Passion

From the very first time I entered the ocean with scuba gear strapped to by back, I knew that my life was forever changed. The magic of being weightless, surrounded by such incredible colors, unique forms, meditative silence, and ecological beauty was a high second to none. I immediately wanted to share the experience of this newly discovered universe with everyone with whom I crossed paths.

Over the years, as I learned more, my love for recreational scuba diving grew into a passion for the ocean generally. I learned about the environmental stressors which are challenging the health of this natural other-world, and increasingly witnessed the destruction of this precious environment with my own eyes. The special place I had discovered was being pushed to, and in some cases past, the brink of collapse.

In the Spring of 2019, I spent two weeks diving in Majahual, Mexico. This was a place once designated as the healthiest portion of the second largest coral reef system in the world. It was a place I had visited a few years before, so I was excited to return.

What greeted me was a reef in drastic decline.

Seaweed bobbed in the ocean as far as you could see, and was piled literally waist-high on the beaches - largely the result of extra fertilizer from crops running off fields and eventually ending up in the ocean. This seaweed shaded the coral and sucked oxygen out of the water column as it decomposed, creating two major challenges for coral which need both light and oxygen to survive. As coral health degraded, disease began to take over and in the span of just a couple years there was a noticeable different in the amount of marine life, which healthy coral naturally support.

When I talked to locals I heard stories of the days, in their lifetimes, when so much marine life thrived in the shallow waters that parents would send their kids out to grab dinner with their bare hands. Now the shallows were lined with dirty nets, an ineffectively attempt to block the seaweed onslaught, and with low wage workers faced with the insurmountable task of wheelbarrowing the rotting seaweed out of smelling range. My scuba instructor told me that more than one time recently she had seen once healthy coral or marine life, now so degraded, that it had literally brought her to tears.

It made my heart heavy.

On one of my last dives we saw a giant sea turtle in the distance. These turtles enjoy a lifespan similar to humans, I recalled. This beautiful creature had experienced the once healthy coral reef where she was born, slowly at first, and now rapidly begin to die. As I pondered, the turtle swam closer and closer. Before I knew it she was only a foot away, looking me in the eye. Time stood still as for the first time I teared up underwater, promising her silently but passionately that I would do everything in my power to help make her home the beautiful thriving place she once knew.

I am now on a mission to learn more about the ocean ecosystem, and to figure out how best to utilize my education and experience to support the future health of my magical second home. Please check out REEF Scuba, and subscribe to follow along.