Ocean Optimist

04/10/2026

🌱🌱🌱 Let's talk about ... Seagrass!
Save the date: Tuesday 13 October at 19.30h ~ computers on and ready to listen to Floor and her Seagrass research in The Netherlands!

29/09/2026

💙 🐢 In true Turtle style, we had the chance to look back on our very first Dutch diving season! The first Ocean Optimist Journeys are complete!

What have we learned? What have we done? What are we proud of? And most importantly: what will we continue doing tomorrow to protect our ocean?

A wonderful sense of hope and surprise filled the day, achieving this together creates so much more blue energy.

One Ocean. One Responsibility. One Team.

The ocean is thanking you! 🌊

27/09/2026

🦈🦈🦈 Save our sharks, join in Brussels!

Not in Brussels? Not a problem! - Join the event remotely via Webinar (link in bio). “Shark Protection for Healthy Oceans” is an event hosted by Members of Parliament, Manuela Ripa (EPP) and Michal Wiezik (RENEW).

The program will focus on the critical impacts of the international shark fin trade on biodiversity and ocean health, the EU’s role in this trade, and the socioeconomic impacts on coastal communities and fisheries resulting from declining shark populations and the threats marine ecosystems are experiencing.

The link to join remotely as well as in person event registration can be found using sharkallies's link in Bio. Only guests who have completed the registration process will be able to enter the parliament building and attend the event in person.

25/09/2026

Last month, we said we needed more coral emojis to reflect the incredible diversity of coral species on Earth. This time, we're going to depress you a little.

Because if current climate trajectories continue, the emojis we'll actually need are the bleached versions. Bleached and dying reefs will be increasingly what most people encounter when they picture, describe, or reference "coral" in the years ahead. The IPCC projects 70-90% coral decline at 1.5°C of warming, and 99% loss at 2°C. Last month, UNEP confirmed that exceeding 1.5°C is now unavoidable under current policies.

None of this is inevitable in its final form. Every fraction of a degree we keep off the peak matters. Every year of overshoot shortened is a year more reefs might survive. Local protection – reducing pollution, preventing physical damage, supporting sustainable tourism – gives reefs a better chance of surviving heat stress and recovering when temperatures eventually stabilise.

But the trajectory we're on is clear. And if it continues, the "emojis we need" won't be the vibrant, diverse corals of the last carousel. They'll be the pale, faded, dying versions in this one.

Thankfully, emojis are metaphors, not destinies. The reefs are still here. The choices we make now decide what future generations get to see – on their screens, and beneath the surface.

24/09/2026

🐢💙 27 september a.s. staat al in jouw agenda, toch?

We vieren een feestje want ons eerste echte Nederlandse duikseizoen zit erop!

Aankomende zondag komen we samen in het HefHouse in Rotterdam om terug te kijken op alle mooie momenten van de afgelopen maanden, staan we stil bij waar we nu mee bezig zijn én kijken we uit naar morgen. Naar hoe we nog meer van de oceaan gaan houden, naar hoe we meer doen om deze oceaan te beschermen.

Wat hebben we gezien en geleerd? Welke avonturen wachten op ons? En hoe kunnen we samen nóg meer betekenen voor onze oceaan?

En omdat we deze dag helemaal in het teken van de zeeschildpad zetten, krijg je natuurlijk ook een flinke dosis bijzondere, leuke en verrassende turtle-weetjes!

Zelf zo’n prachtige zeeschildpad leren tekenen? Ook dat kan! Jolien is erbij om je te leren hoe je zelf zo een mooie schildpad kunt tekenen!

Of je nu al met Ocean Optimist hebt gedoken, hebt meegedaan aan een activiteit, nieuwsgierig bent naar onze plannen of simpelweg gek bent op de oceaan: je bent welkom! En neem vooral andere geweldige oceaanliefhebbers mee.

Laat je aan Yoy weten of je erbij bent? [email protected]

One Ocean, one responsibility … To Care. 🩵

11/09/2026

🪸🩵 Wishing you a 'coralful' weekend!

09/09/2026

🐢🫧 Save the date to celebrate!
Sunday 27th September will be all about turtles - because, well, we all love turtles - and celebrating that our first Dutch season comes to an end! Time to chat, learn, inspire en reflect! See you in Rotterdam!

07/09/2026

Scharendijke was our underwater playground for collecting observations for Stichting ANEMOON, yesterday! And we got especially happy - like, reaaaally happy - about the number of young cuttlefish we spotted along the way! 💙

Want to start collecting observations for Stichting ANEMOON too? Dive into their website, discover how you can help and join in! 🤿

https://www.anemoon.org/waarnemingen

05/09/2026

🥳🩵 Special Optimists look like this after completing their Navigation Specialty! Congratulations Ben and Max! Let your blue Journey continue! The ocean is thanking you for all your efforts!

01/09/2026

🌊 All your ideas are in the open ocean, now! Fingers crossed 🤞🏽