Blue Spaces & Belonging
- IAmWaterFoundation
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Through years of working with young people, Marlin reflects on how the ocean became a space of healing, growth, and belonging for him, and how those same moments continue to shape the children he works with today.
I still remember the first time I really saw the sea. Not on TV, not behind glass at an aquarium, but with my own eyes. I had tried snorkelling once at a Two Oceans Aquarium camp and backed out because no one taught me how to breathe properly. In 2017 I joined I AM WATER and everything shifted.
We started with breathing and stretching, and I remember this being the first time I was intentional with my body. I slowed down, cleared my head, and really breathed. I felt so calm I could have fallen asleep. That breathing practice stays with me now; when life is heavy or my mind races I return to it and I feel steady again.
When it was time to go deeper, fear came back. We were heading out past where you can touch the ground, into kelp forest and cold water. I was shaking. Surrounded by experienced divers and lifeguards, I felt like the boy from Capricorn who couldn’t swim. But my love for the ocean pushed me forward. Peter pulled me on a buoy into the kelp forest. I focused on the rhythm of my breath in the snorkel. And then, the world below opened.
Fish, kelp, light shifting, a flood of emotion: joy, bravery, wonder, pride. I cried a little, and I couldn’t stop smiling. That moment changed me. It showed me that I belonged in the ocean, and from that belonging came responsibility: to bring others in, especially young people who have never had this chance.
I breathe in the salt and hold the world,
Lungs full of courage, mouth full of sky.
I go under and I find myself not lost but found,
A place where fear becomes a tide I can ride.
What the Ocean Does for Me
Calm and Clarity
The breathing and slow movement in water calm the nervous system. When my mind is loud, those same breaths bring me back to a clear headspace.
Courage and Presence
Facing the deep taught me how to stay present in hard moments. I learned to let fear sit beside me without letting it control me.
Purpose
That first glimpse of life under the surface turned a childhood dream into action. It became a life of giving this experience to others.
The Emotional Shifts I’ve Seen in Children
I’ve worked with kids from under-resourced communities, schools, and inclusive programmes, children in wheelchairs, burn survivors, kids sensitive to light and texture. Many had never touched sand before. Each time the pattern repeats:
Before the water
tight shoulders, hesitation, quiet faces.
During warm-ups
Visible softening; shoulders drop; eyes slow; trust grows.
In the water
Pure joy, big smiles, laughter, tears. Some won’t get out. Some say it’s the first time they felt free.
I remember one boy terrified of the snorkel. By the end of the session he was pointing at fish and shouting for his friends to look. He turned to me, eyes shining, and said, “I didn’t know I could do that.” That moment, is why I keep doing this work.
First touch of sand,
First breath through a mask,
The ocean whispers: you belong.
A small hand grips mine and lets go,
A child floats and the whole world rearranges.
Why Children Need Blue Spaces Now
Children in our communities face rising anxiety, isolation, overstimulation from screens, and the constant hum of danger on the streets. Early connection to nature builds belonging, empathy, and resilience. When children learn they have space to breathe, to move, and to explore without judgement, they gain practical tools to manage stress: breath control, body awareness, and the confidence to try new things.
I AM WATER’s programmes are transformative because they meet young people where they are and take them somewhere they often haven’t been: the ocean as teacher and healer. For many, a day at the beach is their first time touching sand, feeling the salt breeze, or seeing underwater life. Those first moments reshape how they see themselves and their future.
The ocean gives them a horizon that begins to feel possible rather then distant. For a child who grows up with walls, the sea, for many, becomes a door.
How Training and Programmes Multiply Impact
Training from programmes like Laureus YES and collaborations with UNICEF and other partners have helped me turn personal moments into safe, structured experiences for many children. These trainings provide leadership tools, safety protocols, and a framework to scale what works.
Each workshop is informed by those lessons; breathing exercises, inclusive entry systems, trauma-sensitive facilitation, and follow-up support so that one moment in the water can have lasting growth.
A Final Reflection
My first breath beneath the surface taught me three truths: breathe through fear, show up for others, and give people chances you wish you’d had. The ocean healed me in ways I couldn’t have planned, and I see it heal children again and again. That is why I keep bringing them to the water, so they can see the world beneath the surface, feel the calm, and take that strength back into their lives and their communities.
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