There is a feeling the sea gives me which is hard to describe. It's a feeling of happiness, freedom, grounding, gratitude, perspective, awe and wonder all rolled into one and is the most healing place on earth for me. Whether I'm on the beach bundled up in winter layers while it's blowing a hoolie with big waves crashing against the shore, or I'm immersed in a calm, warm sea staring face to face at the fish with a snorkel mask on, or I'm running into the sea for a brief dip on the chilliest of days, it is my sanctuary.
I chose to go to university in North Wales because of the proximity to mountains and sea, and Anglesey is now called home partly due to it's incredible beaches and diversity of coastline drawing us to the island. I love the range of coastal landscapes you get treated to on the island - you can stand on top of big tall cliffs, explore vast sand dune systems, walk on a sandy beach or a pebbly beach, you can surf, snorkel and swim, explore rockpools teeming with life, watch incredible seabirds, spot cetaceans, ponder fascinating geology, search for sea glass... the list goes on. All of this opportunity within half an hour drive from my house and I am completely grateful and appreciative of it.
With the lockdown restrictions, such a variety of options hasn't been available of course, but I am lucky enough to live within cycling (or long walking) distance of a stunning bit of coastline and that has really kept me going. A weekly visit to my local patch of coastline to just take off my shoes and socks, feel the sand between my toes and fresh sea air on my face has made me more grateful than I could ever have imagined to live near the sea. Each visit to one beach in particular was tinged with sadness as I knew I wasn't allowed to get in the sea for a swim - remembering the last visit before lockdown had been with friends and we had swum in our swimming costumes and squealed with delight at the natural high you get from a cold water swim.
I've discovered I can walk from home to my nearest beach (accessible only on foot) in about an hour and there's something about it that reminds me of one of my favourite beaches in the world - Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire. A beach I used to live near for a while, again within walking distance from where I lived and only accessible on foot. That beach brings back memories of simpler times, swimming in bioluminescence with friends on a calm summer's evening with the beach to ourselves. You would never experience that to yourself on that beach any more - not outside of lockdown anyway. I think Lonely Planet ranked it as one of the best beaches in the world (which it absolutely is) and it has become too well-known and well-visited to be as enjoyable as it was back in the "good old days"! Anyway, enough reminiscing...
We are all connected to the sea. Some people and communities depend on it for their way of life and are more connected in an obvious way (e.g. fishing and tourism), but even if you don't live near the sea, you are still affected by it and your way of life will impact it. The ocean covers 70% of our planet, it plays an important role in regulating our climate and weather patterns and is home to a huge amount of life.
We must all take action to conserve the ocean and the incredible life within it. If you eat fish and other seafood, make sure you research how sustainable it is - the Marine Conservation Society have a guide which is a good place to start. You could even, perhaps, consider not eating fish anymore, or eating a lot less of it at least. It has been discovered that microplastics are now in our food chain - fish are eating plastic, we eat the fish...
Single use plastic is a big issue which has been made clear to us over the last few years. The Blue Planet 2 effect got a lot of people riled up about cleaning beaches and using less plastic. This needs to continue as the problem isn't disappearing. We still need to clean beaches of litter, and to not leave litter behind, but we must think about the root cause of the problem - buying the stuff in the first place! Cut down on your plastic use - every little helps. There's lots of info out there on what you can change in your day-to-day life to help lessen your negative impact on our planet.
If, like me, you feel a deep connection to the sea, I'm sure you already do your best to ensure you are participating in its conservation in some way. Make sure you're helping to spread the word, we don't need to preach, just tell our stories of how special the ocean is and help to suggest some simple solutions to peers and families.
If you are interested in any of the Nature Keen services, they can be focused on "Vitamin Sea"if you want to hear more tales of ocean connection, advice on how to minimise your footprint on the ocean, or book a "Vitamin Sea" experience on Anglesey (lockdown restrictions permitting) then please get in touch to discuss further.
Thanks so much for reading everyone. I hope you all get to enjoy some Vitamin Sea soon.
Charlotte