Instagram story viewer> @iamwater_foundation> Posts

I AM WATER Ocean Conservation

@iamwater_foundation

11.2K

followers

1224

following

We 💙 the Ocean
Ocean Conservation through transformative experiences for youth in under-resourced communities 💙
Building: @oceanforall_alliance

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

📢 Calling the next wave of conservation leaders! 📢

Applications are officially open for our 2027 Adventure-Based Learning Programme!

A fully-funded year with us, learning to guide young people in nature-based activities. You'll train as a facilitator, earn an accredited NQF Level 4 qualification, gain real-world working experience, and walk away with a real pathway into conservation, education and tourism.

You don't need previous experience. We're looking for 18–35 year olds with their matric certificate, based in Cape Town, and who have a passion for children, education and nature conservation.

We are proud to host this training in collaboration with @contourenvirogroup

Swipe through for everything you need to know 👉
Applications close Wednesday 16 September.
🔗 Apply via the link in our bio.

Tag someone who needs to see this. 🐚

#IAmWater #OceanGuardians #AdventureBasedLearning #OceanConservation #CapeTown #YouthOpportunity by @iamwater_foundation

252

7

2 months ago

Everyone should have the chance to experience the ocean. To feel it, learn from it and understand why it matters. Yet for many, access to the ocean and ocean education remains out of reach. Our mission with OCEAN FOR ALL Alliance (OFAA) is to change that!

OFAA empowers grassroots organisations to bring ocean experiences and environmental stewardship to their communities using I AM WATER’s proven Ocean Connection Methodology.

Swipe through to learn more about OFAA and how to become part of the Alliance. 🐋
.
.
.
.
.
#iamwaterfoundation #oceanforall #oceanforallalliance #ofaa #oceanconnection #oceaneducation #localleadership #communityledconservation #grassrootsorganizations #oceanaccess #bluecommunities by @iamwater_foundation

83

4

a year ago

For many of the children we work with, the ocean is unfamiliar - something they may have seen, but never touched.

When they arrive, some are quiet or shy, some a little unsure. But when they pull on a wetsuit and wade into the water, something shifts - they start to play, to laugh, to explore.

Spending time in nature, especially near water has a way of softening things. It helps kids feel more comfortable in their own skin. It improves learning, builds confidence, supports emotional wellbeing, encourages empathy and gives them a space to breathe, to be, to just be.

The sea doesn’t rush or expect. It meets them where they are, and welcomes them. It holds space, for movement, for curiosity, for connection.

And we witness this impact time and time over on our workshops - a nervous swimmer finds their courage, a shy child walks away with a little more confidence, and a little more calm, or a moment of wonder and curiosity becomes a lasting love for the ocean.
.
.
.
.
.
#iamwaterfoundation #oceanconservation #oceanconnection #natureforyouth #capetownsouthafrica by @iamwater_foundation

52

1

2 years ago

Ever notice how you breathe differently by the sea?

Researchers have a name for it: "blue space."

Time near water is linked to lower stress and better mood - and we see it every session. Shoulders drop, kids laugh louder, and nobody's checking their phone💙

#oceanconnection #oceanconservation #youthdevelopment #bluespace #bluehealth by @iamwater_foundation

25

0

3 days ago

Every time we get in the water, we’re reminded that the ocean isn’t somewhere we visit. It’s something we’re part of.

📹 @liamswebb

#oceanconnection #saveourseas #iamwater #oceaneducation #oceanforall by @iamwater_foundation

66

2

4 days ago

You might have seen the words “Ocean For All” on our team’s T-shirts, on our gazebo when we’re hosting events at the beach, or on our car that drives around Cape Town, packed full of wetsuits and snorkels… but what does it actually mean?

For us, Ocean For All isn’t a slogan - it’s a promise:
🌊 to every child who’s been told the ocean isn’t for them
🐋 to every creature that calls it home
💙 to all of us who depend on it

#OceanForAll #OFAA #OCEANFORALLAlliance #ocean #conservation by @iamwater_foundation

54

2

5 days ago

We asked a few of the I AM WATER team and our facilitators to share what the ocean means to them! 🌊

One question. A few very different answers. Same love! 💙

What does the ocean mean to you? Tell us in the comments! 👇

#oceanlove #iamwater #community #oceanconservation by @iamwater_foundation

101

9

5 days ago

We’re so excited that Summer is here and we’re getting more young people into the water again! ✨🌊

This week we spent the day with an incredible group of young leaders from around Cape Town. Each of them came from a different background - educators, data analysts, marine biology students, musicians - but we all came together to enjoy a fun and educational day in the waves.

This is what we do: get people into the ocean, so they might learn to love it and protect it the way we do!

#oceanlover #oceaneducation #oceanconservation #conservation by @iamwater_foundation

59

0

7 days ago

Tuesday night was something special 🐚

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the @shellegance auction dinner, and above all to Lucie de Moyencourt (@lucie.in.wonderlands) 💙

Lucie, you brought together your community, some extraordinary artists and 53 one-of-a-kind collectable shells, and turned all of it into support for young people and the ocean. You did it with so much generosity and heart, and we're so grateful.

This is artivism: art that doesn't just sit on a shelf, but moves something in the world. Artists have always shaped how we see the ocean, what we value and what we fight to protect. Every shell that went up on Tuesday carries a story about care for the sea, and every bid turns that story into action.

Behind the beautiful table settings, here's where that action lands. Many young people in Cape Town grow up close to the ocean but never get to swim in it, explore it or see themselves as part of protecting it. At I AM WATER, we work with youth from underserved communities to change that. We take away the barriers, get them in the water, and train them to become the next generation of ocean leaders.

Whatever your medium is, whether paint, words, music, film or something else, it can be a way of standing up for the ocean 🌊

The auction is still live until Sunday 11 October at 17:00 (SAST), so there's still time to bid.

Missed out on a shell? You can still make a splash by donating directly to the I AM WATER Foundation. Link in bio 🔗

#IAmWater #Artivism #ArtForTheOcean #OceanConservation #Shellegance #CapeTown by @iamwater_foundation

89

4

8 days ago

AUCTION 🎨 STARTS TONIGHT
Wonderful @shellegance has organised a massive auction for @iamwater_foundation with over 50 artists making their own shells to contribute to the charity!
Bid at www.luciedemoyencourt.com starts at 7pm!
I made a painting palette 🎨 shell for my contribution!

All the work on offer at the auction

All the beautiful things!

COLOURS! Inspiring my palette 🎨 shell

Studio pic

About the foundation

I made a painting palette 🎨 for my shell - inspired by all the amazing different coloured glazes on offer! I wanted to drill a hole in the side so complete the illusion but Lucie convinced me it was too risky 🪸

So many colours to choose from, and I used all of them!

Lucie’s beautiful studio

Palette 🎨 process. It is much neater than my normal palette in studio.

Amazing talent! by @iamwater_foundation

64

4

11 days ago

You don't need to be a marine biologist to protect the ocean.

When @lucie.in.wonderlands, the artist behind @shellegance, decided to do something for the ocean, she didn't do it halfway. She brought together a stellar line-up of incredible local and international artists to each paint their own one-of-a-kind Shellegance shell, all to raise funds for the I AM WATER Foundation.

Lucie, thank you for thinking of us, for calling in your community, and for putting so much heart into this. We're genuinely moved 🐚

This is what it looks like when people use what they love to make a difference. Whatever your thing is - painting, cooking, organising, engineering - it can become a way of giving back. Lucie and these artists turned brushwork into ocean conservation, and we think that's pretty special.

How the auction works:
🐚 Bidding opens Tuesday 6 October at 19:00 (SAST)
🐚 Bidding closes Sunday 11 October at 17:00 (SAST)
🐚 Highest bidder takes it home

Every bid helps us keep putting young children into the ocean, to learn about it and protect it.

🔗 Bid via the link in our bio

#IAmWater #OceanConservation #Shellegance #ArtForTheOcean #CapeTown by @iamwater_foundation

100

15

12 days ago

September with I AM WATER 🌊🐋

👉 Our Summer programme is back in full-swing. We hosted 62 learners from the Eastern Cape this month, showing them the tidal pools of False Bay and teaching them the importance of conservation.
👉 37 young students from Westport Primary joined us at Paradise Park in September, and learnt all about river health and citizen science.
👉 Our facilitators spoke to 391 learners this month, taking our school speaking series to more schools across Cape Town.
👉 We joined forces with @dhyclub at the Dragon Boat Association of South Africa’s Heritage Day Regatta, where the team took home the silver medal!
👉 We hosted a free Heritage Day Community Snorkel at Kalk Bay Harbour and had 25 first-time snorkellers join us in the water!

Swipe through to see some of the highlights! ✨

A big thank you to every learner, teacher, partner and paddler who made this month what it was! 💙

#IAMWATER #ProtectWhatYouLove #OceanGuardians #CapeTown #OceanEducation by @iamwater_foundation

55

3

17 days ago