Ocean Hero of the Month - Mathias Guldberg!

My name is Mathias Guldberg. I am a 31 year old marine biologist, dive master, cave diver and adventurer from Vejle, Denmark.

Currently I'm in the south eastern Mexico to set up a marine station and education platform. Our team operates from a small bay area called Xahauyxol, where we have an almost unspoiled barrier reef at our doorstep. It’s a really interesting project, where we work closely together with the local community, schools and authorities in order to establish a solid foundation for the marine protection in the future.

Before, I worked with WWF-Denmark and some very cool guys from an institution called "Havhøst". They are amazing ambassadors of ocean farming and education on sustainable food production. Within biology my main interests are coral reef ecology with focus on reef health and anthropogenic stressors.

What role does the ocean play in your life?

From a biological and evolutional point of view, the ocean is the reason why I’m here. I have a lot to be grateful for with the ocean. She is the mother of life… In my everyday life the ocean can get the full spectrum of emotions out of me. She makes me feel small but also empowered. One day she is chaotic and untamable and the next day she is peaceful and gracious. It is a place where I can truly feel and find myself.

Before my early twenties, the ocean didn’t really interest me. I must admit I was a bit scared of the dark water - most likely influenced by the horror movies I grew up with. My parents taught me to snorkle from a young age, but when I finally got that scuba tank on my back I was completely sold. It was an important step for me to witness the sensation of being able to explore freely amongst thousands of different shapes and colours.

How do you take care of the ocean?

As a first step I got interested in the ocean and started educating myself about marine ecosystems. This I think is the first step for me and possibly also for others to connect with the ocean. You can study marine sciences but there are so many other ways you can gain knowledge and appreciation for the ocean.

In the position I'm in now I try to inspire the people around me by telling stories, taking people on ocean experiences and busting some of the misconceptions about the ocean and its creatures.
I also collect trash on the beach every morning and arrange beach- and reef clean-ups for our visitors. The amount of rubbish here is unbelievable!

What do you think is the biggest challenge we have to solve in order to take care of the ocean?

For me, the biggest challenge is that we as humans for most parts are disconnected from the ocean. We need to reconnect, understand and value the services the ocean brings to us. Right now we use it as a dumping ground for all the things we don't want to look at. But guess what? It all comes back to us! We are starting to realise this now.
On the positive side I see change happening. More and more people and medias talk about the ocean and so many amazing people are dedicating their life to help it and inspire others to do the same.

What does tavaha mean to you?

First time I heard the phrase I came to think of the polynesian expressions "Aloha" and "Kaoha", which are greetings. I thought it was a good way of greeting an equal ocean friendly person. This I will use from now on.

What are your three #tavahatips to take care of the ocean?

1. Start following some pages that post interesting ocean content.
2. Take on a mask and get in an ocean near you.
3. Get involved with an organisation or start your own.

Finally - who are your everyday heroes? What would you like to thank the ocean for?

We have such a nice group of people here, all who are super brave and innovative with projects on how we can preserve the reef. Especially three Czech guys - Krystof, Simona and Jirka - often goes off with kayaks and hawaiianas (primitive form of harpun) to the outer reef and cleans it of lion fishes - an invasive and highly intrusive species on the reefs here in the Caribbean. They are risking the immense pain of getting stung by one of its many spines on a daily basis. I am truly impressed by that.

I want to express my gratitude towards the ocean for giving me a clear direction in life and for filling my whole body with emotions and experiences every day. Without it I would probably be on a savannah in Africa counting impala populations or something boring like that - haha

Be sure to check out our instagram, where Mathias will be taking over the account for a while!
You can also keep updated on our next cleanup events on facebook <3