7 Epic Ways to Give Back to the Ocean

Life in the ocean hasn’t been more at risk since an asteroid wiped out half of all life on the planet. With warming oceans, oxygen dead zones, habitat destruction, plastic pollution soups, overfishing, and overexploitation, our ocean is in serious need of some tender, love, and care today. Although the ocean is vast, expansive, and all-powerful, it’s also very vulnerable and fragile.

We know terribly little about life in the sea, yet the ocean is our life force. It gives us the air we breathe, the food that nourishes our bodies, jobs, and healthy livelihoods, and is a transformative physical and spiritual healing source of inspiration and wonder for us all.

It’s crucial we continue to educate and raise awareness of the importance of a healthy ocean so that our future generations can follow our path to carry on as the voices for our big blue.

It can be overwhelming and paralyzing when we’re steeped in the negative news and catastrophe of climate change and a warming ocean. Reminding ourselves that all of our decisions impact our ocean can help us take small steps leading to a larger impact.

Below are 7 action steps you can take to give back to the ocean protecting the pulsing force that we depend on for our breath, food, beauty, inspiration, and life in general.

Photo credit: Renata Romeo/ Ocean Image Bank

Epic Ways to Give Back to the Ocean

If you dive, protect the reef by mastering the skill of buoyancy when diving - Coral reefs are very slow growing and take decades or even hundreds of years to grow. The smallest touch to coral can significantly infect or even kill it, causing damage to hundred-year-old corals within seconds. Because of various stressors, scientists predict that 100% of corals will be considered “threatened” by 2050. Learning how to stay buoyant while diving can help you stay off these fragile
ecosystems.
Use Reef Safe Sunscreen- Common chemical sunscreens rub off your body and seep into the ocean killing coral, impairing the growth of algae, causing birth defects in mussels, and accumulating in dolphins, fish, and other sea life negatively affecting their reproductive systems. Look for sunscreen brands that are made from minerals and are biodegradable. Make sure they do not use non-nano Titanium Dioxide or Zinc Oxide as the active ingredient. My favorite reef-safe and plastic-free sunscreen is Surf Durt. You can also check out this guide on The Best Natural Mineral Sunscreen on the Market Right Now.
Eat mindfully- Make responsible seafood choices. We are overfishing our waters at an unprecedented rate and catching unnecessary and harmful amounts of bycatch in the process. 90% of all predatory fish in our ocean have been depleted (cod, sharks, halibut, grouper, tuna, swordfish, and marlin) because of overfishing and illegal fishing practices around the world. Follow the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch app for sustainable seafood recommendations. Look for organizations in your community supporting conservation fishermen and sustainable seafood/fishing practices such as Blue Turtle Sustainable . Find your local community-based seafood providers to support responsibly-caught seafood using Suripera or TED (turtle excluder device) nets that protect endangered sea turtles and other sea life from accidental capture during fishing or netting practices.
Dive against Debris - Planning your next dive trip? Consider making it a cleanup dive. What are the chances of you seeing waste on your next dive? They’re probably very high. Get a group together and plan a Dive against Debris to help clean up the waste choking our marine ecosystems.
Avoid single-use plastics- Single-use plastics are an inevitable consumption burden. Do your part by trying to avoid them as much as possible. Skip the straw, bring your own to-go containers, grocery bags, reusable water bottle, and utensils, and opt out of purchasing new products if you can thrift or repair them.
Give back - Donate to ocean initiatives, research, and projects or participate in local beach cleanups with organizations like For the Oceans Foundation, Project AWARE , 5Gyres, Operation Rich Coast, OneSea, Worldrise, Surfrider Foundation, Plastic Pollution Coalition, Waterlust , and Only One. Check out this list of Black ocean activists you can support.
Raise awareness- Speak up and share your concerns with others. We all live in our own realities, passionate and preoccupied with what uniquely drives each of us forward. Many people aren’t aware of what’s even going on in the ocean, especially if they live inland. Do your research, back a cause that helps the ocean, and share with others why you care about this cause and why they should too.

Be the Voice for the Voiceless

Alone we can make a difference doing the best we can, but together we can massive impact. Join a community or start your own community initiative to protect our marine world. In the end, everything is either indirectly or directly tied to our marine ecosystems and it’s our responsibility as stewards of this earth to conserve it, protect it, and be the voice for the voiceless.

What actions are you taking today to give back to the ocean inspiring others to become the next ocean changemaker?