No Filter in Paradise
Two friends, one's straight one's Gay, with different backgrounds, interest, upbringing & outlook in life come together to have a Fun & honest conversation and discuss their opinions on different topics... with no filter.
No Filter in Paradise
How Responsible Tourism Can Protect Coral Reefs and Sea Turtles | EP 214
We explore how sea turtles and coral reefs shape life above and below the water, and why human choices are pushing both to the brink. Our guests explain practical fixes—awareness, responsible tourism, coral nurseries, darker night beaches—and invite everyone to help.
• how coral nurseries grow and outplant new colonies
• why turtles need multiple males and cooler sands
• light pollution and furniture blocking nesting beaches
• sunscreen, fins, and responsible diving choices
• ghost nets, fishing lines, and safe removal
• tourism pressure, feeding turtles, and crowd impacts
• resorts, runoff control, and night lighting
• education as the first fix and lasting lever
• rescue center plans and junior ranger programs
• scaling local solutions across the Caribbean
Go follow, go learn, go educate. If you want to come, if you're coming to Curaçao, you want to go explore with these guys and go do corals, go look at turtles, hit them up.
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Humans in general are the problem. Maybe we could also be the solution, hopefully.
SPEAKER_06:Really dumbed it down for like if you didn't understand that. The problem is you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_04:He wants to know about the gangbang. Basically, he's been hurt for this. No, I'm not gonna be able to do that.
SPEAKER_07:Give him the gangbang. To keep the species strong, the female turtle needs to be fertilized by seven, eight different male turtles.
SPEAKER_03:They can't do something about it, just like after leave it like a couple of things. It's already about it. So we can't even do anything. So we have a lot of hot chicks on top and some cool dudes.
SPEAKER_00:I think a lot of the eggs that are not like haven't decided they're sex yet. Like, I hope I'm a guy because I don't want to go. I don't want to go through getting back.
SPEAKER_04:Nah, y'all had us in school today. Like this was classroom was in section.
SPEAKER_06:Hey yo, what's up?
SPEAKER_03:Ala, chemisters.
SPEAKER_06:Guys, welcome back to the ABC Islands favorite podcast, No Filter in Paradise. A show about literally anything and everything between two friends. One is straight and the other is super duper black and gay babies.
SPEAKER_04:Per.
SPEAKER_06:You're black?
SPEAKER_04:I am. That's crazy.
SPEAKER_06:Couldn't tell.
SPEAKER_04:Melanated, chocolate. You know what? Call it whatever you want to.
SPEAKER_06:All right, guys. Today we have uh two special guests here today. Um, we have they're two different organizations, but one can live without the other. So we have both of them together on the show. We have Richelle and Art, artist from the C Turtle Center. I'm missing a word. Conservation. Conservation. I'm waiting, I'm waiting for I'm I missed the part. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Guys, you guys know me. I butcher all the names. I always mess it up, but it's all good. And we got Richelle from Branch Coral. Can't mess it up because it's on her shirt. So if I messed that up, you know, that would have been a problem. So, guys, welcome.
SPEAKER_07:Thank you.
unknown:Thank you.
SPEAKER_06:So before we jump into it, I'm gonna start with Richelle Ladies first. A little bit of uh tell us a little bit about Branch Coral.
SPEAKER_00:Oh god. So uh keep us short.
SPEAKER_06:We got two guests today.
SPEAKER_00:I am actually uh just quote unquote, I don't know, uh a volunteer of branch. So uh Max is a founder of Branch and he is uh in the Netherlands right now for a holiday. Nice. Um so branch is a foundation and they basically put nurseries all around the island for the coral to grow again because it's been going pretty bad. It's getting better, but um, that's what they do basically, and also awareness around the island about coral and about the educating people. Yeah, educating people.
SPEAKER_06:Nice, yeah. Turtle man, yes. Tell us a little bit about it.
SPEAKER_07:Uh Sea Turtle Conservation is an NGO based here on Curacao. Um, we stopped talking about the Curacao Turtles because uh um we're well well we are based here on Curacao, but we are protecting an ecosystem that's all over the Caribbean and basically all over the world.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_07:So um doing our best here to um, like the the Coral Foundation does, uh, educate people about what's going on. It's for many, many people a complete hidden world. Um, there's a lot of misunderstanding about uh what turtles do in the ecosystem, uh, how the actual situation is. Um, but the the yeah, the other thing here is that we have to rescue quite some turtles because of many different uh reasons. They're quite threatened here at the island.
SPEAKER_06:But is it something I mean threatened on the island, but all over the world is the same problem?
SPEAKER_07:Yeah, all over the world, yes. All the sea turtles are endangered or critically endangered. So this says already a bit about their status, they're really high listed at the red list of uh endangered species.
SPEAKER_06:So for both of you guys, so what what's endangering turtles and what's endangering corals? Like what's attacking them or like making them die, I guess. Like plastic, I guess. No, no, but I mean it's like, for example, this is people, I think maybe, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Call it out. Let me just tell you something real quick. Welcome to No Filter in Paradise. No filter. So say what you gotta say. Because we need to get the message across to the people. And if they understand, they need to understand that hey, you are the problem. You're the problem. That's what I'm talking about. That's the energy. So let's go.
SPEAKER_06:So, for example, if a turtle sees a plastic bag, it thinks the jellyfish eats it. But like, I want to know, like, then how does a coral get a big thing?
SPEAKER_07:Well, this is exactly uh there's a great example what you give now. What we see is that not only the turtles eating jellyfishes confuse them for plastic bags. Yeah, but the bad thing is um on these plastic bags, for example, algae grow really fast. Yeah, plastic bags are gonna smell and look like food for them. So it's not only jellyfish eating turtles, but also other organisms in the ocean. They and and that's what we understand now, little by little more. It's not offering a jellyfish, fake jellyfish to a turtle. No, you're adding something to an ecosystem, but at the end, completely sorry, fucked up by what we add to the system. You don't have to be sorry, and little by little we find out what all the effects are, and it's it's amazing how much we do by our presence in a system that was basically not ours. We were made to be on shore, yeah, and this whole system in water. And by being so present in the ocean, we do a lot of things, uh often not knowing what we are doing, not on purpose, but affecting it a lot. So and same thing for the coral.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, kind of. I think the the a few things are different. For example, um, humans in general are the problem. Maybe we could also be the solution, hopefully. Uh, but I think for corals, for example, putting on sunscreen that's bad for the corals. I think it's also implies for turtles. Uh, I think building around uh uh around the corals and around the beaches, all these resorts and everything, it's nice. Tourism is good for the island and other islands, of course, as well, but it's also not good for the reefs, the turtles, the ecosystem.
SPEAKER_06:So, what should people put instead of sunscreen? What what do you recommend? There are coral-friendly sunsplots. So, like yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_00:Or just burn the hell. Just burn the Indians burn back then.
SPEAKER_06:So I don't I don't wear sunblock when I go maybe only on my head because my birthmark, but that's it, nothing else.
SPEAKER_07:Yeah, but you can protect yourself by wearing a rest card, for example. That's a really easy solution. Uh, you have to spend some money on it, but it lasts for years. So, yeah, think about options. And and it's not that we say don't do, but our slogan actually is, for example, enjoy nature, respect wildlife. We have to balance things, and of course, you have to protect yourself, yeah, but do it in a balanced way.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, for us, for example, we obviously dive a lot as well. There's also around this island a lot of diving communities, a lot of divers, uh, but just dive responsibly. So don't go touching things, uh, watch where you're going, stuff like that. That's often the problem as well.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, look, like even when um in Bonaire as well, they were explaining to us when you're when you have fins, like it's an extension, careful where you're hitting.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, people often don't know where they go.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, no, they try to stand on stuff.
SPEAKER_04:I'm like, do you all see a lot of, especially like in the marine life, do you see a lot of pollution in the ocean? Going diving, and of course, same for you. Is that something you see very common? And how bad is the situation if you have to rate it like one to ten?
SPEAKER_05:That's fine.
SPEAKER_07:Yeah, one of the worst things for us.
SPEAKER_05:One second.
SPEAKER_07:One of the worst things for us is the uh the nesting beaches, uh, and that's not pollution we find there because of the tourist pressure actually at the island, but that's ocean plastic that washes the shore. Um, you can solve that problem by by cleaning it up constantly, but you have to be there every almost every single day to clean it up. So, yeah, this is really a big one. Uh, fish lines, for example, not only for turtles but corals as well. They get entangled in the corals, people keep on pulling them. For us, too. When we are cleaning up, we have to be really careful not to pull a line, but just cut it in pieces, uh, remove it carefully, but surely break the corals. Uh, yeah, but it's fish lines are everywhere, and and yeah, these are a big threat for a lot of things in that ecosystem. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:So I want to know how important are corals for the ecosystem? Like, you know what I mean? Like people sometimes they say if there's no corals, like the ocean can die or something like that.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, basically, yeah. Life starts at coral. Okay. Basically, so everything that happens underwater influences things above the water, basically. Uh, I mean, the ecosystem itself will be unbalanced if coral dies out or parts of coral dies out. Uh, but also it it it um uh when like hurricanes or stuff like that, it's it's also uh protective of the land, basically.
SPEAKER_04:I've heard I've heard this. A lot of people have said this that like the corals is what helps uh break the waves, the underwater waves. For that's why a lot of times we are outside of the hurricane belt. Yeah, because we have so many corals. But if people keep fucking it up, exactly soon we won't be outside of the hurricane belt anymore.
SPEAKER_00:And it's also, I mean, obviously, it's also algae grow there, so it's food for the fish, but fish also hide in there, so it's it's so whole basically. If all of our buildings would be wiped down, I think that would be the same. What do we have yeah, what are we doing? Above water as underwater with the corals.
SPEAKER_06:And how does like because and earlier you guys said one helps the other? Uh huh. How exactly does that work?
SPEAKER_07:The turtles are uh uh the top of the triangle of the ecosystem, but they depend, yes. So together with the sharks, they are basically the trash containers of the ocean. So if you take the turtles and the sharks away from the ocean, there's nobody emptying the trash bins along the street, let's say. And the trash bins, the corals are like the beautiful buildings, but you have to keep everything clean. The turtles are, for example, cleaning up corals by eating the algae, uh, they're removing the dead, uh, the unhealthy sick fish from uh from the reefs, like the sharks do. So, yeah, to keep the the basic construction, the buildings uh um clean, you need first the small fishes and and so on till the big uh trash trucks in the ocean to keep the whole system rolling the right way.
unknown:Damn.
SPEAKER_00:Symbolism, yeah. It's like a maintenance, guys. That is a really good way to do it.
SPEAKER_06:And the building, it's a really good way to put it. I love this. Like you really dumbed it down for it. Like, if you didn't understand that, the problem is you.
SPEAKER_07:I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Maybe it is, but we try to explain it already so many times, and it's difficult because for many people it's uh it's it's really far away from from where they live and it's a totally different world.
SPEAKER_00:But yeah, I also often think that if a problem is uh as big as this is, people also hide from it. Like if it's too big of a problem, people don't think they can actually handle it or they can help the problem.
SPEAKER_03:They can't do something about it, so it's like uh leave it at the end.
SPEAKER_00:It's already got it, so we can't even do anything about it. But it it is like like I said earlier, like people mainly are the problem, but we could also be the solution if we work together.
SPEAKER_04:So if we are talking more on solution based, what would I would like to hear two from you? What are two solutions that you think we as the people could and should do to protect the the turtles and the same thing for the corals? I would love to know this.
SPEAKER_07:Two solutions to solve what's going on now. I think the the most important one is awareness. And if we start with awareness, you change the mindset of people because that basically is something we have to do. Um, we can we can add more turtle rescuers, uh uh drive around more, pick up more plastic from the beaches, or or but we have to change the mentality of the people, and you cannot change the mentality of the people if they if they're not aware of what's going on. So I want to invite everybody to participate, to to see what we are doing, they're always welcome to join our activities to change the mindset. But it starts with education and awareness, and um, yeah, like what Richelle said, uh, if it's too far away from where you live and you have no idea about what's going on there, why would you change your attitude? Because there's no reason for that. Or maybe you feel like uh yeah, I'm I'm too small for that, but the problem is already so big. No, everybody can do something, but it starts with for us the little kids, start educating them. There's already a lost generation. Yep. Um we try to invest in everybody, but it works way better if you start with the small kids. So in our case, we want to start with the rescue center, invite the people there, make them part of what's going on. And I think that's the solution. Make people aware of what's going on, so involve them in the activities. I messed with that.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my god, I don't know if I can add a lot more than that. How do you stop that? I was gonna say education as well and awareness and spreading to other people as well. So if you're um uh if if you're down to help and and to get to know the problem and everything, also spread it to other people. It starts with you, but obviously people have friends and family around them, and if you educate them as well and get them enthusiastic about a certain uh project or volunteering or something like that, uh that's also helpful. I mean, for the coral restoration, it would be helpful if you're diving, but you don't have to be diving if it's like more the practical things that I would uh that I would uh talk about now. Like on the island, uh there's a lot of volunteering work in branch in the restoration coral, coral coral restoration, but also in in your with you, you don't even have to have like a diving uh thing. Everyone can help you. Kids.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's great.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so just reach out and also think about what you can do practically.
SPEAKER_04:Now, do you all do like coral farming?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, kind of. Uh we call it coral nurseries. Oh, nurseries, that's the name. Yeah, that's it. It's over cute. I love all that I get people excited, yeah. Yeah, so we do uh coral nurseries, I think. Uh, like I said, I'm a volunteer, so I don't know like the specifics, but I think uh Max has been doing it for about three years now.
SPEAKER_04:Nice. Uh shout out to Max, by the way.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, definitely, yeah. And there's like he's been building the last year. They, everyone, we have been building a lot as well. Uh, and these nurseries are basically structures, which is like uh like one pole, long what one long pole and like horizontal poles in there as well. And then uh from those poles, we hang small pieces of uh corals. So what we do is we cut the corals, it's okay. Uh y'all don't do it at home. They don't do gangbangs, they do they are uh uh they are very solo.
SPEAKER_06:That's why. We're gonna get to the game. You didn't get the reference, but you will get it soon.
SPEAKER_00:I'm gonna look a little weird.
SPEAKER_06:Like, who's this crazy girl?
SPEAKER_00:Oh yeah. So they are solo, they uh put reproduce asexual like asexual, asexually. Um so if you cut them like plants, they will grow.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So it's basically one uh uh whole DNA that they all share. So you cut them really small, like a few centimeters, we hang them in those nurseries, and about half a year later, they're like 35 centimeters. They're like 35 centimeters, and then we actually put them out in other structures that are like uh square structures made from bamboo. Um we put them high like half a meter from the ground. I don't know what that is in USA things. We were with meters, don't worry about that. Oh awesome. Um so that's to protect them from other animals or mostly algae, actually. So we put them high from the from the ground. Uh and then after I think about a year, the bamboo is actually gone and they're just structures on its own.
SPEAKER_06:Oh wow. So I don't know if that's gonna grow on the on the on the bottom. Yeah. Oh, that's cool.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:I mean, we've seen the the the whole thing. I've seen structure ones, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. And we clean those every other week, I think. Uh we have a cleaning this Tuesday again. Nice. Um, and there's so many nurseries around the island already. So every week there's something going on, like two two places on the island.
SPEAKER_06:Um, yeah, how big is how big is this team? Because like if you're diving every other time, sorry, how big how big is like the branch team? Many divers or volunteers?
SPEAKER_00:Uh actually, it's like 150 volunteers. Um excuse to go diving, right?
SPEAKER_06:Exactly, right?
SPEAKER_00:Oh my god. Yeah, that's why I love it as well. Because I I've been diving for a long time. I've been diving for a lot as well, but I always like love diving with a goal. So at some point, I mean, especially if you're always on the same places on the same island, at some point it's gonna be a little bit, yeah, I wouldn't say boring because there's always something to see. Uh, but diving with a goal is just amazing, especially if it's this goal. So I love that.
SPEAKER_04:Y'all gotta give it up to miscongeniality because you you won that one. You won that one.
SPEAKER_00:I can win their hearts.
SPEAKER_04:One coral at a time.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_04:Now, I for both this is a question for both of you. I don't know how it is here in Curaçao, but I know in Aruba, we had like a very big situation with the fishermen and spear fishing, where they kind of got a little bit reckless with it, and they were kind of like shooting almost everything that was in a way. So the corals would get it. Um, they were how bad is that situation here?
SPEAKER_00:Is I don't know the situation uh specifically with you guys, but it's it's pretty bad here. So that's a big thing. Yeah, so uh also like the damaging of the coral, but also the overfishing, you know, too much fishing would take the fish away, which eat the algae from the corals, which make the coral sick.
SPEAKER_04:So this is what the turtles need to eat as well. Yeah, it's the children.
SPEAKER_00:So yeah. Domino effect. Y'all fucking up. Stop. Oh random question.
SPEAKER_06:Because if the shark and turtles are on top, the triangle, what are the other two? What's the other two? So the triangle? Yeah, sharks.
SPEAKER_07:They're gonna struggle like it down. I can't talk. It's it's not like a triangle, it's more like a pyramid.
SPEAKER_06:So it's a triangle, Jay-Z. All right, there's a shark's on top with the turtles, the other two bottoms. What's that? Teamwork.
SPEAKER_07:It's not two bottoms, it's um, it's more like uh a pyramid. Every it starts with with algae's and yes, got it, like a foot, like the food.
SPEAKER_06:Like a food chain, yes, exactly. So, what's the bottom? Like walk me through this triangle.
SPEAKER_07:I want to know what's what yeah, the ecosystem is so complicated, but well, it starts with algae, uh, and and algae we don't like here at the island because that turns our blue waters green. Yeah, um, but yeah, we have a whole system cleaning it up, and so if if we are careful, you see it easily uh nowadays if they construct these these breakers uh in the water, um, the dams and everything. You uh this stable uh you unstable a system that was stable itself, but you create like a calm area, and that's perfect because you can swim in that calm area, there's no waves, it's safe, you have a great overview. But you need a current and you need the circulation of the water to keep the water clean. And what happens is really quick that it gets completely green, and that will be eaten by the fishes, uh um the turtles, whatever. But if the algae grow in these uh huge amounts, and it's the same with the floating algae, we know, and the floating seaweeds like the sagasso seaweed, um, these amounts are nowadays because of climate change amazing. A temperature raise of two or three degrees makes that algae grow a lot more, but also the Sargasso seaweed is is blooming like crazy, and that system is also completely uh disbalanced. So our beautiful blue waters turn into green waters, and our beautiful beaches, and you know, maybe the examples from Mexico and all the other countries surrounding us, many of these beaches are now actually covered by Sargasso seaweed, basically baby food for sea turtles, yeah, but it escaped from the Sargasso Sea and is now covering up the whole Caribbean. It's a big problem in many touristic areas to keep the beaches clean every time. Um but that is that is another effect of disbalancing systems. How does the seaweed look? It's it's well, it looks like gold, it's it's beautiful floating seaweed, like brownish, and it turns more and more brown the drier it gets. Yes. But yeah, we we call it the golden phase, is the phase that it's blooming in the oceans, and then when it washes ashore, it's gonna get brown, covering up beaches, uh and and yeah, permanent.
SPEAKER_04:In the plain, you see these a lot when you look back, you see a lot of like plecia.
SPEAKER_07:It looks like oil spills, but it's uh yeah, that is that is Sargasso seaweed, it basically escaped from the Sargasso Sea north of Bermuda, the Bermuda triangle area. An amazing system there. All the sea turtle babies, the hatchlings from the whole Atlantic go there for the first five years of their life. Really?
SPEAKER_06:That place has to be filled with turtles.
SPEAKER_07:It's baby food, it's there's crab, shrimp, whatever inside there. So it's the perfect spot for the turtles. But now, because of disbalancing currents, whatever, it spread it out over the whole uh Atlantic, uh, got fertilized by the Amazon, all the runoff of the the deforestation of the Amazon, for example, illegal gold mining, all the heavy metals, everything is soaked up by these algae. So they're full of heavy metals, but they are full of nutrients as well, and then they they come into the Caribbean Sea and they uh um yeah, mainly in the touristic areas. It's a huge problem because the beaches are full, but uh here at the island too, it it kills turtles at the end.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, oh no, we don't need that. And you said the turtles are actually going extinct? Yes, like very soon it could turtles, that's what he was saying. Like, so they're in a very big state of actually going extinct real real soon if we don't start doing stuff about it. No way, we might not.
SPEAKER_06:Like a whole gang is out of the show, but like hey, we want to be part of the show.
SPEAKER_04:Okay, wait, you guys like all the other full body?
SPEAKER_06:No, anyways. So so wait, explain to me um this whole extinct situation. Yeah, the extinction uh is that something you see happening soon, or yeah.
SPEAKER_07:Well, it it's nice that Richelle just talked about the corals. You can cut them in pieces and they uh they grow again and they reproduce. We cannot do so with turtles. Um chop them or yeah, we can chop them.
SPEAKER_06:Don't get mad, please.
SPEAKER_07:The only thing we can do for turtles is protect their uh um the nesting beaches, for example. Okay, uh they have to return to the place where they were born. Yeah, so um if you put a beach full of beach beds, for example, palapas, whatever, uh they try a couple of times, two, three nights, but if they don't manage to lay their eggs at the beach, they go back into the water and drop them in the ocean. They are already at the highest level, close to extinction. Um, we cannot reproduce them in in zoos like they did with the pandas and whatever. Because you have to reproduce them at the spot where they were born, they remember where they were born. That makes it so difficult to support the system. The only thing we can do, and basically we have to do, is make sure that their nesting areas remain accessible for them, yeah. And remove, for example, light pollution. Um, so when they get born, they can go straight to the ocean, they can start a new cycle. But that's the only thing we can do: make sure that the nesting beaches are safe and don't occupy these spaces. And basically, what I always say at the island is there is just one group of local women here at the island. We are all imported. We imported ourselves or we were imported back in the days, but nobody here at the island is basically from the island except the turtles, these turtles.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_07:Yes, they're actually born here.
SPEAKER_06:Okay, I earlier before we started recording, you guys mentioned something about that's like the ratio right now is like one male turtle for like he wants to know about the gangbang.
SPEAKER_04:Basically, I'm helping her for this. No, I'm not gonna be able to do it.
SPEAKER_06:I'm gonna be saying it's context time. Give him the gangbang. Give him the turtle, please. There's a conversation before we started recording. I'm giving the context of what she's saying. He wants to know about a Japanese gangbang. Everybody's wondering why this chick mentioned gangbang.
SPEAKER_00:Max's gonna be mad at me as well. Like, why did you run a gangbang?
SPEAKER_06:So explain that situation. It also shows like if all the males uh turtles die, yeah, we're screwed.
SPEAKER_07:Well, there's a line. Yeah, there is something going on we don't we don't see. Um, well, we we see it sometimes when we go uh diving, for example, but um it's not like in our human system that one uh male can fertilize up to 300-400 females or produce that much offspring, but what some sperm donors do. Yeah, that that might be a solution. If you have problems, you can find a solution by doing so that works in the human world. For the turtles, it's the opposite. To keep the species strong, the female turtle needs to be fertilized by seven, eight different male turtles, and she collects a sperm for wherever she lives. So we have like a Yukorsau, uh a lady that that lays on Clan Curacao, but she lives in Mexico. We know it because of the GPS tracker. Um so she gets fertilized by seven, eight Mexican men, or it's Mexican food, but well, she lives there, moves every time to clan curacao to lay her eggs there, but she can only create healthy, strong offspring by the survival of the fittest. She basically organizes in her belly. She's in Mexico, like, guys, give me the sperm. She stores it, she takes it to Clan Curaçao, and then when she's ready, they start swimming. And uh this hold on to it? Yeah, she can keep it for three years.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're cooking the dial. Stay over there, stay over there.
SPEAKER_07:What that is crazy. To keep the species healthy and strong, and they managed to do so for millions of years. Because if you look at the fossil, they're exactly the same, only the size is a bit different, but the shape, everything, still the same. They got smaller, they are like small, yeah, they got smaller, but they are like the last dinosaurs, they survived millions of years by this strategy, compared to what we do, completely different. But it was the survival strategy of the turtles nowadays, because of climate change, it's gonna be a huge problem because one female needs at least seven or eight males. But what we see in the nests of the sea turtles is that because of changes in temperature, um, almost 100% of the newborn babies are female, and that's normally a survival strategy in nature. If there's stress, you need females, they have the reproduction capacity. But for turtles, it's the opposite, they need at least a couple of males for one female turtle, yeah. And this process, we cannot stop it because this is because of climate change. The sand gets warmer and warmer and warmer, and that makes the percentage of female turtles higher and higher because the sex is determined by the temperature of the sand. Of the sand.
SPEAKER_06:That is in the crazy words. So basically, the the eggs, what if they're neutral?
SPEAKER_07:So when they are laid, they're neutral for the first uh two weeks, and then depending on the temperature, the sex will be determined. So we have a lot of hot chicks on top and some cool dudes.
SPEAKER_00:I think a lot of the eggs that are not like haven't decided their sex yet. Like, I hope I'm a guy because I don't want to go, I don't want to go through all those gangbangs.
SPEAKER_07:Cool me down, cool me down, cool me down. I want to be a guy.
SPEAKER_04:Yes, oh my god. Wait, and then you also mentioned over palm trees, yeah. Like, so we were talking about predation relocating eggs, okay, which is again something, guys, you should not do at home. Do not disturb turtles, don't disturb nature in general. Don't touch the corals, don't touch the turtles, don't touch narra.
SPEAKER_06:People actually do that, they go and dig for the people are not good in the head.
SPEAKER_04:People eat this stuff, like there are people that eat it.
SPEAKER_07:There are so many crazy things going on, but thank you for what you said. Yes, of course, and join nature, but do it in a respectful way. Watch with your eyes, and why do we have to touch everything? And yeah, you're you're absolutely right in that. Uh um, watch from a distance and leave these kinds of things for the experts because it's a very delicate system, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:So back to that. So we were talking about when is a necessary time to relocate uh turtle eggs. Yeah, and you were saying that um once it's like next to like a palm tree, that's like a scenario. Why is that? Please bring that back again, Lei.
SPEAKER_07:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It sounds crazy because you have shade from the palm tree that makes it cooler and creates more real. But no, the problem with palm trees is they are they are, by the way, invasive species, huh? They they don't belong here at the island. What? No, all these palm trees at the beaches are imported.
SPEAKER_04:And the crazy thing about the palm trees is that they're like you are ruining my Caribbean experience. I'm ruining.
SPEAKER_07:I was like, I'm an island girl, you know, palm trees. No, but these these trees are not from here. They're not from here. Yeah, you know, there are different ways. Uh um, it started with some coconuts washing ashore, for example. But yeah, it happened a lot nowadays that because it's because of what we like.
SPEAKER_06:We were talking about a long time ago. Yes.
SPEAKER_07:Yes. But let's say that that's if you look at the pictures of 50, uh 100 years ago, you do see palm trees, but not that many and not that variation of trees. Yeah. Okay. We import a lot of trees, and with the trees, a lot of different uh species and things we don't expect. And what we did not know is that palm trees love turtle eggs. If the turtle eggs are laid close to the palm trees, the roots grow immediately into the eggs and they suck up everything and they make it coconut milk.
unknown:Right?
SPEAKER_07:Wait, what? Right? Coconut milk is something made from turtle eggs.
SPEAKER_06:Yes, it's I just like I was just drinking coconut like like three weeks ago. No joke. You murder apparently what the five shot. And that's just me, like me with my little niece. Yeah, you want some coconut? Like, let's go. Chop, chop, chop. I am mind-blown right now. So let's repeat this one more time. Because my brain can't wrap around. So there's a palm tree, and if there's eggs in the palm tree, the whatever roots penetrate the egg, absorb the protein, whatever you want to call it.
SPEAKER_07:Proteins, yes.
SPEAKER_06:And then what's in that coconut, the liquid is actually could be a bunch of baby turtles, maybe baby turtles.
SPEAKER_07:Yeah, it it these were the proteins meant to become a sea turtle. But they are sucked up by the palm tree and converted into coconut milk. That's that's the magic of nature.
SPEAKER_06:I really hope everybody who's watching this right now is like jaw drop. Nobody's eating drinking coconut ever again. All the coconut men are like, no, cancel this podcast.
SPEAKER_07:But it's it's not that every coconut tree has a couple of nestry locals. I wish, I wish it was like that.
SPEAKER_00:I hope we don't give people like ideas to put like the nest next to the palm trees to make to make it special coconut.
SPEAKER_04:Don't do this at home. Like this.
SPEAKER_06:We don't need that. No. I love Hakatu, we're good. You always have to add a couple of things. Okay, Rum. Sorry. Oh my god, this is crazy work. I have never is that when you said I was today's today's. Yeah, because now I know. Because I wanted to know what you guys were talking about. I was like, I need to know.
SPEAKER_04:That's craziness. We got so many fun facts today.
SPEAKER_06:Like I'm gonna talk about this to people.
SPEAKER_04:Y'all are really on this.
SPEAKER_06:I am really enjoying this. I can't wait to see somebody that I know just drinking coconut. Like, hey, let me tell you something real quick. I'm gonna let you finish that. Let me let you finish that. Finish it. I'll tell you after. But what about the inside of the coconut? Like when you scrape it, like what's that? Now I'm gonna go further.
SPEAKER_04:All of it is part of proteins.
SPEAKER_07:It's uh yeah, it's all I don't and I like coconut.
SPEAKER_06:I'm just like my mind.
SPEAKER_07:Imagine I know there's a lot of people peeing against the coconut tree.
SPEAKER_06:Okay, now relax. Now you're really messing it up for me.
SPEAKER_07:No, but well, that's a deep colour around the coconut tree. No, no, no. We always look at things from a human perspective. That's what it meant. Stop thinking about it from the human perspective. It's complex and uh uh try to understand a couple of things, but they are so there are amazing circles in in nature. Um, but yeah, basically what we said at the beginning, we are here not to uh um be the boss of whatever is surrounding us, but be part of the whole system in a respectful way.
SPEAKER_04:I mean, it is helping us survive. I mean, we have all these other resources because of all of this, so just like with the overfishing, like you were talking about, it's like, hey, fish, we need we want you to have jobs, but don't overdo it. Don't fish like the parrot fish that we actually need and actually helps the ecosystem and helps our beaches and helps like certain things should just be off-limits. Same thing for turtles. Why are you fishing turtles? Like, what is wrong with you?
SPEAKER_00:Do you know more about that? Is that does that happen a lot as well? The fishing of turtles?
SPEAKER_07:It still happens. There are certain uh um groups of people at the island, let me say it that way, that eat uh everything with a heart, including turtles. Um yeah, and we have to, of course, it it has to stop. It's not like it was back in the days. So the biggest threat is not now actually poaching or catching turtles, it's more what we leave in the oceans, like ghost nets, the plastics, whatever. Um, that's the biggest uh threat, actually. And the changes we make on, for example, nesting beaches. Um, but it still happens, yes. Yeah, and and there is still in the Caribbean some islands with an open hunting season. It's crazy that they are red-listed endangered species, but there is an open hunting season uh on on sea turtles at at some of the Caribbean islands, yes.
SPEAKER_06:Oh, some okay. I thought about here. Well, not here. No, no, no.
SPEAKER_04:I was like, I didn't know Chris, but all of the turtles are connected, so it doesn't matter.
SPEAKER_00:I think that's the generation that you were talking about as well. Like we have uh like people generations, of course. Like we we have to focus on the newer generations, yeah. Uh exactly, yeah, to fix the problems that the older generations kind of maybe unknowingly even. They weren't aware of it.
SPEAKER_04:What's the thing about children is that they hold older people accountable, like they would call us out and be like, well, in school they say you shouldn't do that and stuff like that. So I think it's really good that you really should continue attack like tackling the the kids because they're the smarter ones than the stubborn older ones. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06:I'm curious to know for each and one every one of you is like for you, what is right now the number one challenge that you're facing currently for with the whole coral situation? I'm only asking us who people who are watching, like, oh shit, I did that, like I should stop.
SPEAKER_00:Um, I think from the information that I have right now on the island mainly, it's a lot of building from the resorts. Uh, because a lot of debris gets into the water, and that's also affecting the corals.
SPEAKER_06:So basically, control your debris, don't let it go into the water.
SPEAKER_00:I I don't know. I mean, I like we can't say stop building uh because tourism is control your trash. Yeah, I think that's a good thing. That's what I meant. Like don't let it fly away, grab the glass. If you know a little bit more about this, please jump in. Because, like I said, uh Max probably knows a lot more about this as well. But I hear them talking about the problems with the resort building. I mean, every resort has a beach as well, and they're gonna have still water with a lot of algae. That's also gonna be a problem.
SPEAKER_04:The restaurant menus flying in the water.
SPEAKER_00:Of course, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:All those things they add they add to it because they're not originally supposed to be in there.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean it's it's a two-sided story, it's always a two-sided story because it's also good for tourism, of course, which is good for the island's equal um uh economy.
SPEAKER_04:But um, but doesn't mean you can't inform your tourists how to be proper when you see it.
SPEAKER_00:And even in this time, because we're still a visitor, yeah. Even at this time, I think it's even uh people maybe even uh would be more prone to go to resorts that are openly uh aware of how they treat their their like their ocean and their surroundings and everything, yeah.
SPEAKER_07:Yeah, I think this is a really big issue at the moment. We we invite more and more people to enjoy the beauty of what we can offer here in Curaçao. But we have to realize that inviting people also means that you have to put a lot of effort in remaining it or improving it, and and that's really difficult uh actually with other global effects like climate change and everything, everything is is going down at the moment. We are still uh a very beautiful spot here in the Caribbean. We see more and more sea turtles here, but that's not because Curacao is an amazing spot, it's mainly because uh the islands surrounding us uh don't provide them that much space anymore. And if we do the same, if we do the same, or go somewhere else, it's exactly the same here, they go somewhere else. So the best way to keep nature pristine or to keep, for example, in my case, the turtles here is offer them a good menu, offer them the algae, offer them healthy beaches, uh where they can nest, whatever. And and that's always in a way conflicting. Uh, we can occupy the beaches, but we have to do it, for example, during daytime and back off at night. And back off means back off completely. Take the beach chairs, turn off the lights, so make it accessible for the ladies because the ladies need it at night, and we can use it during daytime.
SPEAKER_01:But ladies died every night, yeah.
SPEAKER_07:But yeah, finding the balance is is difficult, and we are still finding out these kinds of things. I'm I'm yeah, the local expert, but even for me, it's finding out every day new things, and then uh um convincing or trying to explain what is going on at the beaches is really complicated because so many people here at the island uh do have different things in mind, and of course, we all want the best for ourselves, but we have to stop thinking for ourselves, we have to start thinking about us and not us, but I mean the future generation. Because we can create now hotels, a whole system uh um really accessible for whoever here, but if this whole system collapses in 50 years because there's no corals anymore, because the turtles went away because they don't like the island anymore, then the attraction of the island disappears. Yep, yeah. So we have to do these things in a really balanced way, and that means that yeah, you cannot be everywhere, or you have to leave that beach, or you have to put somewhat more effort in restoring things, but inviting people here means that we have to work hard, really hard, extra hard, also on the other side. Keep keep the garden beautiful.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah, is there a way? I mean, that's you can control where a turtle is gonna go, but is there a way to, or even for corals to have there's this one big beach that's accessible to no human person, only like turtles can come up, and you have a big nursery area where like I don't know how far out you have to go into the ocean to do nursery, but it's like imagine like a baby beach in Aruba, like that, but like it's just for turtles to come in, just for nursery and you know you know what I mean.
SPEAKER_04:From from correct me if I'm wrong, from my understanding, because I I know they explained this to me in Aruba, for instance. Um, there's like different types of turtles that lay eggs different types of places. Okay. So we have like the leather back, they might come like at the one side of the island, that's where they come in. Yeah, then you have the other ones, they come in by like eagle around that area, that's where they laid their eggs.
SPEAKER_06:It's they remember where they're what he said earlier about they remember where they were born.
SPEAKER_07:And it I think it's the same for the corals. Uh um, unfortunately, our shallows are not that wide, and uh, you have to look really careful where you do your uh restoration projects because the conditions have to be uh really good. So basically, we have to respect what we have and work with it. In in some cases, you can move to another area, but the best is to keep the places as pristine as possible or restore what is possible at the spot itself because nature picked that spot to this was it, it was perfectly placed.
SPEAKER_00:So it would be easier if to if you would do it the other way around to have like one beach for people, yeah, and then the recipe. Yeah, but I mean nothing.
SPEAKER_05:Like, nah, you're only going over here. Yeah, everybody else, you can't go there.
SPEAKER_07:Yeah, but yeah, but nature provided uh uh perfect spots to go into the water when there is just sand, that's like a path to go in. You don't hurt your feet, whatever, you don't step on corals. So respect the the things nature already placed in their position to guide us into nature, yes, and those spots which were perfect for like tourism with just the sandy parts are not very eligible for coral growth or for turtles, so that would be perfect.
SPEAKER_00:But okay, exactly.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, so now I wanted to add on to because this is something that we also see a lot going on right now, is with people and tour guides and all this good stuff of them coming along to these areas because of course they want to showcase it. Like, oh, you want to see turtles? I know a perfect spot.
SPEAKER_06:I know exactly what we're talking about.
SPEAKER_04:They're going to these specific places where the turtles are used to having like all this freedom, and they're like, Oh, it's good, there's corals, there's everything here, and now it's a popular attraction attraction where everybody's like, Oh, you have to go here. If you go to QSTA, you have to go to this location because that's where you'll see turtles for sure. Now it's not a hidden gem, it's a main attraction. Everybody's always there, and when they go now, they're also now feeding the turtles like bread and stuff like that. Again, things that humans consume.
SPEAKER_00:It's it's they don't need it. It's not a hidden gem anymore, it's like a horror show, basically, for us. Yeah, but I think you can tell them.
SPEAKER_07:Well, nature is rebalancing itself. Uh, I know people are blaming us now for doing so, they they think we do, but turtles are scared off. The big turtles, they leave the island. When we only have turtles here in the range of five till 25 years of each. So um, they come here after the first five lost years, they stay here because they like what they can get here, and then when they get mature, they leave. And that's a process that it exists already for many years. So we are just the the host for a couple of years, but you have to be inviting for the young ones. And if you are in the water with three, four hundred people scaring them off with your fins, you can offer as much food as you want, but they're never gonna reach the food because there is a barrier of tourist legs and fins and whatever, you scare them off. So people are now complaining about the fact that the young turtles don't show up anymore. But this is exactly because of uh being there already with too many people waiting for the turtles, and the turtles are like, No way, I'm not gonna go there with these sorts of danger. Exactly. And this is also something you can rebalance again, start feeding them like they did before at six when the fissure boats come in, just clean the fish, throw it in the water. That was the system for many years. Now they keep the fish till eight, ten in the morning. When the tourists are there, yes, and then the barrier is already created. So you're never gonna get the small ones close to shore. Yeah, so you're killing killing your your your own system by by doing so.
SPEAKER_06:Just to make an extra two-dollar tip.
SPEAKER_07:Yes, and this took a couple of years, but we're talking now. I'm thinking about now, I think you meant that one, one specific spot at the island. Five years ago, we counted 45 turtles there, and now it's eight. Oh because of this here in Carissa, or yeah, yeah, because of the tourist pressure. Nobody took the turtles away there. The turtles decided not to go there anymore because of the tourist pressure. And we can rebalance it. We see turtles in many other different spots. I'm not gonna tell you now where don't, don't we're not gonna share it. There's so many options, but again, if we have the opportunity to sit together with the tour operators and make a plan how to do these things, I'm absolutely willing to help create uh sustainable tourism, but we have to go towards that. It's the same, I think, for corals. Sustainable tourism is the solution, the future of the island. Otherwise, we're gonna give away in a couple of years what we build it up in in ages.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, because what we're seeing now back home is there's a lot of conflict and fights between well, um, we're tour guides, this is our job, this is what we need to do. The people are paying money to come to the island to see these things. Yeah, how are you gonna tell me not to show it to them? Like, I'm going to show it to them. And then you have the nature people that are like, Yeah, but eventually there's not gonna be nothing to show. So you won't make any money because now it's it just looks like you're lying. You're telling people, oh, I can show you this, yes, and then I'll go take you there, and then I can't show you anything.
SPEAKER_07:And at the end, we all want the same. We want a healthy, uh, beautiful situation, uh, where nature blooms and where the tourists can enjoy it. So at the end, we all want the same, but we have to sit together to find the right approach.
SPEAKER_04:That is what is amazing. I need that. That's what we need. We need that alignment of okay, tour guides, come here. Nature people, come here. What is one channel we can all be on where respectfully you can also give your tour and tell inform your tourists on, hey, you know what? Do not give them um bread. Yeah, don't feed them this. Don't even try, don't even try to engage with them. Look, if you're gonna snorkle, just snorkle, don't touch anything, don't I feel like that thin line is where we have to come to. So I like that you mentioned that. I think it's a really good initiative that needs to start for sure.
SPEAKER_06:I agree. Because I'm thinking, I know you're talking about Tristrappi right now, right? In Aruba, the entire island. I know that's true, but Tristrapia is like is the main topic right now, which I agree with. And as you were saying, that my first thought was like, huh, that would be a good episode to bring the conservation people and bring the heads of like Teresa, or not Teresa, but like people who run the UTVs and the ATVs, put on a table, roll the cameras, let's find a fucking solution right now.
SPEAKER_04:So everybody might be very interesting, yeah.
SPEAKER_06:And then post it online, and then we start the conversation with everybody else.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, because it's a lot going on.
SPEAKER_06:It is, it is.
SPEAKER_04:And then we need all of these things in order for us to function, because these same fish and all these things is the same thing that these fishermen are coming home, bringing home so we can eat it in the restaurants and all these places. So at the end of the day, we're still consuming all of these things, and if we're putting the bad stuff in there, yeah, yeah. That's why people probably got so many people got cancer and all this good stuff now, is because we're consuming all of these bad things that we're putting into the ocean. So, very true. How in regards to this, how bad is the situation? How many do you all come up to with like fishing nets? Do y'all see that a lot in the ocean?
SPEAKER_00:I think it's more fishing lines around here. Yeah, yeah. I don't see a lot of fishing nets.
SPEAKER_07:We we do, uh yes, we do. We get quite some reports from uh from divers mainly. Uh gill nets are uh the the killers, and not only of turtles, but also lobsters, and they get entangled in the in the corals, so the removing of them is also quite complicated. You have to do it really careful uh not to destroy uh corals. So, yeah, these are like yeah, ghost nets left behind nets. Um, but we what we also see a lot is uh pieces of nets floating in the ocean, not from here, but from like so, for example, from Venezuela and uh other countries.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so yeah, there's I think I'm a lot more like you're more on the north side as well, often.
SPEAKER_07:I don't we are often we are often between the beaches, uh um, because most of the activity is between the beaches, yeah. Tourists go to the beaches, but um, and between the beaches you see see a lot of these kinds of uh things. That's where most of the fish is. There's where um uh um, yeah, in this case, also the turtles are, but also where people easily drop their stuff and don't pick them up, it remains out of sight. There is no uh law enforcement, for example. So yeah, we have to strengthen that that whole system. But like you said, um you heard a lot of interesting facts, new facts today. That's the problem, I think, for all of us. We are in in in the whole uh uh education system, we are focusing so much on uh um a specific way to develop yourself and and measure your IQ, whatever. But we have to create sustainable and sustainable young generation, um, a generation that lives connected again with nature, is enjoying our beautiful waters again. Take these kids to the beach, let them swim, uh let them explore the beaches. But um, make people aware of who we are and what part we are of a whole system. We are not the ones reigning, but we are the ones uh depending on what is surrounding us.
SPEAKER_04:Yep. As you just mentioned, also, I'm sorry, I just want to add this to the people listening, real quick. Um, he just said, bring your kids to the beach. Take home them little toys, them plastic toys that y'all bring to the beach, take them back home. All your trash, take it back home. Your floaties you came with needs to go back into your car and back to your home. Throw it away there for you two pital. Do not let leave them on the beach. Please. Sorry, you can add, you can go ahead.
SPEAKER_00:You're totally right. I don't know. I wasn't gonna say anything. Sorry, sorry. I just had to add that too.
SPEAKER_06:Well, I want to I want to add, um, I don't know if you can speak for Max or not, but maybe you can also mention like what is one goal that you're working on this year, and what is one goal that you're focusing on for next year as well.
SPEAKER_07:My goal for this year is uh starting our uh sea turtle rescue center, and it has everything to do with what we said before. It's a holistic concept, it's not only rescuing sea turtles, but it's providing space for researchers and it's uh opening the doors, basically the doors of the ocean for locals and tourists. So uh it's gonna be a combination of an educational project, uh a research project, and uh rescue center for sick turtles. We have too many sick turtles we have to put back into the water, we cannot help them nowadays because we don't have the facilities. But if we are able to show what is going on at the north side to the people, it's gonna open their eyes. But for that, you have to make it visible, and that's gonna be in that uh uh in the rescue center. And this is a way you said it bring your kids to the beach. Well, not everybody can go to the beach, we can bring the beach to the people as well. We can bring this piece of marine life into the community by creating a rescue center within the community where we invite people to to come, the kids to help us. Uh they clean the corals underwater, you need your diving license and everything. But in our case, they they see the turtles in the tanks, and we can start junior ranger programs to to make the let's say the kids of the farmer fishermen again uh um connected with with the ocean, uh the world of their ancestors. Yeah, I like that. And that is this year's goal. I really like that. That's this year's goal. Yes, we're talking about a couple of months, but uh I wanted as you look at well, actually, we we we do have the bit the key of the building, but it it depends on some some last decisions to be made. But the whole concept is ready and we are uh uh ready to roll it out.
SPEAKER_04:And you know what? That's perfect to what um Richelle was saying a while ago, where a lot of people that are far from it don't think it it's a problem for them. But if you're actually reaching into these areas and be like, hey, I don't understand, and you probably don't know it, and it probably doesn't affect you. But come join in and help and then take a look because maybe that can inspire you. Exactly. Again, we have a wave of social media now, so a repost is bringing awareness. People don't even understand that, but people a repost is you are now sharing this thing. So multiple other people that would probably never even look in that direction are now available to see stuff like that. So by just simply reposting or resharing something, you are also contributing and you are also helping. So repost this video.
SPEAKER_00:Ah, that's nice together. Yes. Yeah, so um uh I talked to Max as well about like his goals and everything. And I'm not sure about like next year, uh, I think in like the next few years, um, they would actually love to start like an uh an online lab, kind of similar to you, like uh uh where they would do some more research on the corals, how how they would um how they would reproduce easier, better, uh the cleaning and everything. Obviously, also putting more coral nurseries around the island, um, and also a lot of education because that's also a big part of branch, uh, about educating, going to schools, going to conferences, going to businesses, uh having meetings, and just educate people about awareness, basically.
SPEAKER_04:I think if I can add to this, I think it's such a great project both of these to also implement to multiple other islands, and however far much y'all can reach, just because, like you stated a while ago, Kiris I was getting most of the turtles here because you are practicing the correct practices for them to come here. But if at some point that's also gonna create an imbalance for the ecosystem, because now you're getting a bunch of female turtles just coming in on one area versus spreading this out because now everywhere else is also, you know, keeping it that hey, hey, the beaches need to be certain things. Hey, at night, make sure there's no none of this. Hey, uh, lights at night for hotels, like get rid of those on your balconies and stuff like that. So we can have like a dark beach where these turtles can come and do what they gotta do. So I definitely think these projects definitely need to, of course, you need to implement them and do them and get them to where they need to get to. But once you do have that system in place, y'all need to branch out because the ecosystem needs y'all, you know?
SPEAKER_07:That's true, that's true. And and I know that already a couple of uh other islands are looking at us like, guys, what are you doing there? Because we want to learn from you and want to copy-paste uh the good practices uh you develop. And I'm really glad that we have that international system already, but we have to make use of the opportunities we have right here now to develop something new for the island, but it's also something new for the Caribbean. It's like an expert product for the others. We can invite other scientists to come to Curaçao, but we can also spread out what we're doing here to make the whole system better. Yes.
SPEAKER_06:Nice.
SPEAKER_04:We love to see it.
SPEAKER_06:I learned I learned some stuff today.
SPEAKER_04:No, y'all had us in school today. Like this was classroom was in session.
SPEAKER_06:I'm not even over the coconut situation. I'm still on it. I am surprised. Well, I want to thank you guys for coming. Before I want to close it out, I'm gonna shark, go ahead. The closing.
SPEAKER_04:Okay, well, I mean, it's two people now, so it's a bit more on the difficult side, but we're gonna make it work. So, um, one for one, I'll need y'all to just look into this camera right here. And I need you to front from your end, please give one what just one thing you think everybody should take back and give them one practice, one sustainable practice. Just one. Just one. It don't matter what it is, big or small. It could be something that maybe it's possible all the way to the impossible. Because somehow, some way, somebody could make it possible. They just don't know that you have to trigger that idea. You know what I mean? So that's a lot of pressure, I think. No pressure.
SPEAKER_00:You want to start?
SPEAKER_07:Oh, yeah, go ahead. Well, I I'm gonna repeat what I already said before. Um and I think that's that's for both of us. Uh uh, you're really welcome here on Curacao. Uh, community of Curacao. Uh, be proud of your country. We have so much to offer here. Um, like we say it, enjoy nature, respect wildlife. That means please prepare yourself before you do something. Don't don't take your shitty stuff to the beach, but bring your goggles and uh um go into the water and explore and think about what you see and try to change your attitude. It starts with maybe two little pieces of plastic. If but if we all do it, it's gonna have a great impact on everyone. Um, we have to create ambassadors, we have to create examples, and we have the opportunity here in the island, but let's do so. I love that.
SPEAKER_06:Come through your come all the way through.
SPEAKER_04:I think I think we did that.
SPEAKER_06:I'm assuming your message just came as his message.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, he's not gonna say this for two. I'm gonna repeat myself as well. So for a long time, um, we have all been a big part of the problem. Uh, but I think we can all also be part of the solution. So I think that's uh that's a big uh big thing that we should all take home. Uh and also spread that awareness to other people. So if you are enthusiastic and I can't think of a reason why not, just bring that to other people around your place. If you even tell it to one person, that's you you double the impact already.
SPEAKER_06:So let's go. Awesome. Richelle Art, thank you for coming on the show. Um, guys, hope you guys enjoyed this episode. Hope you guys learned some stuff today. All the information, websites, everything, Instagram will be in the description. Go follow, go learn, go educate. If you want to come, if you're coming to Curaçao, you want to go explore with these guys and go do corals, go look at turtles, hit them up. And uh, we'll see you guys next week. Peace. Ayo, and see ya.