Our Daily Ocean: Day 216

With every season, there is something special about the beach.  Of course, summer (my favorite time) means swimming and soaking up the sun.  But when the cool weather comes... I can't help but appreciate a less crowded beach which ultimately means a cleaner beach.  

This is what the beach looked like on November 12, 2013... and yes, I had it all to myself.

Having the beach all to myself on such a beautiful day... was amazing.  The feeling is so special that there's really nothing like it in the world.  The sand stretching as far as I can see and the blue that never ends.... there's healing powers there.  

Have you ever wondered why we're drawn to the ocean? Or why being near water sets our minds at ease?  Dr. Wallace J. Nichols revolutionizes what we think about those questions and reveals the remarkable truth about the benefits of being, in, on, under, or simply near water in his upcoming book Blue Mind (June 2014).  To learn more about Wallace "J" Nichols and Blue Mind, please visit: 

http://www.wallacejnichols.org/

20 minutes on November 12, 2013 at Access 17

Litter by weight: 5.8 oz

Cigarette butts: 51

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 216 days:

56,728

Our Daily Ocean: Day 138

Friday afternoon, my kids and I spent the better part of 4 hours at the beach.  Our time started out hanging out with friends.  Kids in the water jumping waves and boogie boarding left me with no "time" to do a focused beach clean up.  As easy as it is to take 20 minutes at the beach to clean up... being a mom means that it's more important to make sure our kids are safe while playing in the ocean.

While my kids and my friend Tracy's kids were playing in the water we could not stop mentioning how beautiful the water was... the most gorgeous blues.  I said to my friend, "How lucky are our kids to grow up here?" Seriously, there are so many times when I nearly pinch myself that this is where I am.  I just feel so good being here.  There's something to be said about the amazing effect the ocean has on people.  I've seen how the ocean has the power to "free" and empower people by volunteering with my friends Ocean Cure for Life Rolls On and while watching their autistic surf camps, I've seen the healing powers of the ocean in full effect.  The ocean calms, reenergizes and heals us.  Dr. Wallace "J" Nichols is exploring this ocean-mind connection aka BLUEMIND to bring a scientific understanding to what exactly happens to our brains when in the presence of the sea and bring about much needed ocean conservation efforts.  Learn more here: BLUEMIND2: Where Nostalgia is Born

Once my friend Tracy left, my husband came out to the beach with his stand up paddleboard and took my kids SUPing.  That left me plenty of time to take 20 minutes and clean up the beach!  I have to say that overall, I was very happy because there wasn't much litter on the beach... but I am unfortunately still finding way too many straws around the Oceanic dining pier.  I've talked to Oceanic several times about this issue.  Since Miami recently banned straws, I feel a renewed sense of hope that this year will be the year that Oceanic finds a way to fix their straw problem.

If you recall, at the end of April, my family and I attended the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) public comment hearing on seismic testing in the Atlantic Ocean.  We are adamantly opposed to seismic testing, which will no doubt lead to off-shore drilling for oil and gas.  Remember: testing = drilling and drilling = spilling.  BOEM is taking public comment on this until May 30.  Surfrider Foundation has made it easy for you to make a public comment to the BOEM by creating an Action Alert.  Please take 2 seconds and add your voice to let BOEM know that we all don't want seismic testing (or drilling) in the Atlantic Ocean.

Protect the Atlantic Coast from Seismic Surveys 

20 minutes on May 11, 2012 at Access 36
Litter by weight: 5.5 oz
Cigarette butts: 101
Straws: 18

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 138 days:

44,951