CECILIE
Cecilie Demant is a Graphic Designer and diver, fascinated by the ocean and set on informing on and protecting global biodiversity. With a passion for living sustainably, Cecilie gives us all the tips and tricks to do the same!
Cecilie learnt to dive back in 2013 in Malaysia. The inspiring divers delivering the diving class and her true captivation by the magic of underwater life gave her the utmost respect for the ocean. “[The diving instructors].. were so passionate about protecting the ocean and taught us never to take anything away from it but photos. That inspired and rubbed off on me. That love for the ocean was so deep and with good reason. I’ve always loved swimming and having fun in the water from early childhood, but diving sparked a passion and deep connection for everything under the surface and around the beaches.”
Today, Cecilie is an advanced diver, and dreams to become a diver instructor herself in the future - to be in a position to influence other young divers the way she was influenced herself. She wants to inspire others through diving, and show them the ocean wonders that we all need to do our best to protect. Cecilie, through online and offline means, through social media and physical interactions shares all she knows about protecting the oceans, while doing her best to motivate others with her own actions.
“I try to buy as little plastic as possible (especially clothes to avoid microplastics every time I do laundry) and instead find reusable, natural or biodegradable alternatives. I only take photos or videos with me back from the beach and avoid buying any shells from shops. I’m a vegetarian - trying to eat and use as much plant based as I can. And then collect trash especially near the water both through events, with friends/family and on my own.”
PROTECTING GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY AS A VISION
“Back in the day I feared sharks just like a lot of people still do to this day but today my heart breaks a little every time people talk about them as these monsters of the deep. It’s the most misunderstood animal and they’re just slaughtered in such big numbers that it’s insane. It’s so rare that sharks attack humans but every hour we kill around 11.400 sharks. So who should really be afraid of who? I really hope we in the future can coexist better than we do today.”
Watching “COWSPIRACY: The Sustainability Secret” gave Cecilie a whole new perspective on environmental challenges and how we can help alleviate them. Since then, beyond changing her diet, Cecilie also became more conscious and active about her own lifestyle decisions, which ultimately affect not only herself and future generations, but also our local and global biodiversity which is currently under threat.
Cecilie brought up the issue of seafood consumption, overfishing and fishing through unsustainable methods, and finding alternatives in plant-based dietary solutions. “The solution is simple enough but it’s very difficult to convince people that the pleasure of seafood is not worth the damage it does to the ocean. I get it. It’s a big sacrifice and not done overnight. And seafood is super delicious (don’t worry I haven’t forgotten). But if everyone or at least a big enough amount of the world's population stopped the massive intake of seafood the situation would look very different. But it’s a thing people have to realise themselves or else it’s not gonna happen.”
“Knowledge is the way to awareness which can lead to change if enough people care and turn that into action.”
Cecilie strongly believes that mass production and the big polluters at a broader level, beyond the individuals, “need to be held much more accountable for what they send out into the world and change their whole design thinking so it does not pollute.” She feels that we can all reflect on the amount of fish we consume, the disproportionate amounts available, and the means by which the fishing industry harms the ocean in the process.
THE HAPPINESS THE OCEAN BRINGS
To Cecilie, the ocean is the best thing there is, and the place she feels most at home, whether it is on a board, a boat or kayak, underwater with a snorkel or her personal favourite - diving with all the amazing sea creatures and underwater landscapes. “I can’t live too far away from water because it makes me happy and keeps me balanced.”
“There are so many [ocean memories]. But I think it’s as simple as the first time I dived with a turtle. I remember the two other groups came back from a dive one day while we were doing dive lessons for Open Water PADI and they couldn’t stop talking about the turtle they had just been diving with. My group was the only group that still hadn’t seen turtles. But then on our next dive we got to witness this beautiful turtle swim along the reef so peacefully. That excitement might have been the hardest I’ve had to keep to myself until I reached the surface ever. It was also pretty magical swimming with a school of huge parrot fishes near the Great Barrier Reef with one of my great friends. I still haven’t been swimming with manta rays and whale sharks, which is a big dream, so that might challenge that memory with my first turtle as the happiest.”
FINDING INSPIRATION TO ACT
Cecilie would like to thank the ocean for all that incredible life it contains and all those hidden secrets that humanity still hasn’t been able to discover.
Richard Swann and the rest of the "Adventures In Borneo” dive crew that taught her to dive are some of Cecilie’s biggest sources of inspiration. Alongside them, are her friends, who tag along on some creative trash hunts and whose values align with hers. However, she also finds the Instagram content from Brinkley Davies (@brinkleydavies), Mads St Clair (@mads_ocean), William Winram (@williamwinram), Mitch Gobel & Sally Mustang (@mitch.gobel, @sallymustang), @4ocean, @take3forthesea very motivating and influential.
TAVAHA
“Tavaha for me means keeping the ocean’s natural balance and thinking eco over ego. If diving or snorkeling around areas with beautiful reefs please don’t step on the corals or bring shells or other things back home with you. Have more conversations about the Ocean with others, share knowledge and maybe even create new memories together in it and around it.”
Her three #tavahatips are:
Take your trash with you and leave nothing behind.
Cut as much plastic out of your life as possible. There are plenty of alternatives out there already so if you’re on the go bring reusable straws, cutlery, water bottle or whatever you need with you.
Have more conversations about the ocean and what it means to people.
Bonus: Consider cutting down on your seafood intake.