Anderson and Dr Deb Shefi, plus their koolie pup Trip!
THE LOVE BOAT
In a special turn of events when Andre and Nush were alone on the boat one evening, he surprised her while they were dancing and dropped down on one knee!
He’d organised a pearl engagement ring from a WA family also featured on the show. “I thought this would be the perfect moment – it had always been on my mind, and we were going to the Abrolhos [Islands], which is one of our favourite places on the planet,” says Andre.
“We had this massive calm before the storm – we were in the middle of nowhere, the sun was setting, the water was crystal clear and we were dancing to Nushie’s favourite song Nutbush City Limits.”
Nush laughs. “As soon as everyone left the boat, Dre started acting really weird,” she says. “Before everyone arrived the next morning, we got on the jetski and we had dolphins riding the bow of the ski... it was like the ocean was celebrating with us!”
It’s smooth sailing for the couple now as they begin to navigate their future, producing wildlife documentaries and starting the all-important wedding plans. So will they have an underwater ceremony? “Who knows, hey?” Andre laughs. “Maybe season two!”
‘The water was crystal clear and we were dancing’