Concerned about the environmental impact of our food choices, in Learning to Live from the Sea we (Tim and Mitch) set out to explore low impact options in our ocean surroundings.
Click here to go to the dedicated film page and watch the film now, or watch the trailer below and read more about it.
Film trailer
Living nomadically on a sailboat we must figure out a food solution at each place we visit. Best case scenario we're at a lush island with local farmers selling their produce in markets or on the street. The reality is that these options aren't always there or within our reach, and we're forced to buy food that has been wrapped in plastic and shipped hundreds or thousands of miles.
We're surrounded by fish and coastal treats all the time so it felt logical to take things into our own hands and explore what's available on our doorstep. The thing is, we don't have the knowledge of what to eat, the skills of how to collect it, or any sort of understanding what might be ethical or sustainable choices.
To make the film happen we needed support, and the Lighthouse Foundation stepped in to help make it possible together with our Patreon supporters at the time and a couple of private donors. They are a foundation for the seas and oceans and are involved with projects around the globe.
What followed was a journey across 3000+ nautical miles — learning skills and knowledge from fisherman, freedivers and scientists. In remote locations we learned to freedive, how to forage underwater, considerations about our ecological footprint, and how we can make ethical choices in moments when we find ourselves back in civilisation.
Click here to go to the dedicated film page where you can also read more about the topics of the film.
Artisanal fishers feeding themselves and their community in Dominica. And Mitch learning to breath-hold for longer and to greater depths with Jimmy Jeans and Blue Element Freediving in Dominica.
In the British Virgin Islands Captain Frenchie takes Tim and Mitch lobster trapping and explains the importance of sustainable harvesting and important tips for choosing which lobsters to go for.
The Bahamas is a huge area of 5000+ sq. miles and the perfect place to develop our skills. Multi-world-record-setting freediver William Trubridge hones our skills and teaches us how to spear our dinner and how to do so safely in the presence of sharks. Fisheries scientist and conservationist Krista Sherman tells us about sustainable approaches to fishing and gives us the confidence to set out on our own with an ethical mindset.
The Exuma Cays in the Bahamas are wild and a waterperson's paradise.
The skill of catching dinner proves a steep learning curve at the outset. Mitch here with her new Headhunter polespear and the moment of joy when it all came together. This beautiful mutton snapper fed us for a couple of days.
The hurricane season forced us north along the coastline of the USA to relative safety. We explore food choices at the supermarket, and go on to meet oyster farmer Chris in Virginia.