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heeler grew up in Perth, the coastal capital of Western Australia which blends chic city vibes with a great display of the country's wild, innate beauty. During her early years, she and her family spent a lot of time traveling down Australia's southwest coast—a place she believes to be the wildest place on Earth despite all she's seen. It's from these trips that Wheeler ultimately developed her sense of adventure. Whether it was fishing with her father or riding ex-racehorses bareback on the beach, she grew up in an environment where she was constantly encouraged to immerse herself in the natural world. During her years of adolescence, it comes as no shock that Wheeler, now a champion freediver and instructor, was constantly mesmerized by the beauty of the deep blue. Like most children who grow up in Australia, she oen recalls fond memories of marveling at the giant glass fish bowl above the travelator at Underwater World— but she didn't stop there. Wheeler buried herself in books and David Attenborough documentaries and was always in the water, representing her school in watersports but also doing a lot of open ocean swimming. At just 15, she swam from Perth to Rottnest Island, a 22-kilometer (14-mile) trip from coast to coast. Today, Wheeler is not only a champion competitive freediver, she's a huge advocate of ocean conservation—serving as an ambassador for Take3ForeSea. Her Instagram following (@iamjuliawheeler), now nearing 90k, serves as a platform to help share her adventures and shed light on the issues plaguing our planet's oceans. Before Wheeler headed out to South Africa to film a new TV series (which involves freediving with great white sharks), I spoke with her to learn more about her lifestyle, ocean conservation, and of course, some of her favorite diving experiences. V U E N J . C O M 92 POINT OF VUE

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