Saltwater Stories: Ocean Moments That Changed Us
Laura Crane, pro surfer. Devon, UK
This will have to be the first wave I caught at 7 years old, it was the first time i ever felt like i belonged somewhere. Since that day, the ocean has been everything to me.
Bella, founder of Immersia Freedive school. Sydney, AUS
I’ll never forget it. I was on a trip in French Polynesia observing humpbacks, when one whale turned off course towards me. She made a beeline for me, turning at the last second and spreading her fins out to avoid hitting me. Time slowed to a fraction as I watched her belly swish past me, and she rolled on her back playfully before swimming off. I’m not a religious person but that moment felt spiritual, a moment of acknowledgement between creatures of different worlds.
Lindsey, founder of Marnie Rays surf trips. London, UK
Had woken up feeling incredibly anxious one morning whilst away in Portugal. Decided a surf was the only thing to sort me out. I paddled out, waves were kinder than usual, the sun was rising and the sky was that really specific pink tone that only happens at dawn. The line-up was quiet and I sat out back to try and gather my thoughts. As I was sitting there a pod of dolphins surfaced so close to me and were being really playful. They were going under my board and criss-crossing in front of me. It's safe to say that my anxiety went away after that. I always say 'you never regret getting in' (the water) no matter the activity.
Jena, Fulmar’s founder. Cornwall, UK
I think it must be when we came across a pod of around 1000 dolphins and whales in the Maldives - they were pretty timid when we were in the water so one by one we got to hang off the bow of the boat, hold on to a rope for dear life and swam eye to eye with them as they jumped all around me. They would look me directly in the eye as if to say what are you doing here, human?
Keke Lindgard, model & surfer, Hawaii.
When I first stepped foot into an ocean that wasn’t my backyard in Hawaii. I was 15 and visiting NYC for the first time when I went swimming at Coney Island - big mistake as I stepped on a plastic bag and was hit by a dirty diaper all within 5 seconds of stepping into the murky salt water. It was at that moment my gratitude for the healthy oceans I grew up with started.
Standing on my first wave my dad pushed me into on Chun’s reef - I remember feeling the energy of the ocean push me - it was both forceful but grounding. There has never been anywhere else in the world that balances the chaotic energy of the waves with the calmness and grounding sense of nature. Every time I stand up on a wave, I remember that feeling and am grateful all over again.
Mykim Dang, artist & creator. Maine, US.
It's difficult for me to pinpoint just one favorite moment when it comes to my memories in the sea. I feel so lucky to have cultivated a deep connection to it in my life through my culture, surfing and freediving. When I think of the memories that stand out the most, they are those I've shared with other curious water women, teaching them how to find their own way in it through swimming and freediving or sharing space with it's wildlife all over the world. It has taught me so much about how to move through difficult times in my life too. Everything somehow gets the volume turned way down and all the way up when you are under there - there is nothing else like it.
The Day We Launched Fulmar!
On a calm June morning, we brought together some like-minded ladies to officially launch Fulmar. Rather than a show room or a press release, the most natural thing for us to do was a beach clean followed by a surf lesson in our home county of Cornwall.
What made it special wasn’t just the suits, but the feeling that we were stepping into something together - something slow, intentional, and sea-soaked.
Amanda Ten Wolde, diver & founder of Beach-Street skincare, Netherlands.
Growing up between the Netherlands, Spain, and the Caribbean, the ocean has always felt like home. It started with a fascination for marine life as a child, hours spent exploring coastlines and watching the rhythm of the waves. As I grew older, that fascination turned into something deeper - a lifestyle rooted in surfing, diving, and a constant pull toward the water, no matter where I was in the world. Through my travels, studies, and career, the ocean remained my constant. It became my reset, my inspiration, and at times, my compass. Underwater, everything changes - the chaos of the surface world softens, and there’s only breath, movement, and the awareness that you’re part of something much bigger than yourself. That sense of connection taught me resilience. It helped me navigate both calm and storm in my personal and professional life. Beach-Street was born from that connection. My mother and I started the company not just to make another skincare brand, but to create something rooted in purpose - a way to care for people and planet at the same time. With every product, we challenge the norms of the beauty industry by refusing to compromise: on quality, ethics, or the environment. Being a founder is not always smooth sailing. But the ocean has taught me to hold steady - to dive deeper, breathe slower, and keep going. It’s the same philosophy that guides Beach-Street: protect what you love, live responsibly, and leave something better behind.
Ivy Miller, surfer & lifeguard. Southern CA
For me, it's the overall relationship I have to the ocean. The consistency that the ocean provides for my life has given me a secure attachment to nature. Knowing that it will always be there for me and I can depend on it at all times is paramount to anything in my life.
Breanna, Freediver, Sydney
A Poem named Siren
The clarity of the water is so intense, you can't tell if the beams of light are coming from above or below.
You glide through shimmering curtains of blue as the eery howling grows louder and louder.
When you reach the point to go no further you peer into the depths.
Your eyes adjust and the singer takes shape, the song finds its home; the white splash of tail and curved belly.
Something about the aches in his song is so human it is as wild and familiar as grief.
It pulls you in, cracks your heart open and gratitude washes over you to bear witness to what is sacred.
Taking Sylvia for a swim in Sydney
Bre (one of my very first Australian customers!) and I finally took our matching Sylvias out for a little line training (and a lot of fun) in Gordons Bay.
Sydney has felt quite tropical lately. Storms rolling through, wind shifting the surface, and the sea turning murky. But we got lucky this day - clear patches opened up, the visibility was beautiful, and the water sat at a warm 24°C.
We stayed perfectly comfortable in our Sylvias, with slow swims along the seabed.
There’s something special about sharing the water with someone who discovered Fulmar on the other side of the world - and then meeting here, in it.
Jenna x
Micol, Italian freedive instructor, chef & yogi
One of my favourite ocean moments was diving past 50m feeling completely present into myself.
Not hyped, not pushing, just steady and mellow, relaxed. Freediving
brings me into a state where the mind quiets down naturally.
There is no space for overthinking, your body knows what to do from repetition, you have more than enough breath in you, and you simply respond to what is happening in real time.
At depth, especially during free fall, everything becomes very simple. gravity takes over, movement softens, and the best way to do it means total surrender. You are flying in deep blue, aware of every small sensation but without mental noise.
It feels grounded and spiritual at the same time. For me, it is not about the number, 50 metres just happens to be where I felt that deep sense of trust in my abilities, in that giant blanket of water, and in the process that led me there. That quiet confidence, that sense of full presence, is what keeps bringing me back to the ocean.
Sol, Freediver & founder of Oshan Society
The first time I dived with tiger sharks in the Maldives is still my favourite ocean moment. I remember the mix of nerves and awe as that powerful silhouette appeared through the blue, moving calmly across the
reef. There was no fear, just respect, stillness, and a deep awareness of how small I was in their world. Watching a tiger shark glide past felt humbling and grounding. It reminded me why I’m drawn to the ocean,
not for adrenaline, but for connection.
Polly Jackson, Freediver, UK
One of my most memorable ocean moments has to be the first time I shared the water, up close, with humpbacks. I had ventured out into the lagoons of Baja California with a local fisherman and two friends, in the quietest bay where there wasn’t another boat in sight. It was a completely unexpected encounter, which is what made the whole experience even more awe-inspiring. We were approached in the water by a female humpback and her calf, which they predicted was only a week old. She kept circling back to us when our tiny fins couldn’t keep up with theirs.
There was something deeply spiritual and profound about the mum trusting us to share the ocean with her newborn calf. The energy exchange we had, and the way all of my day-to-day worries just melted away in the presence of such a huge marine mammal, confirmed just how powerful the ocean has always been to me. Needless to say, there were a lot of whale tears shed that day.