Prince Khaled bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia had a dream: to fund research expeditions focused on the health of the ocean. The dream became reality when the Living Oceans Foundation was founded in California.
SportDiver
By Patricia West
The foundation has been running Global Reef Expeditions since 2011, and so far, teams have been to the Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica, Colombia, Fiji, Galapagos and French Polynesia.
Some students I remember for their grades, their quick answers, or a moment that made the whole class laugh. Others I remember for the way they stepped into the mangroves.
Desta was the kind of student who thrived outdoors. While some students hesitated at the edge of the mud, he walked right in. And when he inevitably got stuck — because everyone does — he didn’t get frustrated. He laughed. Covered in mud, holding mangrove propagules in his hands, he embraced the experience fully.
Even then, it was clear that he was connecting with the environment in a way that went beyond the lesson plan…
There are certain faces you never forget.
Over the years, hundreds of students have stepped into mangrove forests with us through the Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) program. I may not always remember every name, but I remember the expressions — the hesitation before stepping into thick mud, the laughter when someone loses a shoe, the look of surprise when they catch that unmistakable sulfur smell rising from the mangrove soil…
