For Episode 10 we tuned in with a genuine surfing champion, with the legendary and unmistakable initials of MR. Now, I’m not talking about Australian surfing icon Mark Richards, but instead British surfing hero, Melissa Reid.

Melissa, much like her Australian counterpart is not your average surfer. Melissa is a 2x World Champion in the AmpSurf ISA World Para Surfing Championships - making her Britain’s only ever Surfing World Champion. 

She is the first visually impaired female to have a surfing world title and the first British person to ever win a world title in surfing. She is also a Paratriathlete and Olympic bronze medallist - and in my eyes one of the most interesting surfing figures of the moment.

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For episode 9, we tune into one of the more pressing conversations of the moment, and of our time with the COP26 negotiations upon us.

For those unaware - COP26 or Conference of the Parties is the 5th gathering since the Paris agreement back in 2015 - where global leaders committed to cutting emissions and set the goals of keeping global temperature increase below 2 degrees.

Hosted in Glasgow, UK - while many things will be discussed, the main goal of of this years conference is to achieve net zero by 2050. And as Alok Sharma, the man presiding over it all said - ‘This is our last chance to avoid the worst effects of climate change.’ 

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We are back this week with another special of sorts and a slight diversion from our usual subjects.

Following on from an initial prelude conversation during our Sea7 Ocean Activist Training Camp, we’re diving back into the debate of clothing and climate and the role the fashion industry and businesses like ourselves play.

As such, we assembled a group of leading creatives, climate strategists, consumer and circular innovators to engage in an uncomfortable conversation if you will, discussing everything consumerism, carbon, circularity, action and optimism.

Hosted by our very own Product Director, Debbie Luffman, in our London store, our guests included…

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This week for episode 7 of the show we have a slightly different set up to celebrate the launch of our latest collaboration with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution aka. The RNLI. Born from a shared love and respect for the sea, our collaboration with the RNLI draws inspiration from British seafaring heritage and the hardiness of the human spirit, with 10% of every sale from the collection going to support the vital work of the charity that saves lives at sea.

Together we believe that with passion and courage, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Our collaboration with the RNLI celebrates the fortitude of those volunteer crews who brave the ocean’s unfathomable power to keep their communities safe. As such, we caught up with 4 volunteer lifeboat crew members from stations around the UK to hear their stories.

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In episode 6 we are joined by two great guests by way of Tim Conibear and Finisterre Ambassador Apish T - the two founding fathers of South Africa’s Wave For Change. Waves for Change harnesses the power of surfing to provide psycho-social support to vulnerable children in South Africa in what is fast becoming widely recognised as Surf Therapy.

Over the past decade, their evidence-based surf therapy programme has provided youth with the opportunity to have vital experiences in the sea. Working in communities affected by violence, poverty and conflict, where mental health services are often stigmatised and under-resourced, they identify, train and resource mentors, to open programmes that service the youth of their own home communities.

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For Episode 5 we’re joined by the inspiring, Sam Bencheghib. Sam is an Environmentalist, a lifelong ocean campaigner, a filmmaker and I guess you would also now call, Athlete having just last year completed his 3,055 mile (5,000km) run across America - crossing mountains, deserts, and cities to raise awareness of marine pollution.

Sam is co-founder of Make A Change World - an environmental media outlet that uncovers uplifting and inspirational stories on a mission to do good. Who along with his siblings, have been at the forefront of the environmental battle for over 10 years.

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This next episode comes from the vault - recorded a couple of months back as I caught up with the fascinating, multifaceted, Charles Post. Charles is a Ecologist, Filmmaker, Explorer and lifelong surfer based out of Montana in the US. 

I’ve had some great back and forth with Charles over the years, more often than not surf related or simply shared interest in one anothers work and I’d had him pencilled in to join us on the show since day one.

Knowing the breadth and variety of Charles work, it was extremely easy to go off on a tangent or quite literally down a rabbit hole, and we spent the first 20 minutes speaking solely about eagles, wolves and roaming elk. Skipping ahead, we discussed about everything from 30x30 biodiversity initiatives, growing up surfing in California, hiking in nature with NFL running backs and inner city kids, to decomposing seal heads and sparking curiosity for conservation early on.

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For episode 3 of Hell or High Water were joined by Pippa Ehrlich. Pippa is a conservation journalist, a filmmaker and Director of the hit Netflix Documentary, My Octopus Teacher.

For those not familiar, the film documents the incredible and most unlikely relationship between naturalist, Craig Foster and a curious young Octopus found in the Kelp Forests near Cape Town, South Africa. Following this inter-species connection over the course of a year, the film showcases one of the most profound underwater experiences and has been labelled as ’the love story that we all need right now”. It is a stunning piece of film that speaks on the fragility of life and humanities connection with nature.

Pippa is also a team member of the Sea Change Project - a collective of scientists, storytellers, journalists and filmmakers - dedicated to exploring and documenting The Great African Sea Forest. Their mission is one of 'nature storytelling’ - and that if you want to inspire behavioural change and a deeper understanding of nature, you need to speak to people from an emotional point of view.

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For Episode 2 we welcomed Pete Goss to the show.  A Gentleman of the sea and an old friend of the brand, over the years Pete has captivated us with his innate ability to tell extraordinary stories. A sailor recognised and revered for his seamanship and triumph over adversity, Pete is also an adventurer in the truest sense of the word. A former Royal Marine, Pete has walked to the North Pole, kayaked around Tasmania, built arguably the most advanced sailing catamarans ever, in Team Phillips, and sailed from Cornwall to Australia in a small wooden 19th Century Lugger.

 Pete is perhaps best known for his heroic rescue of Frenchman Raphael Dinelli in the 1996 Vendée Globe - one of the most gruelling sailboat races in the world - testing the limits of strength, courage and faith. For his bravery he was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty the Queen and the Légion d'Honneur by the French President.

For this episode we speak with Pete on his single handed circumnavigation in the 1996 Vendée Globe - the worlds most gruelling sailboat race, and his rescue of fellow competitor Raphael Dinelli

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For Episode 1 of HELL OR HIGH WATER we welcomed Finisterre Ambassador, Easkey Britton to the show. Irish surfing champion and pioneering big wave surfer, social scientist and artist; from Ireland to Iran, many here will be familiar with Easkey’s journey through surf. Exploring and promoting equality and inclusivity through surfing and the power of water, Easkey continues to amaze us here at Finisterre in her steadfast determination and her ability to carry several projects at once. 

For this episode we chose to focus on what has been most recently occupying Easkey’s time with her work in academia and the subject of the Blue Spaces. From Blue Mind theories to Blue Care services and the importance of human connection to the ocean environment and nature in general.

As we find ourselves at a critical junction for the future of our planet, where our responsibility to connect and care for our natural world is coming down to the wire, Easkey stands out as a figure for change as she forges a unique path for herself with an rare ability to connect people from all walks of life the world over.

For more information on Easkey and her work, plus all related articles and relevant links, head over to the shownotes and Episode guide on our website.
https://finisterre.com/blogs/podcast/easkey-britton-becoming-blue

Enjoy the show.

Sound design by CJ MIRRA

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