Women of water: meet Alex
The next conversation in our Women of Water series is with ocean lover and conservationist, Alex.
Alex shares how a childhood love for orcas led to a life dedicated to the ocean and a deep passion for protecting their freedom.
We talk about trusting our connection to the ocean and where that journey can take us, exploring our relationship with nature, the role we each play in protecting it, and the simple ways we can all make a difference for our oceans.
Read the full conversation below.
What’s your earliest memory of the sea?
“Growing up, I was lucky to have all my earliest memories living by the sea. I was always felt gravitated to being close to the ocean, under the water, or looking for whatever lived in it and not much has changed!”
Where did your relationship with the ocean begin?
“It started as fascination and after I watched Free Willy somehow became my entire life! I remember watching Willy jump over Jesse in the last scene to freedom and asking my mum how I could help.
So she let me call the orca helpline they gave at the end of the film, and I feel that’s my earliest memory of a relationship of wanting to help the ocean starting.
Working with Dolphin Project, and more recently WeWhale and Iberian Orca Guardians, turned that love into something I could actually fight for, particularly dolphins and orcas.”
What does the ocean mean to you?
“Probably the place where I feel most like myself. It’s where I go when I need to reset my nervous system, feel calm, feel inspired. Cancers will understand.
I’m now so lucky that most days It’s also my office!”
How has the ocean shaped or changed your life?
“Completely. It’s taken me around the world, introduced me to extraordinary animals and people, and given me something worth standing up for.
I’ve spent years documenting dolphins and orcas, from Taiji to the Iberian Peninsula, and they’ve fundamentally changed how I see our relationship with the natural world.”
What are you most protective of when it comes to our oceans?
“A dolphin’s right to simply be wild. So much of my work with dolphins and orcas comes back to that; protecting their freedom, their families and their right to exist without us constantly interfering.”
What’s something you feel the ocean has taught you that you’d like to share with others?
“That we’re not separate from nature, even though we behave like we are. And you don’t need to be a scientist or conservationist to make a difference. Caring is a pretty powerful place to start.”
What’s a moment you’ve experienced in the sea that you’d like to relive?
“I feel so lucky to have had so many encounters with orcas, but I think seeing them for the first time again and reliving that feeling would be up there!
I was at Kiln Park on San Juan Island as J26 Mike surfaced with his family. The same orcas that can be seen in the opening titles of Free Willy! It was pretty special for my first encounter.
More recently, 6 years ago, I saw a tiny orca that later became known as Atlas. I’ve been able to watch him grow and see some of his milestones, and I quickly developed a soft spot (he’s my favourite orca) for him. So also maybe seeing him as a tiny calf again.”
What does being a water woman mean to you?
“Being part of an amazing community of ocean women doing incredible things, speaking up for animals that can’t speak for themselves, pushing boundaries, supporting each other and making sure female voices are heard in conservation.
It’s about being strong, passionate, probably a little bit stubborn… and spending most of our lives wet, salty, sunburnt and still thinking we have the best jobs in the world.”
You can follow Alex’s conservation work at Alex in Waterlust
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