Our Ocean

For many reasons, it's not always possible to go snorkelling in the sea. But there is a really easy and accessible way to connect with nature wherever you are and whatever your age or physical ability.Land Snorkelling is a mindful movement practice, and our wonderful volunteers Kat Lewis and Steph Jackson have developed a programme for Seaful so that we can connect even more people with nature and each other, whatever the weather! We hope that this episode inspires you to give it a go too!This episode was recorded in April 2026 in North Devon, during Seaful's first ever volunteer gathering, and you'll hear from several of our Vitamin Sea Project volunteers in this episode. Do check out our last episode too about our phenomenal volunteers!You don't need anything specific to go Land Snorkelling, but there are some helpful resources on our website, including a short How-To video, and some downloadable Bingo Cards which can be a fun addition to the activity!https://seaful.org.uk/the-vitamin-sea-project/The Our Ocean podcast is brought to you by Seaful, the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean. To donate, please visit our website.For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.uk.You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

This episode is a true immersion into a seabird city! Last summer, Our Ocean's host Cal Major had the rare opportunity to land on Bass Rock, a towering island just off the coast of North Berwick, Scotland, which is home to one of the world's largest colonies of Northern Gannets.Surrounded by a hundred thousand of these graceful yet formidable birds, Emily Burton and Jess Thompson from the Scottish Seabird Centre describe the behaviours and adaptations of the UK's largest seabird, alongside the threats they face and the enormous impact that avian flu had on the colony's population.To learn more about the Scottish Seabird Centre, how you can visit Bass Rock and how you can help seabirds, please visit their website here.Here are some links to specific projects we cover in the episode:Bass Rock Colony Counts: https://www.seabird.org/conservation/bass-rock-colony-countsSOS Puffin: https://www.seabird.org/conservation/sos-puffinIsland Biosecurity: https://www.seabird.org/conservation/island-biosecurityBass Rock Breeding Success: https://www.seabird.org/conservation/bass-rock-breeding-successThis episode was recorded by Cal Major and edited by Adventurous Audio.The Our Ocean podcast is brought to you by Seaful, the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean. To donate, please visit our website.For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.uk.You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

What is a 'Just Transition'? It's a term that gets banded about a lot when talking about protecting areas of the ocean from certain types of destructive fishing. In fact, one of the demands of the Our Seas coalition, who we heard from in last week's episode, is 'The return of a modern seaward limit on bottom-towed fishing, via a just transition'.Although the science shows that protecting our ocean, in particular fragile habitats, from overexploitation is essential for the recovery of fish stocks, and by extension to support local fishing fleets, there may well be people who fish in those areas currently who are displaced. How can transitioning to a better future for our seas be done in a way that is fair, who has the right to have a say, and what does the 'equitable use of our seas' actually mean.We're delighted to be joined by Blue Marine Foundation's Joe Richards, to guide us through this nuanced subject with empathy and insight.You can learn more about the Our Seas coalition, and sign the petition, here:Our Seas need your help - ask your politician to protect at least 30%Huge thanks to Highlands and Islands Environment Foundation for supporting this series.The Our Ocean podcast is brought to you by Seaful, the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean. To donate, please visit our website.For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.uk.You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

Wayne Peters is a self proclaimed 'Mad Scientist of Electric Boats', and his passion for creating cleaner sailing, in consideration and harmony with the very ocean which brings him so much joy, is both inspiring and infectious.It was a pleasure to chat with Wayne on a sunny beach in North Devon in September 2025, to reminisce about an incredible challenge he took undertook to race the first electric boat in the infamous Fastnet race.Wayne takes us on a journey through his beautiful, connecting ocean adventures, and we hope you're as inspired to experience and protect our ocean as we are after listening to our his stories.More information about For One Ocean - an Adventure Sailing Team here.The Our Ocean podcast is brought to you by Seaful, the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean. To donate, please visit our website.For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.uk.You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

This is a special episode in the run up to the Scottish Government elections in May 2026, however, it retains relevance for any UK elections, and for engaging with politicians in general. This is one of the most crucial and effective ways to be an Ocean Citizen, and we're really grateful for the knowledge and insight from Rea Cris, Public Affairs Manager for the charity Open Seas.Rea passionately describes to us how democracy should really be a two way street, and how we can recover some of those conversations to influence what our elected representatives, and candidates who want to be our elected representatives, actually do for us when in office.We cover how to convey what matters to you to political candidates, Hustings, how the juicy bits of elections really start months before the ballot boxes, and some novel ways of engaging with MPs and MSPs (Members of Scottish Parliament).Here's a handy website where you can put in your postcode, and it brings up who your political candidates are and how to get in touch with them!https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/You can sign the Our Seas petition here: https://www.ourseas.scot/Mentioned in the podcast are Seawilding - restoring seagrass in ScotlandThanks to Orla from the Ullapool Sea Savers for her excellent Seagrass facts.This episode was recorded and edited by Adventurous Audio.The Our Ocean podcast is brought to you by Seaful, the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean. To donate, please visit our website.For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.uk.You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

We are delighted to be joined today by Megan Hamill, one of the recipient's of Seaful's inaugural Ocean Citizens Award in 2025. This incredible opportunity was generously created by Felix Appelbe, founder of Ocean Ambassadors, to support young people in their journey to becoming Ocean Citizens. Applications for the 2026 award are open until the end of February.It was a joy to catch up with Megan - an ocean advocate from the Isle of Arran, and hear all about her Fintastic summer on the West Coast of Scotland with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the Community of Arran Seabed Trust, and how the courses and experiences the award supported have helped her on her journey in marine conservation.We hear about Megan's search for cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), and hear about some surprising species which call Scotland's waters home, including a very unassuming apex predator! We also hear about Megan's love for seabirds, and the new islands she'll be journeying to this year.You can read more about Megan's journey here.Huge thanks to Felix Appelbe for supporting Seaful, for creating this award, and enabling young people on their journeys to be Ocean Ambassadors.Learn more about Young Sea Changers Scotland's Turning The Tide Course for 16-25 year olds.This episode was recorded and edited by Adventurous Audio.Manx Shearwater sound effect recorded by David Boyle, XC1023582. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1023582The Our Ocean podcast is brought to you by Seaful, the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean. To donate, please visit our website.For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.uk.You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

Seagulls seem to divide opinion more than most wildlife! For some, they're a nostalgic sight and sound of the seaside. For others, they're a nuisance, and even a threat. In this episode, we're diving deep into why these birds, which, perhaps surprisingly, are actually made up of several endangered species, are living in more urban settings, and what can be done to navigate their curious and sometimes challenging ways and live harmoniously alongside them.We're joined by two seabird experts from the National Trust for Scotland - Senior Seabird Officer Ellie Owen, and St Abbs Head National Nature Reserve Head Ranger, Ciaran Hatsell, for amazing insights into these masters of adaptation. We also hear from The Ullapool Sea Savers' Herring Gull ambassador, Peter, for stories of gulls in his village, where some people are delighted with their presence, and others are calling for drastic measures for their control...Expect the unexpected in this episode as we bust some myths about these fascinating birds, and ask what we can do to protect them from further declines they're facing in their natural world, and reframe our relationship with them, championing them as the amazing predators they are.We also have an update for you on the Berwick Bank Wind Farm proposal which we spoke about in depth in our last episode, 'Seabird Spectacle - Guillemot Jumplings'.The Our Ocean podcast is brought to you by Seaful, the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean. To donate, please visit our website.For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.ukYou can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

Imagine being able to fly through the water, over a magnificent seabed, at depths of up to 200 metres, without even having to get wet! The Ocean Witness report by the charity Open Seas has done exactly that, by sending an ROV, a remote operated vehicle with a camera, down into the depths over 300 times around the coast of Scotland to show us exactly what's out of sight and out of mind.This episode of Our Ocean is with Phil Taylor from Open Seas. We dive into our ocean's amazing ecosystems, what can be found inside and outside of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and whether the protections given to these MPAs work. We also dive into the shortcomings of the status quo of fisheries management, and what needs to be done to protect our seas.We look at who and what could benefit from better seabed protection, and hear about Phil's Fantastic Fish Finger Butty of Fisheries Management...This episode is based in Scotland, but is relevant wherever in the world you're listening. We hope it inspires you to use your voice for better protection of the Ocean, which as we hear in this episode, really does work for nature and people.Links:Visit the Open Seas website here for more information on fishing in Scotland, to read the Ocean Witness Report and to sign up for their newsletter. https://www.openseas.org.ukYou can add your name to the Our Seas petition here. https://www.ourseas.scotThe Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity connecting people to our ocean. For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.ukYou can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

This is a "podcast share" with 'If I Ruled The World' - a show all about system change, with the brilliant Gillian Burke. What that means is that we've recorded this episode together, to sit on both of our platforms. It's a slightly different format to what you might be used to on Our Ocean - a little bit longer, and less of an interview, more of a conversation. Less facts and figures, and more exploring concepts.It's by far the most challenging episode we've recorded so far - stepping into the realm of the impacts of war on the ocean and the environment, but also a conversation about why it can be so difficult to speak up against the atrocities we see in our world. Gillian is the perfect guide to help us navigate these conversations. You might recognise her from BBC's Springwatch - she's a biologist and presenter, who has stepped away from traditional Natural History filmmaking towards what felt more authentic for her - into exploring, understanding and changing the systems that govern the status quo. She shares her incredible story, braveness and insights with such eloquence.We touch on many different topics in this episode, and through the lens of the terrible war in the Middle East, explore why it's so challenging to use our voices, why we're not being listened to, a concept called 'Learned Helplessness', what role the environmental movement does, can and needs to play in this, and why it is so vital that we don't ignore assaults on International Law.If you're an ocean or nature lover, there are essential overlapping ideas here - from advocacy, democracy, changing tack when it's needed to how to hold and navigate the feelings of helplessness that can be so pervasive. Our hope for this episode is to spark conversation and empower you to use your voice, even when it feels scary.Huge thank you to Gillian Burke - you can listen to If I Ruled the World on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and learn more about it here, or head to Gillian's Instagram here.The Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean.For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook.To donate to Seaful, please go to https://seaful.org.uk/donate/For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.ukYou can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

When a Beluga Whale was sighted in a loch in Scotland, whale and dolphin enthusiasts from around the coast took to the water, headlands, and in Anthony Rigell's case, the sky to see if they could get a glimpse. In this episode, we meet the drone pilot and cetacean spotter who is feeding his sightings into conservation efforts.Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust - Whale Track app for recording and observing sightings: https://www.hwdt.org/whale-trackThe Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean.For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook.To donate to Seaful, please go to https://seaful.org.uk/donate/For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.ukYou can follow the Our Ocean podcast on Instagram - @ouroceanpodcastYou can connect with Our Ocean's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

In this very unique episode, we head out into the beautiful Sound of Skye on a creel fishing boat with Bally Philp - a fisherman in Northwest Scotland known for his dedication to sustainable fishing practices and marine conservation. He is the chair of the Scottish Creel Fishermen's Federation, and one of the founding members of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance, with a passion for cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and advancing fishing practices to protect them from harm.We talk about what sustainability in fishing actually means, advances in technology, and whether or not they can prevent marine mammal entanglement in Scotland's fishing fleet.Scottish Entanglement Alliance: https://scottishentanglement.orgOur Seas Scotland: https://www.ourseas.scotThe Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean.For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. To donate to Seaful, please go to https://seaful.org.uk/donate/ For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.ukYou can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

"Your reasons to continue have to be bigger than your reasons to stop." Ross recounts some truly amazing ocean experiences, and what kept him going on his world-record circumnavigation of the UK in 2018, swimming for up to 12 hours a day for 157 days (spoiler alert, there were some incredible animal encounters!).His next challenge is difficult to imagine: In his words, it isn't a sprint, it isn't even a marathon - it's a migration. Swimming around Iceland. This time, in the search of eDNA to show us exactly what's living in Iceland's seas...You can read more about his epic challenge here: https://dryrobe.com/blogs/latest-news/why-ross-edgley-is-swimming-the-entire-coastline-of-iceland Thank you so much to dryrobe for supporting the production of this episode!Ross's YouTube and InstagramThe Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean.You can donate to Seaful here: https://seaful.org.uk/donate/For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.ukYou can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.

Ever wondered what's actually growing on Scotland's seabed? Turns out it's more important than many of us may imagine! And there are big waves being made to protect and restore degraded habitats. Ailsa Mclellan talks us through how and why we need to create better protection for Scotland's seabed, who has the right to have a say in this, and introduces us to a tiny but mighty species which can play a part in doing just that.Ailsa is a marine scientist and ocean campaigner living in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. She works for the charity, Seawilding, restoring native oysters to Loch Broom.In this episode, she discusses the difficulties of campaigning, who actually has the right to a say in how our ocean is managed, and how it feels to be working hands on in positive marine habitat restoration.Seawilding (seagrass and native oysters): https://www.seawilding.orgOur Seas Scotland: https://www.ourseas.scotShore Guides:The Essential Guide to Beachcombing and the Strandline, and The Essential Guide to Rockpooling, both by Steve Trewhella and Julie HatcherCollins Pocket Guide - Sea Shore of Britain and Europe by Peter Hayward, Tony Nelson-Smith and Chris ShieldsThe Our Ocean Podcast is brought to you by Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean.For more information about Seaful, please visit our Website, Instagram or Facebook. For questions or suggestions, please email us - podcast@seaful.org.ukYou can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.