Yes, having fins is fun and all. However for the animals that depend on the sea as their home, their only option is in a rapidly declining state. I have swam among too many bleached reefs, walked too many microplastic littered beaches, and witnessed too many animals living with impaled hooks to not speak up. Just because you aren’t observing these things first hand does not mean they are not happening.
This Oceanic Whitetip is just one of many sea creatures that I have encountered living ensnared. The most heart-wrenching predicament I have ever come across was a sea turtle with a hook lodged in its eye which most likely led to permanent damage of vision, infection, or death. It is not fair that these animals have to suffer and these cases can be reduced by ensuring you are purchasing seafood from sustainable sources or better yet, avoiding seafood in your diet entirely.
This is just a fraction of the marine debris we found littering a Kauai beach. Did you know that there is a floating island in the Pacific Ocean made up of over 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic and weighing in at over 90,000 tons? It is astonishing how much of our life comes wrapped in plastic when you take the time to reflect on it. Try your best to avoid supporting plastic in its many forms. Refuse, Reuse.
As it turns out, all life depends on our marine ecosystems, so this is something everyone should pay close attention to. Unsustainable fishing practices, rising sea temperatures, and plastic pollution are all major threats our waters face every single day. It has been estimated that the amount of plastic in the ocean will outmatch the number of fish by 2050. That’s not very far off. Most are not aware of the sheer magnitude of these changes that occur right before us. The goal here is not to strike fear, but to shine a light and empower people. I want to help others understand that we can’t maintain the status quo anymore, we have to start doing things differently. 🐠🦐🐬🐡🐟🦑🐳🐚🦈🐙🦀
Between rising ocean temperatures and increased tourism, the health of the world’s reefs are suffering. Find ways to reduce your carbon footprint and if you go swimming near any reef, make sure you are using reef safe sunscreen (that means NO Oxybenzone, Octinoxate. Octocrylene. Methylparaben, etc.)
These are graduation balloons we found floating miles off the coast of Kona. A Portuguese Man of War jellyfish did not fare to well in this encounter. Instead of releasing balloons, try blowing bubbles as an alternative.
Start by making small changes. Baby steps. The more that you do, the more you inspire, the greater the ripple will become and eventually real change can begin. Even though we should care for the environment every day of the year, June marks World Ocean month. How do you plan to participate?
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