About Mark

Mark Tozer

Come rain or shine Mark Tozer happily walks his part of the South Australian coast every morning, taking in his daily dose of appreciation for his marine backyard. This passion for the ocean began when he was a young kid growing up in the suburb of Birkenhead, South Australia. He loved nothing more than frequenting the local beaches at Semaphore, spending almost every weekend with his dad snorkelling, inspecting the seagrass and marine life.

Outside of his appetite for diving and the ocean Mark generously shares his life as an owner/operator of a large commercial furniture factory in Lonsdale and an iconic retail furniture store in Mile End and Northern Territory employing over 80 Australians. While away from work and water, Mark spends his time working with the charity he established in 2013, Dive for Cancer. This charity has now grown across several Australian states and beyond our shores, including New Zealand, Sweden, and Belgium. All charity funds that have been raised over the last 9 years has been awarded to the Cancer Council in the aid of continuing the fight against cancer.

Since commencing diving in 1987 Mark has logged in excess of 5000 dives and accrued over 20 different scuba diving and rebreather certifications. He began diving at Adelaide Skin Diving Centre with FAUI (Federation of Australian Underwater Instructors) moving on to NASDS (National Association of Scuba Diving Schools) in 1991, moving over to PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) in 2010 due to the growing community and ease of dive travel.

Accepted into Charles Darwin University in 1991 to study Building Design and Engineering, Mark made the decision to migrate to the Northern Territory where he took every opportunity to carry out hundreds of explorative dives in and around the Darwin Harbour. These fascinating dives developed into a passion for exploring the numerous WWII ship and plane wrecks in the area and countless wrecks from the aftermath of Cyclone Tracey in December 1974.

Over the years his appetite for the ocean world extended beyond our Australian shores, journeying to multiple exotic locations like the Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Palau and Santo continuing his interest in historical deep-water wrecks. But for Mark no dive can beat his favourite locations:

• Truk Lagoon 1800 kilometres north-east of New Guinea where currently around 80 wrecks can be found from the devastating Operation Hailstone from the U.S. Navy bombardment on the once held Japanese Position in WWII.
• And the SS President Coolidge in Vanuatu, an American luxury steam ship which sank upon hitting US mines with 5000 troops aboard.

Although loving to dive in these iconic locations, you will likely find him most weekends diving his resident favourite, the local South Australian, AKA ‘The Dredge’.

A deep fascination with sharks began after reading the story of the USS Indianapolis, where it is recorded that over 600 American sailors lost their lives in the deadliest shark attack in history. This led Mark to strike up a conversation and lifelong friendship with South Australian icon Mr Rodney Fox, Great White shark attack survivor, film maker and marine conservationist.

Being a close friend of Rodney and Kay Fox for over 35 years, the trio would spend hours catching up to chat about all things’ ocean and conservation which lead to partnering with Andrew Fox (Son of Rodney and Kay) and Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions. Together Mark and Andrew own the business with the aim to encourage others in the appreciation and understanding of great white sharks through research and education.

Mark Tozer is a true ocean lover and conservationist, and his passion for the underwater world has led him to build something truly special – the Rodney Fox Shark Museum and Learning Centre. This incredible space was built by Mark in March 2019 as a way to teach and inspire people about the ocean, sharks, and diving.

Mark’s dedication to this project is truly remarkable. He spent thousands of hours and most weekends building the museum, and he continues to add to the collections with new exhibits and artifacts. His love for the ocean and all of its inhabitants is evident in every corner of the museum. His commitment to conservation and environmentalism is unwavering, and he hopes that his museum will inspire others to join him in his mission to protect and preserve our oceans.

Visitors to the Rodney Fox Shark Museum and Learning Centre are in for a treat. From vintage diving equipment to stunning displays of sharks and other sea creatures, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Mark’s dedication to education and outreach is apparent in the various exhibits and interactive displays that are designed to teach visitors about the ocean and its inhabitants.

In 2022 Mark had the honour of becoming Director of the research and conservation organisation Sharks and Rays Australia. SARA’S conservation goals are based on sound science, public outreach and working with local stakeholders. SARA was formed with the aim to not just produce science in the ‘ivory tower’ but to involve the general public in our sawfish and shark research expeditions.

Mark is a natural collector of items, and his collection of historical diving equipment and memorabilia is no exception. An abundance of these items is on display in the museum and learning centre in the hope of helping further educating those into the world of the ocean.