Little Wave’s Eyes
Some ocean education with mama.
It was the ocean where I first learned to breathe. Growing up I spent countless hours up and down the shores of the East Coast. As a child, I would poke around in tide pools, anxiously await the dolphins to swim by the horizon every morning and spend hours trying to figure out what shell or plant I was finding. There has never been a single day I’ve spent at the beach that was wasted. The ocean has a magical way of teaching you something about it or yourself every time you go.
As I grew older, I sought to spread these teachings to others. I traveled to Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico to participate in outreach programs to help young children in underprivileged areas to respect the ocean and its surrounding ecosystem. I moved to Hawaii about 7 years ago and my passion for the ocean has only grown stronger. The surfing and diving culture here is very connected through Aloha spirit and admiration for the ocean. It is a culture of healing, renewing, calming and freeing your mind, body and spirit.
Now that I am a mother of two young children, I have never been more thankful to see the ocean through my children’s eyes like I once did through my mother’s. My oldest is 4, and every single time we visit the beach, his mind fills with questions. Why is one wave bigger than the other? Why are some beaches rocky and some have smooth sand? He searches in tide-pools and spots crab holes in the sand. When he found a conch shell with a critter still inside he took care to set it down gently, exactly where he found it. He loves to go out on the paddleboard and watch for turtle heads to pop up, and subsequently wonders where they go after. He joined me on a whale watching cruise and hasn’t stopped talking about it since. He’s joined me on two beach clean up’s and just couldn’t believe “there is so much rubbish in the ocean mom, why?” The first time he saw a monk seal hauled out on the shore, he was mesmerized. With my help we ID the shells and critters that we find. When we read bedtime stories, he always reaches for ocean-themed books to learn more. My youngest just turned 1, and her favorite thing to do is sit right on the shoreline and lets the waves wash over her feet (and taste-test the sand of course). The smiles and giggles that follow make my heart soar. Every visit is an opportunity for educating both of them about the importance that your presence makes and how it can have lasting effects. From barnacles and oysters to octopus and whales, I have no doubt they will grow up showing love and respect for the ocean, as everyone should. Teaching them now will only help future generations follow in their footsteps.
Stay Salty - B