Stand Up for Our Seas

In February 2019, four women will embark on an unprecedented 100km stand up paddleboarding expedition around Baa Atoll, Maldives. 

Veterinary surgeons Dr Cal Major and Dr Claire Petros from the UK, and ocean advocates Dhafeena “Dhafy” Hassan Ibrahim and Shaaziya “Saazu” Saeed from the Maldives, will be exploring the threats faced by the environment and marine life from plastic pollution, ghost fishing gear, and climate change. 

Stand Up for Our Seas is sponsored by Coco Collection and is being conducted in collaboration with Coco Collection’s CSR partner Olive Ridley Project (ORP), a UK charity based in the Indian Ocean which rescues and rehabilitates turtles entangled by discarded fishing nets.

The team will travel on stand up paddleboards around Baa Atoll, stopping off at different local islands and resorts, running beach clean-ups, hosting talks at schools, and giving presentations to various resorts and their guests. They will also be highlighting the steps and initiatives already underway by the local communities to tackle these issues. 

The Stand Up for Our Seas team will set off from Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu on February 21st, and they will travel around the majority of the atoll. They will end their expedition back at Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu on February 28th. 

The Stand Up for Our Seas team will be accompanied by a support boat comprising of a team from the Olive Ridley Project. They will also be joined by award-winning landscape and adventure photographer and filmmaker, James Appleton. James will be documenting the entire expedition with photographs and films.

To follow along on this exciting journey, make sure to follow us and the team on social media:

Facebook: @standupforourseas
Instagram: @standupforourseas
Twitter: @up_seas