Yesterday evening, we were at the International Ocean Film Tour in San Cristobal de la Laguna. The event, in its 11th edition this year, has been a catalyst for Ocean lovers worldwide, telling the incredible stories of humans who found happiness, success, and meaning in the Ocean. For us, it was an honour to be there, and the first step towards better understanding how to respect our new home and fit in with its beautiful ecosystem.
What is the International Ocean Film Tour?
The International Ocean Film Tour is an initiative born in Spain to help people understand the deeper connection between humans and their marine ecosystem. Born eleven years ago as a smaller movement to preserve the beautiful Canary Islands waters and sea life from the dangers of tourism, it has since then grown to become a full-fledged International event with a summer-long tour in multiple cities.
We have the good fortune of knowing some of the people who worked at this event since its inception: Valeria Scoppa, founder of Abissi Moda, has embraced the beautiful natural scenery of the Canary Islands and incorporated it into her fashion creations. Besides sourcing organic materials, she repurposes what cannot be recycled to give them a second life. She introduced us to this event, and we thought it was a beautiful way of stepping into the heart of our new Canary life.
A deeper connection with our environment
Hosted in the beautiful setting of the Paraninfo of the University of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, the International Ocean Film Tour documents stories of people who found a deep and meaningful connection with the Ocean. From California to Hawaii, from Scotland to Northern Ireland, and of course, in the unique Canary eco-system, the protagonists of these stories have found comfort, freedom, awareness, and purpose in their connection with the Ocean.
For some, like Canarian oceanographer Felipe Ravina, the encounter with baby whale Nika has been the inspiration to awaken the Canarians to stand up to unregulated tourism on the island and preserve the marine ecosystem.
Fitting in the puzzle
As newcomers to Tenerife, we don’t want to feel like guests on the island. We came here with the hope of finding a new sense of belonging and bringing something to this beautiful place that we are starting to call home.
The Ocean Film Tour has been an experience to start the process of understanding how to better fit in, how to bring value, and how to shape our skills with technology to have a purpose for people and the environment.