To know the world is to know yourself, but two-thirds of our world is water, and our oceans are a mystery to us! Furthermore, they are in a very sorry state. As estimated by the Journal of Science, between 5 and 13 million tonnes of plastic are added to this problem every year. What does this say about us as a species? The Brothers of iDiveblue ask themselves this every single day.

As such, they have set out with a simple goal: give the oceans a voice. Whether tackling topics related to marine conservation, ocean-related travel, or watersports gear – iDiveblue makes Sisyphic efforts to put out carefully crafted content in the hope that it will serve as the gold standard for educational marine materials. Since its founding in 2018, the website has become a community for ocean-lovers, functioning as both a for-profit business and a vehicle to support those conserving our marine environments.

The founders are a pair of thalassophilic brothers, Nate and Bill Liebenberg. Bill is the eldest of the South Africans and a civil engineer by trade. As a well-traveled diver, his dives have taken him from Mozambique to the Red Sea, from the Bahamas to Cape Town, to the Floridian Keys and beyond. His most organic state underwater is as a freediver, one gifted with an impressive breath-hold. His worldly, waterborne ways have also seen him become an experienced deckhand on superyachts and a well-qualified skipper aboard most vessels. The man has seen everything there is to see below the surface and is always ready to shoot it all… with a GoPro of course.

Nate, on the other hand, is an Investment postgraduate and Chartered Financial Analyst candidate. Nate previously worked modeling financials for companies across the medical, genetics, and bioscience sectors, before deciding to pursue his dream of running his marine conservation and watersports business full-time in 2019. Nate shares just as extensive a list of water-related certifications as Bill, but his oceanic focus lies on preservation and conservation.

iDiveblue extends an open invitation to all ocean warriors and lovers to reach out to them. Whether you are seeking help or seeking to help, the Brothers of iDiveblue – along with their team of marine conservationists, scuba instructors, and avid travelers – will steer you in the right direction. The team can be contacted on Facebook, via Instagram, or directly through their website.

Despite being a for-profit company, iDiveblue is setup for the betterment of our beloved oceans. They are a small organization, but they make a proportionately large contribution in a host of ways. A few of which include:

1. Their educational, conservational and travel content, which is in no way monetized. It exists only to inspire care for our oceans and to serve as a resource for education, and intelligent conservation.

2. They extend the economy around conservation, providing work for conservationists and conservational writers alike.

3. They commit a share of their profits to non-profit organizations. As a standout favourite, they champion Boyan Slat’s brave, yet pragmatic Ocean Cleanup.

4. Nate speaks regularly, and cross-platform against single-use plastics. One of such talks will be released on the judithdreyer.com podcast by the end of May 2020.

5. The team is planning to put up a directory outlining quality educational resources and worthy charitable organizations. From their experience, there are many people out there looking to help and learn, they just need a place to start.

So, if you find yourself, uncertain of what buoyancy compensator to buy, where to freedive in Belize, how to fish Crankbait, or what you can do to save our oceans – fret not. For, while there is a science to these crafts, iDiveblue’s writers and researchers are qualified experts; the marine elite. Let them equip you with not only the right gear but the right advice. Lastly, share in their crusade: plastics take up to 1000 years to breakdown naturally. Even still, they break up into toxic components. This is a problem that will not resolve itself. Use their platform to educate yourself or build community around solving one of the ecological disasters of our age!