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By Catherine Gemmell, Scotland Conservation Officer at the Marine Conservation Society

The time is 5.15am on the 7th May 2020 and the sun is just starting to rise from the ocean. To celebrate my ‘lockdown’ birthday we have risen with the birds for their Dawn Chorus and walked up a local hill to reconnect with the sea by which I normally spend so much of my time.

A lifetime connection with the sea

Having grown up along the beautiful Moray Firth coastline I have so many wonderful memories of which the sea plays a big part. From family walks along pebbly Findhorn beach to discovering new life in the rock pools of Hopeman and watching in awe as the resident bottlenose dolphins jumped out of the water from the shore at Spey Bay. It is all these memories, and countless more from my time spent beside the sea, which has inspired and driven my ‘ocean optimism’ – a deep connection to, and love for the sea. It is my belief that only when we all connect to and love the ocean, will we find the motivation, drive and passion to take action to protect it.

It was my ocean optimism that led me to the Marine Conservation Society, first as a volunteer and then to my current role as Scotland Conservation Officer. My days were filled with beach cleans, citizen science, school visits, public talks, government meetings on marine litter policy and events in the Scottish Parliament.  With this year being celebrated as Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters, I was ready to share my ocean optimism with thousands across the country, however, instead of sharing it on the beach, I am now sharing it from my living room! 

Though I’m miles away from the nearest beach, on the south side of Edinburgh, I still feel deeply connected to the ocean. This is a message I have always promoted, which is more resonant now than ever before: no matter where you are, you can still help the sea and feel connected to it.

Keeping that connection alive

To keep my connection to the sea alive I have started listening to the incredible music of Blue Planet II, which helps me picture some of the awe-inspiring scenes of the world beneath the water’s surface. On other days I join the jellyfish at Monterey Bay Aquarium through their YouTube channel, or glide through swaying kelp forests or, like today, just enjoy watching the tide coming in over a rocky shore. Thanks to those living next to the sea and sharing their experiences online, I feel you can never really be that far from the ocean! There is a fantastic community of individuals and organisations sharing their ocean experiences, including wildlife sightings of orca and basking sharks or the lapping of waves on the white sand beaches of the Outer Hebrides. This amazing online community helps to build ocean optimism around the world alongside showcasing the incredible wildlife and scenery which the Scottish coastline offers.

However, one of my main sources of ocean optimism continues to be from the fantastically curious and passionate young people I have the honour of working with. Where I used to go into schools or take pupils to the beach for the first time, I now record short videos on what we can all do to help the ocean from home. Instead of sitting on panels at conferences, I answer questions from young people to be shared on their Instagram Stories, inspiring environmental armchair activism. New and exciting opportunities have meant I have been able to share my ocean optimism from home with thousands of people across Scotland, the UK and the rest of the world!

Be the voice the ocean needs

So looking out across the Firth of Forth on my birthday, I enjoyed a quiet moment to visually reconnect with the sea. In that moment I take a few deep breaths and remember that the ocean provides more than half of the air we breathe, this really brought home to me that, now more than ever, our ocean is there for us, connecting us and providing us with solace in these uncertain times. Our seas need ocean optimists to draw on this connection and in return be the voice the ocean needs to ensure our blue planet is protected, recovered and celebrated for many years to come.