I think I finally found the people I’ve been looking for
Sometimes the right conversation arrives just when you're ready to ask better questions.
Yesterday, I sat down for a lunchtime beer in the sunshine (because, well, this is Spain) with someone I'd never met before.
We'd found each other on Instagram a few weeks earlier, one of those algorithm moments that, for once, seemed to understand exactly what I was looking for.
After recent searches for coral restoration projects I want to get involved in, specifically around the pacific, this couldn’t be more aligned.
His name is Jolyon, founder of Counting Coral.
By the time we said goodbye a few hours later, I left with a head full of ideas and questions, and that rare feeling you get when you realise you've stumbled across people building exactly the kind of future you want to be part of.
I've been searching for this.
The more I learned about what I want in life and the kind of balance I am working towards, the more I want my life to contribute to something bigger than just selling ocean brands.
I wanted to build a business that gave something back.
Ocean Shop has always been inspired by the sea.
But lately I've been asking myself a different question.
How can it actively help protect it?
That question has been hovering in the background for months.
Yesterday, it started to feel like it might have found an answer.
The questions kept coming.
If you've ever fallen down the rabbit hole of coral reefs, you'll know it's impossible to stop.
How do you actually restore coral?
Does it work?
Who looks after the reefs?
How long does restoration take?
What happens after the coral is planted?
How do local communities benefit?
Can volunteers genuinely help?
How can businesses contribute without simply writing a cheque and walking away?
I must have asked a hundred questions.
Jolyon answered every one with the kind of enthusiasm that reminds you why passionate people are so infectious.
The more we spoke, a few things became clear:
There is a huge lack of understanding, especially in toursim, where not a lot of people understand what a healthy coral is supposed to look like.
I realised this wasn't simply about coral. But about people.
Communities.
Education.
Relationships.
Long-term thinking.
Everything I believe meaningful conservation should be.
Coral is more than something beautiful.
Graphic from www.countingcoral.com
Like many people, I'd always thought of coral reefs as extraordinary places to dive or snorkel.
Colourful.
Fragile.
Beautiful.
But what I hadn't fully appreciated was just how many lives depend on them.
Coral reefs support marine biodiversity, protect coastlines from wave energy, sustain fisheries, and provide livelihoods for millions of people around the world.
They're often called the rainforests of the sea, because so much life depends on them.
When reefs struggle, entire ecosystems feel the impact.
And yet, around the world, there are teams of scientists, local communities, conservationists and volunteers working every day to restore them.
Counting Coral is one of those organisations.
Hope looks a lot like hard work.
One thing I loved about our conversation was that nothing was glamorised.
There were no promises that every reef can be saved.
No easy solutions.
Just honesty.
Restoration is patient work.
It takes science.
Monitoring.
Community involvement.
Funding.
Time.
And people willing to keep showing up.
That, somehow, made me even more hopeful.
This feels like the beginning of something.
As we talked, ideas started filling pages of my mental notebook.
Ways Ocean Shop could contribute.
Stories I want to tell through the Ocean Journal.
Future podcast conversations.
Educational content.
Community fundraising.
Volunteer experiences.
And, if everything aligns, one day travelling to Fiji and being part of it.
I've been looking at coral restoration volunteering for next year for months.
To suddenly be sitting across from someone helping lead that work felt strangely full circle.
Why I'm sharing this.
This isn't a sponsored post.
I'm writing because I think organisations like Counting Coral deserve to be known.
Not just by people who already care deeply about the ocean.
But by anyone who's ever looked out at the sea and assumed that it’s healthy.
The truth is, our oceans need more people feeling connected.
Sometimes that connection begins with a single conversation.
What's next?
I don't know exactly where this relationship will lead.
Hopefully Ocean will support future restoration projects.
We'll likely create educational campaigns together.
Perhaps I'll finally make that trip to Fiji and spend time learning from the people restoring reefs every day.
Perhaps this is just the first of many conversations.
Whatever happens, I'm grateful our paths crossed.
Because every now and then you meet people whose work reminds you why you started your own.
If this sparked something in you...
Take a few minutes to learn about the people quietly protecting our oceans.
Read their stories.
Follow their work.
Support them with a donation if you're able.
You don't need to become a marine biologist to make a difference.
Further Reading
The Hidden Life Beneath Mediterranean Waters
Join The High Tide
Every Sunday I’ll be sharing thoughtful stories from the sea, conversations with ocean change-makers, and reflections on building a life more deeply connected to the ocean.
