We Love the Sea

Vision

My vision is to raise awareness for the beauty and fragility of our oceans, to inspire every child  to want to learn more about the ocean,  and to empower them by providing them with the tools and the knowledge to be part of the ocean conservation movement, no matter where they come from. 

FUTURE VISION 

Since working children in the South Africa townships, I understand that not all children are lucky enough to spend time in the ocean, some of them are more concerned about where they will get their next meal from, and not how they will save the planet. It is my vision for this project to bring children from underprivileged communities to the ocean and for them to discover the wonders of the marine realm, therefore a percentage of the money taken from the courses we offer will go towards making this happen for the kids of Quintana Roo. 

Goal

The goal of We Love the Sea is to educate the next generation on the global importance of oceanic organisms and to inspire and empower the next generation into becoming proactive stewards of the marine environment, through exposure to the magical world of marine biology.

Mission Statement

We Love the Sea are passionate about creating a new generation of ocean advocates. Through fun and interactive lessons and activities we connect children to their marine environment in order to nurture ocean awareness and instill the passion needed to help protect it.

We offer courses aimed at young students (4-8 years) and older students (8-12 years) as well as specialized programs for teenagers.

Subjects covered in the Junior Marine Ambassador curriculum:

•Ocean food webs.  Students will discover which animals can be found at the different levels of the food web and how are they all affected by one another. This lesson is accompanies by an ocean food web game so the students can see how each trophic level is affected by one above or below it.

 •What is an ecosystem? During this class the students will discover what makes up an ecosystem and the different types of ecosystems and animals associate with each one, from the hermit crabs of the rocky shores to the blob fish of the deep ocean. Each student will get to make their own ecosystem in a bottle. 

•The diverse world of coral reefs. During this class students will learn about coral anatomy and how to identify one coral species from another. They will learn how important corals are to the ecosystem and why they are disappearing from the ocean and what they can do to help. We will finish the class by painting a coral reef using just our feet!! •

The effects of plastic pollution on our oceans. This lesson focuses on the problem with plastic and how it gets into the ocean. Students will carry out a beach pollution bingo survey to understand what trash accumulates on the beach and what they can do to help reduce it. We will use some of the trash collected to create a plastic awareness poster. •

Subjects covered in the Advanced Marine Ambassador curriculum:

•Ocean food webs. Students will discover which animals can be found at the different levels of the food web and how are they all affected by one another. There will be an emphasis on the importance of apex predators and what happens when they disappear from the oceans. Students will play predator-prey simulations to learn why apex predators like sharks are necessary for functioning, healthy ecosystems.

 •What are the differences between fish and mammals? During this lesson students will compare these two animal groups and look at the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates and how to classify each group. Students will be divided into groups and given 15 unique marine animals to classify using pictures and brief descriptions, who will be the first group to win? •

Ocean layers are divided up based on how much light each zone receives. During this class students will learn about all five of the ocean layers, the weird and wonderful animals that live there and how they have adapted to their environment. They will create their own Ocean Zone jar so they can clearly see what each layer might look like and why. 

•The effects of plastic pollution on our oceans. This lesson focuses on the problem with plastic and how it gets into the ocean. Students will carry out a scientific survey using quadrats to assess the type of plastic that accumulates on the beaches. Working in groups, they will develop theories on how the trash makes it way to the beaches and how we can reduce the amount of plastic found in the marine environment. 

Each child receives a marine biology certificate at the end of the course.

Location and schedule

Classes are held at Playa Xcalacoco and Playa Puerto Aventuras. These beautiful beaches offer a safe place for kids to learn all about the ocean. The water is very calm here because of the surrounding reefs and barriers that reduce wave action, enabling students to snorkel around and identify various fish species safely.  In-between the rocks are intriguing tide pools where the kids will find many different sea creatures from brittle starfish to chitons. The beach club also provides a relaxing environment for the parents to enjoy a massage, a cold beer or two and a taco whilst waiting for their little biologists.

Angela Francess Warrior (Founder and President)

I was born and raised in the United Kingdom. As a child, I spent most of my nights watching David Attenborough documentaries with my father ,and most of my summer holidays digging around for crabs along the beaches of the Lincolnshire coast. 

My passion for the ocean grew as I became aware that the ocean is the heart of the planet and that a healthy ocean is essential for all life on Earth. I learnt that the ocean stabilises our climate, provides us with oxygen, food and water, but I also learnt that us humans are exploiting the ocean on an unprecedented scale. 

My love for the ocean and the need to protect her was the motivation behind me studying marine biology at undergraduate degree and following on with a masters in shark fisheries management. Since graduating I have worked all around  the world;  Costa Rica, Thailand, The Bahamas, South Africa, Philippines, The Maldives, Fiji, Indonesia and now Mexico, educating people on the importance of the ocean and how they can help conserve our blue planet. 

I want people to love and appreciate the ocean like I do, but this starts with education, as Jacques Cousteau once rightly said “ People protect what they love” , people cannot love something if they don’t know about it. 

“In the end we will only conserve what we love, we will only love what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught” Baba Dioum.