From the oilfield to the seagrass meadow!

How someone with my peculiar set of skills, sits here blogging about the dire state of Thailand’s blue carbon ecosystems and biodiversity loss, makes me chuckle!

From an early age, I have been groomed by the oil industry to solve some of its more complex problems. I began as a commercial diver working on oil platforms in the North Sea and following the Macondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico I transitioned to Subsea engineer (drilling) and then finally I ran my own Palynological processing laboratory. Here’s a handy diagram.

Anyway, what changed I often ask myself that? How could someone 180 degrees so completely from oilfield to environmentalism?  Well Covid changed me, one day I awoke after getting of an oil rig locked down in a shabby apartment in Malaga surrounded by the Spanish army in Hazmat suits.  

Deep water horizon! Macondo.

I was luckily able to spend my lockdown on my cousin’s newly formed yoga retreat in Southern Spain. Excellent you might think well yes and no for an individual whose yearly schedule involved 150 days on an oil rig in far-flung corners of the earth and 150 days in an oilfield laboratory and 50 days recovering from hangovers! The experience made me sit down and think for the first time in 20yrs. With nothing to do apart from introspection on a fucking yoga retreat. It was bumpy for me at least!

After my 2 month internment, I was determined to make a change in my life and use my boundless energy for something other than propping up the barrel price.

It wasn’t that bad hahah! Love you cuz….

And so blue ocean thoughts was born. Well, sort of anyway during my time on the “ranch” my life slowed incredibly I was forced to take stock of my decisions over the past 20 years.

I was always meant to be a marine biologist, I love the sea! However, I ignored my life long passion as an adolescent and picked drink, biology and sport at Loughborough university and not Marine biology at Newcastle University.

So I taught myself spanish or “builders” spanish and fabricated a COVID work permit to cross the Mediterranean to Ibiza and a horse ranch that needed building. 

This is where I began my research. I had plenty of free time in Ibiza and Formenterra so I began snorkeling most days around the coast. Something struck me almost immediately how different the water clarity is between Malaga and Ibiza. I soon happened across my first Posidonia seagrass meadow and almost immediately someone tried to kill me with an anchor ripping the bed to shreds. 

I am fascinated by the abundant life displayed within each seagrass ecosystem and a how funny looking plant can sustain such life, sequester carbon and seemingly do so much good on a Giga ton scale (thank you xprise).

Anyway when I looked back on what I had accomplished in a relatively short time in life, I realised I had abused for a living the one thing I loved most as a child in South Africa. And that pissed me of!

So there you have it! I am a pissed of ocean lover who has spent 20 years destroying the one thing he loved as a child. Thanks, Yoga!