We have joined Oceanum Liberandum in the Clean the Oceans initiative, which will take place on 24 September. This initiative, which aims to bring together more than 700 divers on the beach of Sesimbra for an unprecedented underwater cleanup, intends to beat the Guinness World Record with the largest number of divers present in a marine cleaning action. 

Plastics are a major threat to the oceans and in this conversation, we spoke to Rúben Galante and Débora Laborde, founders of Oceanum Liberandum, to tell us a little about his ambition and objectives of this association.

First of all, thank you very much for this conversation, Ruben and Débora. How did you come up with the idea of creating Oceanum Liberandum? 

Over several years, we have dived in various parts of the planet, with whale sharks, dolphins, turtles and beautiful reefs, full of colours and fish. However, we have also seen the opposite, white, lifeless reefs, absence of marine life, misbehaviour by tourists and companies. We also heard stories of people who saw with their own eyes the decline of the ecosystem. For this reason, my wife Débora and I decided that, in an age of social networks and knowledge in the palm of your hand, it was important to do more, and we had to do more. And so Oceanum Liberandum was born.

What are the major goals of this organisation? 

Essentially, we want to help preserve the oceans and marine life for current and future generations. Change behaviours that are harmful to these ecosystems. Demystify misconceptions about what the ocean depths hold. 

Many ecosystems are threatened by climate change. Why did you decide on the oceans? 

We saw in the sea the inner peace we were looking for. Being surrounded by marine life, busy in their lives, from the smallest fish to the biggest in the world, was something that always struck us. We have also come across a lot of ignorance about the sea on the part of the people we talk to. We want to change that. We want people to feel this emotion and live our passion for these creatures.
 

As well as being the founder of Oceanum Liberandum, Rubén works for E-Redes, an EDP group company. How has EDP and your work in the company influenced the creation of this association and the organisation of the largest underwater clean-up? 

We have seen in EDP a brand that has been increasingly concerned with climate change and the future, as evidenced by the rebranding that took place this year. In the process of creating the Association and organising this event, we had extraordinary support from the team I work with at E-redes and from my direct line manager. It was very important, looking around and not being just two people with unachievable ideas, we had family and friends fighting with us. All of that is very rewarding. 

What do you hope to achieve with this initiative - In Defense of the Oceans? 

This initiative has three main objectives: to alert people to the problems that the oceans are facing and, consequently, problems that will affect all life on the planet. We want to take advantage of the media interest to promote Portuguese diving in the world, which can do a lot for tourism, especially Sesimbra, which has excellent conditions for this sport. And finally, to try to bring this world record to Portugal, not only because of the importance that a record represents, but also because in the year that the Oceans Conference was held, precisely in Portugal, it would be another high point for our country in the area of ocean protection.