![I QUIT TEACHING TO BECOME A WHALE WHISPERER!](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/8297/467612/5ee749c975109/I-QUIT-TEACHING-TO-BECOME-A-WHALE-WHISPERER.jpg)
When she finished high school, Lisa Skelton went to university to study music and teaching, but just 18 months after hitting the classroom she chucked in her teaching career to follow her dream of becoming a whale whisperer, taking a job as a deckhand to study the magnificent animals.
“I bought the plane ticket the first year thinking I’ll go, get this out of my system and I’ll settle into teaching, but the first time I saw the killer whale surface, in that moment I knew there was no going back – I wasn’t going to get over it,” she says.
Lisa, 32, says she just swapped the classroom for a different teaching environment when she took a job with a whale and dolphin watching cruise company in Port Stephens, NSW.
“When I finished high school, teaching seemed like a sensible career choice in terms of taking something you love and being able to make a steady income out of it, so I did the degree and was teaching for 18 months,” she says. “But I was going out on the boats in my downtime, doing a bit of weekend and holiday work. I’d been going to the United States every year for a while as well, and part of that was driven by wanting to see killer whales in the wild.”
FOLLOWING HER DREAMS
This story is from the June 22, 2020 edition of Woman's Day Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 22, 2020 edition of Woman's Day Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![I TAUGHT MYSELF TO BE A CHAMPION!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1743259/2koD8bBJ11719515654140/I-TAUGHT-MYSELF-TO-BE-A-CHAMPION.jpg)
I TAUGHT MYSELF TO BE A CHAMPION!
From the outback to rodeo centrestage, Tyler is taking her dreams across the world
![Bridgerton belles WE'RE THE TALK OF THE TON!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1743259/4hyyD5n271719514854024/BRIDGERTON-BELLES-WERE-THE-TALK-OF-THE-TON.jpg)
Bridgerton belles WE'RE THE TALK OF THE TON!
These Aussies love dressing up and stepping back to the Regency era
![AMANDA KNOX'S NEW LIFE DOTING MUM & CRIME PODCASTER](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1743259/9J6kcTd-41719514659578/AMANDA-KNOXS-NEW-LIFE-DOTING-MUM-CRIME-PODCASTER.jpg)
AMANDA KNOX'S NEW LIFE DOTING MUM & CRIME PODCASTER
From foreign prison bars to US podcast host... Amanda has reinvented herself in a big way
![JESS' TEARS OVER JUSTIN'S SHOCK ARREST!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1743259/yQPKVZydV1719514576459/JESS-TEARS-OVER-JUSTINS-SHOCK-ARREST.jpg)
JESS' TEARS OVER JUSTIN'S SHOCK ARREST!
The singer is caught drink driving as his world tour hangs in the balance
![SNEZANA WOOD 'I TOOK A CHANCE-AND IT PAID OFF!'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1743259/qWiMThO_Q1719514352327/SNEZANA-WOOD-I-TOOK-A-CHANCEAND-IT-PAID-OFF.jpg)
SNEZANA WOOD 'I TOOK A CHANCE-AND IT PAID OFF!'
From struggling single parent to Bachelor fairytale, the mum-of-four built her dream life
![I KNEW I WAS ON TO A WINNER!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1743259/vL7ZgcybB1719514231488/I-KNEW-I-WAS-ON-TO-A-WINNER.jpg)
I KNEW I WAS ON TO A WINNER!
Todd Woodbridge reveals all about his Tipping Point aia and his biggest competitor
![ROGER FEDERER SECRETS OF THE NICEST GUY IN SPORT!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1743259/ru3p937Jd1719513982699/ROGER-FEDERER-SECRETS-OF-THE-NICEST-GUY-IN-SPORT.jpg)
ROGER FEDERER SECRETS OF THE NICEST GUY IN SPORT!
The Swiss tennis great's new documentary Federer: Twelve Final Days tracks his emotional last chapter before retirement
![GORDON RAMSAY LUCKY TO BE ALIVE!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1743259/wlr0KV4vz1719513810221/GORDON-RAMSAY-LUCKY-TO-BE-ALIVE.jpg)
GORDON RAMSAY LUCKY TO BE ALIVE!
He may come across as tough as nails in the kitchen but celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was left badly shaken last week after a horrific bike accident in the US left the side of his torso completely bruised.
![IS THIS THE NEW MRS CLARKE? She looks just like Kyly!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1743259/avNqtBT041719513908749/IS-THIS-THE-NEW-MRS-CLARKE-SHE-LOOKS-JUST-LIKE-KYLY.jpg)
IS THIS THE NEW MRS CLARKE? She looks just like Kyly!
It’s fair to say Michael Clarke has a type – and she looks very much like his ex-wife, Kyly Clarke!
![POSH & BECKS SECRET DIVORCE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/8297/1743259/U40EtPsn21719513645239/POSH-BECKS-SECRET-DIVORCE.jpg)
POSH & BECKS SECRET DIVORCE
A bombshell book has opened up painful wounds for the family