Emma Forster

Emma Forster (born 1976) is a South Australian television presenter, director of tourist attraction Swim with the Tuna and advisor for the company, Oceanic Victor. She lives in Port Lincoln where she has developed several properties. She has worked as a presenter on the seafood, fishing and boating television program Out of the Blue, is a friend and business advisor to multi-millionaire tuna rancher Tony Santic and is a former girlfriend of retired South Australian treasurer, Kevin Foley.[1][2][3] In 2014, Forster served as Secretary for the Port Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and Tourism.[4] Forster is a fisher, and holds longstanding national and South Australian women's and junior records for an eagle ray she caught in Spencer Gulf in 1987 on 10 kg line. The fish weighed 68.5 kilograms and was caught off Thistle Island.[5]

Granite Island observatory

Emma's father Ron Forster built a floating underwater observatory in 1989. Her father's construction was first used in Port Lincoln, where it assisted the development of the tuna industry. It was later sold to Stephen Edwards, who moored it off Granite Island. It operated there as a tourist attraction and educational facility from 1997 to 2004. In 2015, Forster was revealed to be working as an advisor for Oceanic Victor, a company which intends to re-establish a similar facility off Granite Island. The venture intends to offer people the opportunity to swim with Southern Bluefin tuna and other marine species, feed fish and observe them underwater.[6] The two directors of Oceanic Victor are also the CEO and Operations Manager of Tony's Tuna International, Tony Šantić and Michael "Mick" Dyer. Tony Šantić is a long-term friend of Forster's who provided her with a character reference after she was charged after crashing her Mercedes and recording a blood-alcohol level of 0.224% in August 2006.[7] She returned to the road in March 2007 with a provisional driver's license.[8]

Swim with the Tuna

Forster is a director of Port Lincoln-based tourism venture, Swim with the Tuna. Operations were first trialled in South Australia's Boston Bay in 2010[9] before commencing commercial operations in 2011. The business intended to move to Kangaroo Island, but has faced opposition from conservationists[10] and residents. Proposals to relocated the facility comprising a modified tuna pen and floating pontoon to Nepean Bay have been rejected on two occasions, most recently in 2012.[11] Oceanic Victor (another business for which Forster works as an advisor) proposes to offer a very similar experience to that offered by Swim with the Tuna, located off Granite Island in Encounter Bay.[1]

Early life

Forster grew up on Fleurieu Peninsula, where she attended Rapid Bay Primary School and Yankalilla Area School.[6] She undertook a Rotary Youth Exchange to Japan in 1993, at the age of 17.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "New Granite Island tourism proposal to allow swimming and hand feeding of fish". The Advertiser. 2015-04-23.
  2. ↑ Meegan, Genevieve (2007-04-28). "It's over for Emma, Kevin Foley". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  3. ↑ Edwards, Verity (2006-12-28). "TV host cops drink-drive fine after long lunch". The Australian. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  4. ↑ "About the Port Lincoln Chamber of Commerce". Port Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 2014-01-14. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  5. ↑ "Capture records". Game Fishing Association Australia. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Simmons, Michael (2015-04-23). "Port Lincoln developers reveal eco-tourism plans for Granite Island". Victor Harbor Times. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  7. ↑ "Foley's girlfriend fined for drink-driving". ABC. 2006-12-27. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  8. ↑ Wheatley, Kim; Perrin, Ivon (2007-03-16). "Foley's girl back behind wheel". The Advertiser. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  9. ↑ "Trail Run “Swim With The Tuna” A Success". atuna. 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  10. ↑ "Conservationists Find “Swim With Tuna” Inappropriate". atuna. 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  11. ↑ "Kangaroo Island residents reject plan to relocate a tuna pen and pontoon from Port Lincoln". 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
  12. ↑ Harrison, Billie (2015-02-24). "Locals invited to hear Rotary guest speakers". Port Lincoln Times. Retrieved 2015-04-25.