I’m not gonna argue with that – there are numerous advantages to be living on an island..! Especially, a tropical island. I can see already the twinkles in your eyes… you’re straight away thinking of the beautiful stretch of white sandy beaches, turquoise lagoons, palm trees, and probably the game changer, bright warm sunshine ! And if you roam around the locals, the Islanders as I tend to refer to as, you’ll notice that things are done… slowly. You can’t expect residents who bathes in this sunshine, swinging to the sound of the waves and wind in the palm trees, listening to chattering birds all day, to be having some kind of stress and having to rush through to get things done. It’s all chill.
Yet, there are some downfalls to all those natural benefiting mood factors. The potentials are disregarded. The opportunities are weighted against the lifestyle, not saying that one has to be compromised for the sake of the other, but the “environmentalist” aspect tends to be a refractor to the betterment of the Islanders’ lifestyle. Not generalising, but only few have real self-ambitions. Very few have got achievement expectations , not just for themselves, but especially for their direct locality or further for their country. That’s not just their “fault”, it’s all the background, the influence of their past colonisations ( yes most islands have been or still are colonised ), their immigration influences, the educational system that has derived from those influences and what I believe is mostly missing, the belief that things can actually be better.
Through decades of activities in the ocean ( I am a PADI IDC Staff Instructor), I have experienced the multiple aversions of the marine environment. Having been involved in Marine conservation activities as well, I have had the opportunity to interact with other players in the marine environment, such as fishermen, sailors, beach related activity operators, and we’re all agreeing that things have changed, unfortunately not always for the best. So, from a small island point of view, what resources do we have to, let alone reverse the course of the marine degradation, but at least which actions can be taken to mitigate those declining aspects?
Having personally benefitted from the ocean, I have also done my duties in helping the marine ecosystem – carrying beach clean-ups, underwater clean ups, road shows, educational campaigns in schools and localities, in order to sensitise the population of the importance of the ocean, for us, Islanders, and how it can help us improving our lives, in a sustainable way.
This blog is about sharing experiences, philosophy and ideas of how I believe we can enjoy the benefits of the Ocean while limiting or compensating for our takings.
My next blog I will share with you how SCUBA diving has changed my life… and the lives of millions more.
