All posts tagged: ocean lover

Connect With Nature

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Happy World Environment Day! Every day, we should all make an effort to spend some time in nature.  Today in particular, is a perfect time to connect with nature and celebrate the beauty and importance of the environment.  There is no planet B, so it is vital that we take care of our environment.   For me, my favorite place to connect with nature is the beach. I love the ocean!! Growing up on an island I have been blessed to be surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and I can’t help but gravitate towards the sea. Huge thank you to Lori Speirs from TWI Hippies  for making this video!!! It was a great collaborative project!

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Letter from the editor…4 Years Blogging

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Hello everyone! Today, Eco Chic Cayman turns 4. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey.  I am so very grateful to all my readers.  Thank you to all of my contributors, both photographers and guest writers.  It has been such a pleasure working with you.  I look forward to many more collaborations and thank you for inspiring me. Some Lessons Learned Along The Way… I started this blog when I was still living in Toronto.  I am grateful to this day for my friends encouraging me to start a blog, simply because I loved writing.  It took me a while to decide what I would write about.  I eventually chose to write about something I was passionate about— the environment.  I started blogging because it allowed me to write about topics I was interested in and passionate about.  But, it was more than that. Ultimately, I began this blog with the hope that I could make a difference.  I thought writing about environmental issues and wildlife would allow me to contribute …

aerial photo cayman islands sunset house

Force Blue: On A Mission To Protect Coral Reefs

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“One Team, One Fight.” Force Blue is an innovative non-profit organization embarking on an unprecedented mission to change the lives of Combat Divers and Special Operations Force Veterans by repurposing their skill set to aid in the recovery and preservation of critical coral reefs.  By virtue, teaching the veterans to adapt their skills for the betterment of the environment acts as a form of therapy and helps to restore the lives of veterans dealing with PTS and depression.  Force Blue has carefully built the program focusing on improving the lives of vets and offering them an opportunity to continue living a life of purpose, giving them a new mission— saving critical coral reefs and ecosystems.  Veterans often struggle with the need to be part of a team and have a mission to accomplish and/or cause to fight for.  Force Blue has devised a way for veterans to maintain that core component of their lives by deploying them all over the world to help communities save their critical coral reefs.  Veterans taking part in the initiative …

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Cayman Islands: Coral Nursery Conservation Program

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  The caribbean has already lost 80% of its coral reefs. Grand Cayman Eco Divers in collaboration with the Cayman Islands Department of Environment and various local dive establishments have teamed up for over a year aspiring to maintain coral nurseries to aid in conservation, sustainability and restoration of Cayman’s coral reefs. The program has developed effective strategies for protecting and restoring damaged areas of coral reef.  In short, their innovative approach is to grow Staghorn coral in nurseries.  Coral fragments are grown on structures referred to as coral trees.  These “trees” are made from PVC and fiberglass rods.  The fragments of coral grow into colonies.  After significant growth they are then later removed from the tree and out planted onto damaged coral reef areas to aid in their recovery.  For longevity it is proven to provide a sustainable way to maintain healthy reefs.  The successful transplantation and growth of the coral fragments help create diversity in the ecosystem as well as more resilient  reefs. Cayman Eco Divers are seeking to expand the current Coral …

Best Blog Posts of 2016

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  The Best of 2016 Just a few days into the new year, I thought it might be nice to reflect a little on the past.  Most importantly, I would like to thank all of you wonderful readers.  Your support means the world to me.  I am so grateful that you have enjoyed reading my environmental blog.  It has been a journey finding my voice and writing articles for my blog.  I have met some incredible people along the way.  I am very thankful for the amazing contributors to my blog: guest writers and photographers— your contributions have been incredible, thank you.  Collaboration is a wonderful thing.  The biggest milestone for me this year, was the privilege to be published in Mission Blue’s Ocean Stories.  It was an absolute honor. I look forward to writing new posts.  I hope that you will enjoy reading future articles. Here are the Top 5 Blog Posts of 2016 (Please click the links below to read the full article.)   1. The Cayman Islands: A Haven for Sharks & Rays  This article was …

The Cayman Islands: A Haven for Sharks & Rays

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Photo Credit: Ellen Cuylaerts The Cayman Islands has built its name and reputation primarily on being a renowned diving destination.  Pioneers in our local diving community over the last few decades contributed to building our diving industry into the premier operation that it is today.  They recognized the exquisite beauty our underwater landscape had to offer and have since then made it accessible for locals and tourists to recreationally experience and explore the beauty that lies below the surface for themselves.  With a desire to showcase our natural resources comes with a commitment to preserve them.  Our duty towards conservation for both land and the ocean is beneficial not just from an environmental perspective but also an economic one.  Our tourism industry is strongly tied to our island’s natural resources.  Ergo, an obvious reason to ensure that our natural resources are protected.  Last year on Earth Day (2015), the Cayman Islands officially became a Sharks and Rays Sanctuary.  The sanctuary expands across all three islands.  This is a positive step towards ecotourism as many tourists …