by sarah k grundy

The energy of a wave during a storm equals 10,000 nuclear bombs.

The sea rules us. Its forces are far bigger and yet for the past three months, I've been unable to go into the ocean. Even being near the formerly turquoise rippling waves caused me to become ill for days at a time. Outside my door, the cure-all aroma of salty sea air filling my lungs with rebirth with its mist was replaced with a neurotoxin coming from the ocean’s cry for help. And as I’m revising this in 2022, three years later, it’s only gotten worse despite the news and red tide reports—a far cry from the alarm needed to sound. There's so much left to discover about the ocean and its inhabitants, and yet the sandy shores have become a graveyard of evidence.

This is my chronicle of the sea.

The ocean brings us to another world. For many of us, the sea and surrounding sands are our own private church, temple, or sacred space, and still, for the past three years, I've witnessed pristine oceans, surrounding a multitude of small, remote, somewhat unheard of islands turn into sewage right before my eyes, and the animals inside lay waste at the hands of preventable abuse.

It seems remote for some, yet the sea spreads across over 71% of the earth's surface, while we sit on a wee landmass of under 30%. The ocean holds 97% of the earth’s water. The salty sediments within the ocean hold the story of our origins, as well as determine our trajectory. Its outcome is ours for better, or for worse.

Containing coral reefs that hold our ability to exist in its salty hands, as well as cancer cures, it's not a situation where the ocean can die and we will survive. It just doesn't work like that. The ocean will forever be intrinsic to our survival. Surrendering to it is the only option. The big blue's force will always be greater and resisting her remains futile. Coral reefs, "the rainforest of the sea" or lungs of the earth can now be found as rotting skeletons and tissue. The rest glowing with an iridescent self-made radiant chemical sunscreen to protect themselves from their deteriorating environment. 

The most broken of our civilization can be found as we speak slaying whales and dolphins, the parts of the sea designed to nurture, protect and guide us. Dave Rastovich, myself, and countless other surfers have been rescued by dolphins from near-drownings. After swimming and surfing with dolphins, feeling the deep echo vibration within from a whale’s song their majesty leaves no questions, and honoring that is what makes us human. The transformation to restore has already begun and won't be stopped, but rather grow stronger like the tides. The sea will do as it always does, reflect everything back to us, even our weakest link. 

Sylvia Earle reminds us regularly that if we saw what the ocean looked like a decade ago we would see the stark difference and know it’s worth protecting. Some may say, that the ocean is mirroring the current status of our collective human spirit back to us. The Oceanic Society is even working towards ocean health through behavioral change, working alongside behavioral scientists.

The ocean that soothes our pain and takes us back to our origins is moved by the moon and her cycles, creating the daily advance and retreat of ocean waves. The energy of the wave stops at the shoreline, after interacting deeply with the atmosphere to become a wave. Go visit her in private, in silence to remember who you are and do one thing to protect her.

• Pick up any trash you see while you're spending time with the ocean.

• Support her champions and those defending the precious life inside of her.

• Replace single-use plastic with reusable materials and consider what you discard and how.

• Consider the ground you walk upon as holy and think for a moment about how you treat it

• Walk instead of drive, think of what you wear, sleep on, and put inside your body.

• Become a positive part of the solution rather than fueling negativity further.

  Keep the sea forever in your heart.

Sources: let my people go surfing by Patagonia CEO and founder Yvon Chouinard, The, Ocean Agency, Chasing Coral, Fish People, Surfers For Cetaceans, Minds in the Water, Surfer Mag, Billabong, Surf Dads Blog, Plastic Free July, Kali Ma, Three Stones From the Sun, The Goddess Circle, Sea Shepards