Hi everyone… hope all is well and we, Local Guides all around the world, are safe, healthy and happy, wherever we are. This pandemic is still very much around and rampant, including in Indonesia sadly.
Anyway, I would like to share something related to the ocean I love so much. I know that the celebration of World Ocean Day is on June 8th, but for me, ocean day is every day. So perhaps, while still in the same month of June, I write this post for us all. Some of them are the collections of my activities and memories from the past. I have read so many inspiring posts from fellow LGs such as @ravindus @MAHBUB_HYDER @SilvyC @KashifMisidia and more about the ocean and the beach. Some are very much heartbreaking, like the recent tragedy that happened in the beautiful coast of Sri Lanka as shared by Ravindus. Meanwhile, many have happened at the ocean across the globe as well.
So, the Ocean. What do you have in mind when you hear that word?
Peace?
Beautiful, deep blue water?
Sharks, whales, dolphins, turtles and all its majestic creatures?
Undiscovered wonder that keep its mystifying beauty?
White sandy beaches snaking along the area?
Diving, snorkeling and other water sports?
Or…
Floating plastic bottles and debris?
Foul smell and oily water?
Animals trapped in can holders and plastic ropes?
Dead corals and fish bombs?
Warmer water and more climate related disasters?
This list can go on and on and on. As we can clearly see, we are facing more and more problems related to our ocean.
Sadly, our oceans have been heavily polluted by, in my humble opinion, our own greed, our selfish actions, and our constant ignorance. Marine debris, acidification, over fishing, pollution, raising sea level are only a tiny portion of the horrible consequences of what we, us … human, have done to the oceans.
For some, the ocean is not just a vast area which provides us with plenty of food, water, and even pleasure and enjoyment, as beautiful beaches and underwater world are captivating the people’s hearts, including me. It is the home and the sanctuary for many, from all the weariness we face in this life. Not to mention countless sea creatures and dwellers, which are parts of the essential structure of life and food chain. The oceans play paramount important roles in so many aspects of our lives, starting from the air we breath, as more than 50 percent of the oxygen on earth are produced by the ocean while at the same times it absorbs most of the carbon dioxide which is toxic for us. Climate, transportation, economic activities and source of food as well as medicine are other important elements that the oceans are attributed to.
I was born and raised in Lampung, the southern most part of Sumatera Island in Indonesia. From where I was born, we have easy access to the beaches and islands dotted along Lampung Bay. I am very lucky indeed! I can’t remember when I started to learn swimming and falling in love with the ocean. For sure it was at a very young age.
Since I was a toddler, I was so accustomed to go to the beach with my parents, cousins and my big family as well as my friends. What I know is that I always love coming to beach and sail to the islands, where I can swim freely, do snorkeling and diving, or simply soak on the beach under the sun. It brings me immense pleasure to be able to enjoy all these without too many hustles.
For me personally, the oceans will always be my refuge. As a Local Guide, I love traveling around whenever I can, including visiting the ocean and the beach. I share the photos of beaches from around the world that I have the opportunity to visit. They always offer the unconditional peace and boundless love where I feel so incredibly jubilant. Like a little kid who has just seen the colourful world she adores so much. The ocean makes me feel so endlessly grateful for every single thing my Creator bestowed upon me. I do make several lists about my favorite beaches and islands in my Google Maps. I think it’s a wonderful way to show my appreciation and respect for nature.
As I grow older, I become more and more attached to the ocean. Wherever I go, and whenever I have time, I will try to go to any beaches or body of water I can find. The same passion and love are inherited to my kids as well, as they have been introduced to the sea since a very tender age of 2, even younger. Even when I was living in Geneva, Switzerland, a landlocked country, I managed to travel to the neighbouring countries like France and Italy, to feel the sea breeze and the gush of the waves on my toes. Swimming in cold water surely gave a new experience.
Then while spending some times in Indonesia, I got my diving license in 2013 and undoubtedly, another brand new world is wide open. It really boosts my admiration and appreciation towards the immense splendor of the ocean. After that, I’m incurably falling in love with diving.
While living in the NYC, we did visit many beaches around the area and travelled to Florida, particularly Key Largo and Key West, and San Fransisco to again enjoy the sea and do snorkeling and diving. I was lucky I managed to visit many Caribbean countries as well, including among others St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Bahamas, Barbados and St. Lucia as well as Trinidad and Tobago.
I managed to dived in SVG, Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda. It was beautiful as well. I put the video on my Youtube channel as well.
Down there, there’s a beyond-words beauty we all have to protect. Amazing environment we need to love and to preserve.
So now, the big question is what we can do to help save the oceans.
What we can do stop all the harms that have damaged our oceans.
I believe many of you are familiar with the campaigns conducted by many parties,- be it states, organizations, communities, including the celebrities, to save our ocean.
Since there are so many challenges faced in saving the ocean, I just try to jot down some simple things we can do to help on personal basis or with your closest family and friends.
- cut back the use of single – use plastics. Plastic debris is still one of the biggest problems we have in the ocean.
- bring your environmental bags wherever you go so we can reduce the use of plastic.
- take your tumbler(s) wherever you go.
- educate ourselves about swimming, snorkeling and diving properly, so we don’t damage the corals while enjoying the sea.
- stop littering the ocean and the beach, bring back your trash and dispose it properly.
- support sustainable tourism and inform the authorities if you see any vandalism to the environment which potentially damage particular areas.
- help raise the awareness about the need to protect our ocean and our planet in many ways, through social media platforms and others.
- teach our children, nieces and nephews and our family and friends about the need to keep the ocean clean and save, in many ways
- join movement and organization that help raise awareness about saving the ocean and the environment and contribute, even if it’s only signing a petition or sending a tweet.
In my part, I try to contribute as much as I can, with the limited time and resources I have. I didn’t mean to brag what I have done as of course it’s just a tiny contribution compared to the gravity of the situation we have here and what other have incredibly done. But I hope no matter how small, it will help raise the awareness and save the ocean.
I have joined several trips to help the work on reviving the coral reef, reef check and similar ones organized by the team from University of Lampung and their diving club, Anemone. It’s sad that during the pandemic we can’t do that freely or frequently. But hopefully things will get better soon. In all our diving trips with Corona Diving club in Lampung, my buddies and I are always bringing the mesh bag to pick up trash from the seabed. It makes me sad and angry at the same time when I pick up instant noodle cups and plastic wrapping, plastic bags, wrappers, ropes, cans and god knows what down there. I hope I can join beach clean up soon, when we are able to safely do it again amidst the pandemic.
Back In 2017, I joined World Ocean Conference 2017, as part of the Indonesian Delegation. I was so lucky I got a chance to join this important UN Ocean Conference, as part of the UN support to the full implementation of Goal 14 of the Sustainable Development Agenda or Agenda 2030, conserve and sustainably use the oceans,
In this conference, many public figures, scientists, world-known underwater photographers, CEOs, local communities and youth were joining.
Even Leonardo di Caprio, the UN Messenger of Peace at that time, Diego Luna, Sir Richard Branson, and 3 great Indonesians were speaking at the UN I this occasion.
This high level event was also packed with Head of States and Governments and well as ministers related to the preservation of oceans and environment, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. I learned a lot about things we can do to help save the ocean.
I know now there are so many celebration of World Ocean Day that have taken place to again help raising the awareness towards this issue. In 2019, I joined the attempt to break the Official Attempt Guinness World Record for the longest human chain & unfurled flags underwater, held in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was also awareness raising campaign towards sustainable marine tourism and the fight against plastic debris. It was held by WASI, or Wanita Selam Indonesia (Indonesian Female Divers club), in which I am one of the members, and we did break the record!
Here, if I may, I share some footages, underwater and above, and photos from the beaches I have visited before. I made it in a video as a vivid reminder for myself and hopefully for others as well. When you see their beauties, I hope you will help us save them and keep them clean.
The ocean is indeed our home. It is our future!
And we have no better nor wiser choice but to keep and preserve the oceans we love. the oceans in which our children will be the next stewards.
Again, please, let’s ask ourselves what we can do to protect our oceans, our environment. A simple gesture of reducing plastic use, refraining from littering our ocean, and raising awareness about the need to preserve our planet will certainly help. We can definitely do that and we have do that together. Starting now.
Pheew… it’s a long post indeed! But I sincerely hope you do enjoy it. I also submit this post for #AwarenessChallenge #StateChallenge
Again, I hope you don’t take it as me telling you or teaching you what to do, no. I never meant that. I just hope it will help us all, including me, to be more alert about the danger we are facing here.
Stay safe, everyone!
References:
https://www.indahnuria.com/2017/06/happy-world-oceans-day.html
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