Simon Mahan

I have always thought the oceans are important. (When I was in grade-school, I dressed as a dolphin caught in a net for Halloween.) I think people need to care about the oceans because it touches so many lives. There’s no getting around it; we’re all connected to the oceans.

Oceans make me think of vastness and fragility; beauty and violence; purity and pollution; and that early 90s television show, SeaQuest. But they also make me think of the fun things you can do in them. Some of my favorite activities are fishing and snorkeling, because it’s a whole different world underwater. Fishing lets me visit that world one citizen at a time. When it comes to my favorite ocean creature, I’m tempted to say “Sharks” or “Turtles,” but I honestly have to go with nudibranchs. Invertebrates are some of the most frequently ignored animals on the planet. But they’re so diverse, how can they be missed?

Part of my job at Oceana is to help spread the word about how every-day people are affected by the oceans and how they can get involved in protecting them. It’s great work and I’m honored to do it.