The Ocean Tribe Hangout

Martina is an environmental journalist, scuba diver instructor & shark conservationist. Her purpose is to create awareness about the ocean and its marine life through storytelling.

Her film, Missing Sharks, is a journalistic investigation about shark hunting in Panama to create awareness about the need of them in the ocean, we chat a little about this too! Do enjoy! Find her on social media : @oceanomartina

Dr Keneiloe Molopyane is a Post Doctoral Research fellow at The centre for the exploration of the Deep Human Journey, she is an archeologist who has also done underwater archeology work in researching the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade closer to our shoes, here in Cape Town, she is also a Natgeo Emerging Explorer expanding the World of what scientists look like, enjoy!

Read more about Shamier Magmoet below,

I had my first experience freediving 4 years ago, and wanted to share my experience and what I saw with children.

Two years ago I co-founded Seathebiggerpicture Ocean Initiative of which I am the Vice Chairman.

I have also entered a film pitch competition in Durban called NEW Pitch hosted by NEWF, where I was one of the winners to go on to make my first short film called Rise From The Cape Flats which is currently being broadcasted by 50/50, NEWF, and Nat Geo Africa.

Since my first freediving experience, I have fell deeply in love with our ocean, and now all I do is advocate for her, and try to connect our communities with her.

A phenomenal conversation with Shamier Magmoet, a film maker, underwater photographer, conservation and all round water human.. we speak passions, representation, collaborations and stories of love! The ocean is love!

@shamier_ocean left us with the following ‘if you want to do something, start doing it, there’s nothing stopping you from starting... and if you want to win competitions, you should make effort to enter them’, I’m guilty of the last bit 😂😂

Enjoy!

We have Rose Santana, she was born in Dominican Republic and moved to Germany.

She has a Bachelors degree in Biotechnology, with her passion for the ocean, she eventually moved to Miami Florida and earned her second Bachelors degree in Marine Biology.

She was the President of her schools chapter of the Society of Women in Marine Science and later selected to participate in a 21-Day research expedition in the Canadian Arctic,  where she used drones and ROVs to look at ice formations.

She currently works as the lab manager of the Aquatic Ecology and Ecotoxicology laboratory at Florida International University, where their current study is the effects of metal contaminants on fish behavior, primarily predator-prey interactions.

Enjoy!

Thando Mazomba, a phenomenal water woman who is a Marine Biologist, Oceanographer and all round water human!

Thando is a Water Woman, a Marine Biologist, an Oceanographer, a Global Ambassador for @thesireneproject and all the good that we need to see in the world! We talk about all of this and representation and she left us with the advice to keep asking ourselves what makes us happy, and that it’s okay for this answer to change from a week, a year or a day ago, and to just stay true!

Enjoy!

Weldon is a Bermudian SCUBA diver, freediver and closed-circuit rebreather diver, commercial diver and founder of community organization called Guardians of the Reef. Weldon is also the Communications Coordinator for the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme which is led by the Government of Bermuda, in collaboration with the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science and the Waitt Institute. He is also an Ambassador for 5Gyres, Pathwater and Seahive and recently joined the 2020 PADI AmbassaDiver cohort.

Weldon is well known in Bermuda and beyond for his passion for the ocean, organizing beach clean ups, boat trips, expeditions, lionfish culling events and community outreach.

Weldon holds more than 10 years of diving experience, serves on numerous boards and committees of Bermuda's conservation and ocean organizations, and was a speaker at TEDxBermuda in 2014.

Career Highlights

• Founder of Guardians of the Reef, ocean advocacy NGO

• TEDx Bermuda speaker, “Diving with Purpose” (2014)

• Director at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration We talk about rebreathers, guardians of the Reef conservation, passion meeting purpose and what it means to be an ambassadiver! Tuck in! Thanks

• Deputy Chairman of the Bermuda Historic Wrecks Authority

• Featured on Smithsonian magazine online for ocean exploration (2019)

• Featured on the cover of Going Green magazine (2019)

• Best of Bermuda Award 2015 – Unsung Hero, for Ocean Advocacy

• The first and only Bermudian certified freediver/scuba diver/CCR diver

• KBB award recipient for Shore Savers Marine Debris Project (2014)

• Mission Director and Founder of sea survey project, “16 Fathoms”

We talk about rebreathers, guardians of the Reef conservation, passion meeting purpose and what it means to be an ambassadiver!

Enjoy!

Aaniyah focuses on work that connects people and nature. She worked for WWF SA from 2001 to 2010, where she helped start and eventually managed WWF South Africa’s Marine Programme.

She is the founder and one of three directors to The Beach Co-op (TBC). TBC is a not-for-profit company that evolved from the work of a group of volunteers that started collecting marine debris at their local surf break, the rocky shore at Surfers Corner in Muizenberg, Cape Town in 2015.

She is a water woman who’s love for the ocean has inspired conservation and advocacy work, so excited for this meet up! Join us at 18h00 SAST and let’s connect!

I don’t know where to start in the sharing about this phenomenal human... we spoke Ocean passions, conservation, advocacy, South Africa’s history and the gold our ability to share in the ocean is..

@aani_crab shared many things and I’d like to leave you with this,

* If you’re able to make your work, your bill payer, work towards it - she said it more elegantly lol, but also,

* Amongst the Dirty dozen is the plastic bottle cap and plastic bottle, these are 2 different kinds of plastic that are recycled differently. So if you must have your chips and cool drink, close the bottle with the lid when done and don’t throw your chips and sweet packets in the bottle as it makes the recycling process a small nightmare.

Go check the Dirty dozen list on @thebeachco_op website - they include ear buds, water bottles and their lids, chip and sweet packets and plastic bags,

Rhonda Harper will be joining us to talk about Black Girls Surf! Talking New Generation of Surfers, their partnership with @hurley , Identity, Representation and Women taking care of themselves in the midst of holding worlds together! Enjoy 💙🏄🏾‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️

Enjoy!

Jenny Bzzi is a French/British researcher living in Ireland where she is studying for her PhD in Marine ecology. 

She grew up in Brittany, France. Studied for her undergrad in the UK before taking 2 years out to gain experience and explore the world. She then went back for a Masters in 2017 and started her PhD in Dublin in 2018, specifically studying the habitat and feeding ecology of large marine species like sharks and whales. 

Jenny is an ocean conservationist and shark advocate. Most of her life actually revolved around her love for sharks and the oceans. 

It’s Shark Week so we had a chat with Jenny Bzzi talking about Sharks, Shark Week, Representation and Conservation efforts that we can be a part of! Hop on and have a listen!

Some Highlights from the discussion, on representation

1. Share the mic, in opportunities to speak, see how you can diversity the space

2. Mentorship

3. Supporting organizations like @miss_elasmo and how the more we support diversified organizations, the more we share ocean ownership and authority.

And on conservation - to pick one thing that you can commit to and do, with the end goal not being perfection but conscious behavioral change 🦈

1. Check that your cosmetic products aren’t made from Shark parts

2. By-catch is a big problem at sea, check where your fish comes from when you buy or eat at restaurants and using apps that show healthy population of fish species that we can indulge in like @wwfsassi

3. And lastly, having conversations at home with your family and friends about sharks, sharing your knowledge and moving away from the sensationalized ‘Jaws’ to learning more about sharks and how we can protect them too 💕

Our guest today is Aurelia Carnets, a Freediver who has Freedived under ice, she is also a freelance writer and vintage shop owner.

She lives in Paris, France and lives for the Ocean and Vintage Fashion. Aurelia and I chat about Freediving, representation and her entire experience of diving under Ice in Canada! 

Enjoy!