Our Ocean

Greencliff Farm is a rewilding haven, a connection between land and sea within the North Devon Biosphere, and bordering the dramatic South West Coast Path. This episode, based on land, might seem a little different to some of our ocean-based stories, but there is so much parallel and connection between the work being done to restore nature and biodiversity here, and that in the ocean, and our wide...

For many reasons, it's not always possible to go snorkelling in the sea. But there is a really easy and accessible way to connect with nature wherever you are and whatever your age or physical ability. Land Snorkelling is a mindful movement practice, and our wonderful volunteers Kat Lewis and Steph Jackson have developed a programme for Seaful so that we can connect even more people with nature an...

Released during Volunteer Week, it is our great pleasure and honour to introduce you to some of Seaful's incredible volunteers. In this episode, we share their stories and their reasons for volunteering with Seaful - the UK charity dedicated to connecting people with our ocean, and the organisation behind the Our Ocean Podcast. You might not realise that one of Seaful's main activities is the Vita...

This episode is a true immersion into a seabird city! Last summer, Our Ocean's host Cal Major had the rare opportunity to land on Bass Rock, a towering island just off the coast of North Berwick, Scotland, which is home to one of the world's largest colonies of Northern Gannets. Surrounded by a hundred thousand of these graceful yet formidable birds, Emily Burton and Jess Thompson from the Scottis...

Mollie Hughes is a world-record adventurer who has summited Everest twice and skied solo to the South Pole, all of which she writes about in her brilliant book, Breathe. Mollie then returned to her original love - the ocean - to write Blue Scotland - a guide to ocean adventures in the country she is delighted to call home. In this episode, we dip into the mindset and resilience required of Mollie'...

What is a 'Just Transition'? It's a term that gets banded about a lot when talking about protecting areas of the ocean from certain types of destructive fishing. In fact, one of the demands of the Our Seas coalition, who we heard from in last week's episode, is 'The return of a modern seaward limit on bottom-towed fishing, via a just transition'. Although the science shows that protecting our ocea...

This episode is full of hope. 165 organisations and over 15,000 people stand together in Scotland for better protection of its inshore waters from the most damaging forms of fishing. These people are from different backgrounds, sectors and walks of life, but they are all demanding the same thing from the Scottish government, in the name of a thriving ocean. This is the Our Seas coalition, of which...

Wayne Peters is a self proclaimed 'Mad Scientist of Electric Boats', and his passion for creating cleaner sailing, in consideration and harmony with the very ocean which brings him so much joy, is both inspiring and infectious. It was a pleasure to chat with Wayne on a sunny beach in North Devon in September 2025, to reminisce about an incredible challenge he took undertook to race the first elect...

Youth Advocacy - what, why, when, where and how? This episode dives deep into young voices, and the positive impact, in sometimes surprising ways, that this supportive organisation, Young Sea Changers Scotland , is having both on marine policy, and on the young people involved. What a pleasure to speak to Alan Munro, Issy Jeffrey and Louis Macmillan - to hear about their journeys into giving a voi...

This is a special episode in the run up to the Scottish Government elections in May 2026, however, it retains relevance for any UK elections, and for engaging with politicians in general. This is one of the most crucial and effective ways to be an Ocean Citizen, and we're really grateful for the knowledge and insight from Rea Cris, Public Affairs Manager for the charity Open Seas . Rea passionatel...

Dr Kat Bruce is a scientist, adventurer and expedition leader, founder of NatureMetrics , and now working for the Protected Areas Foundation . In this episode, we're going on a journey from the depths of the Amazon to the Northwest Passage, via one and a half circumnavigations of the UK in a rowing boat! We're talking underwater magic with eDNA, or environmental DNA - the incredible scientific res...

We are delighted to be joined today by Megan Hamill, one of the recipient's of Seaful's inaugural Ocean Citizens Award in 2025. This incredible opportunity was generously created by Felix Appelbe, founder of Ocean Ambassadors , to support young people in their journey to becoming Ocean Citizens. Applications for the 2026 award are open until the end of February. It was a joy to catch up with Megan...

Welcome back to Our Ocean! We've had a bit of a break, but are delighted to be back at St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve, with the amazing head ranger Ciaran Hatsell and his colleagues, from The National Trust for Scotland, just in time for seal pupping season! Every year, St Abb's goes through incredible seasonal transformations. We were last here in June (check out our episode 'Seabird Spect...

Seagulls seem to divide opinion more than most wildlife! For some, they're a nostalgic sight and sound of the seaside. For others, they're a nuisance, and even a threat. In this episode, we're diving deep into why these birds, which, perhaps surprisingly, are actually made up of several endangered species, are living in more urban settings, and what can be done to navigate their curious and someti...

This is an extra special episode, recorded mid-seabird season at St Abbs Head National Nature Reserve where we are treated to one of nature's most wonderful spectacles - guillemot chicks of only 15 days old taking a leap of faith into the ocean for the first time. The 'Jumplings' can't fly, yet leap off cliffs around the UK for a couple of weeks every year to begin their lives out at sea. We're gu...

Imagine being able to fly through the water, over a magnificent seabed, at depths of up to 200 metres, without even having to get wet! The Ocean Witness report by the charity Open Seas has done exactly that, by sending an ROV, a remote operated vehicle with a camera, down into the depths over 300 times around the coast of Scotland to show us exactly what's out of sight and out of mind. This episod...

This is a short and sweet round up of what's been happening in the Ocean World! We start with an update on Seaful's Vitamin Sea Project - transformative ocean experiences from the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to the ocean, followed by a quick look at the recent UN Ocean Conference. We finish up with some ideas of how you can be an Ocean Citizen this month. This is a new style of episo...

This is a "podcast share" with 'If I Ruled The World' - a show all about system change, with the brilliant Gillian Burke. What that means is that we've recorded this episode together, to sit on both of our platforms. It's a slightly different format to what you might be used to on Our Ocean - a little bit longer, and less of an interview, more of a conversation. Less facts and figures, and more ex...

We head out onto the ocean to search for wildlife with Noel Hawkins on the Shearwater tour boat in Ullapool, Northwest Scotland. Amongst some very exciting sightings, we discuss how the ocean here has changed over the years that Noel has been working at sea, in various roles from fisherman to marine animal rescuer and now wildlife tour guide, and the impacts of fishing and marine protected areas o...

When a Beluga Whale was sighted in a loch in Scotland, whale and dolphin enthusiasts from around the coast took to the water, headlands, and in Anthony Rigell's case, the sky to see if they could get a glimpse. In this episode, we meet the drone pilot and cetacean spotter who is feeding his sightings into conservation efforts. Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust - Whale Track app for recording and o...

In March, a sperm whale washed up on a beach near the Isle of Skye wrapped up in rope. In this episode, we delve into entanglement of large ocean creatures with Ellie Maclennan of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance. This is a difficult topic, but one with a very simple solution currently being trialled which could massively reduce the incidence of entanglement overnight. Scottish Entanglement Alli...

In this very unique episode, we head out into the beautiful Sound of Skye on a creel fishing boat with Bally Philp - a fisherman in Northwest Scotland known for his dedication to sustainable fishing practices and marine conservation. He is the chair of the Scottish Creel Fishermen's Federation, and one of the founding members of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance, with a passion for cetaceans (wha...

What do you imagine when thinking of scuba diving in Scotland? Chris Rickard takes us on an exciting journey underwater and shares the good, the bad and the ugly from thousands of dives around Scotland. Through decades of diving he has made some amazing and terrible discoveries. He's experienced everything from the smallest molluscs engineering entire seabeds, to the largest apex predators, which...

"Your reasons to continue have to be bigger than your reasons to stop." Ross recounts some truly amazing ocean experiences, and what kept him going on his world-record circumnavigation of the UK in 2018, swimming for up to 12 hours a day for 157 days (spoiler alert, there were some incredible animal encounters!). His next challenge is difficult to imagine: In his words, it isn't a sprint, it isn't...

This is about a tiny but mighty creature creating entire underwater ecosystems! We get hands on with Native Scottish Oysters in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, with Ailsa Mclellan of Seawilding. Ailsa is an amazing marine scientist and ocean campaigner, and explains how Marine Habitat Restoration could be the antidote to the destruction of the seabed, and a boost for people's hopefulness... T...