The Ocean Citizens Award - a Fintastic Summer on the West Coast of Scotland

We are delighted to be joined today by Megan Hamill, one of the recipient's of Seaful's inaugaral Ocean Citizens Award in 2025. This monetary award was created with Felix Appelbe, founder of Ocean Ambassadors, to support young people in their journey to becoming Ocean Citizens, and applications for the 2026 award are open until the end of February.

It was a joy to catch up with Megan - an ocean advocate from the Isle of Arran, and hear all about her Fintastic summer on the West Coast of Scotland with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the Community of Arran Seabed Trust, and how the courses and experiences the award supported have helped her on her journey in marine conservation.

We hear about Megan's search for cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), and hear about some surprising species which call Scotland's waters home, including a very unassuming apex predator! We also hear about Megan's love for seabirds, and the new islands she'll be journeying to this year.

You can read more about Megan's journey here.

To apply for the Ocean Citizens award (ages 16-25), please head to: https://seaful.org.uk/ocean-citizens-award/

Manx Shearwater sound effect recorded by David Boyle, XC1023582. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1023582

Learn more about Young Sea Changers Scotland's Turning The Tide Course for 16-25 year olds.

This episode was recorded and edited by Adventurous Audio.

The Our Ocean podcast is brought to you by Seaful, the UK charity dedicated to connecting people to our ocean. To donate, please visit our website.

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You can connect with The Our Ocean Podcast's host Cal Major through her Website, Instagram or Facebook.