Latest news with #Ocean
Irish Examiner
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Ibiza: In search of sun and simplicity in a dance-music destination
A deep and distant thud, thud, thud drowns out the delicate washing of the sea against the shore. The glowing evening sun feels close as super yachts and boatloads of stag parties sail across the horizon like a noisy eclipse. I've been in Ibiza for a few days, yet it's only now, on my last night here, that I'm seeing its infamous party side in San Antonio for the first time. I'm woefully underdressed and sporting too much of a farmer's tan to be mistaken for a clubber or influencer, but I'm quite happy to be the odd one out. I came here to slow down and recharge in the mythical, quieter parts of Ibiza that are rumoured to exist. Depending on who you ask, you'll get different answers as to what Ibiza is like. It's a small island, smaller in fact than Co Louth, that can be crossed in an hour by car, but it has very clearly defined regions and personalities. The glam of recent decades has covered up Ibiza's arrival onto the tourist scene, when it was known as a haven for American hippies who were dodging the Vietnam War draft. Then came the clubbing era, thanks to famous nightclubs like Ocean and Pacha in Playa d'en Bossa in the South, while Freddie Mercury had his legendary 41st birthday in Pikes, near San Antonio, in the West. Ibiza Town is the largest urban area on the island, with roughly 50,000 inhabitants. It lies by the water on the east of the island, sandwiched between the marina and fortified, hillside structures of Old Town. Walking through the streets of Ibiza Town, I'm swarmed by groups of young people running in and out of the high street shops, picking up new outfits for their night out, but as I explore, I see the sandy stone of Old Town rise above me. Snaking laneways of shiny and slippery stones draw me up the inclines to tranquil courtyards lined with idyllic homes with views across the harbour. Enjoying a drink in Ibiza's Old Town Old Town is the historic heart of Ibiza. At its summit is Ibiza Castle, a fortified structure that has taken on many forms over the centuries and seen invasions by the Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, Christians, and pirates. Wandering around the fortress, I can only imagine how difficult it was to breach these stout walls. Amongst all the history are glimpses of modern Ibiza. The Museum of Contemporary Art lies within the walls and celebrates the island's artistic past that bloomed in the 1960s with the arrival of the hippies — this museum, like all others on the island, is free to visitors. A warm glow fills the evening air and I follow the sound of chat and laughter to the lower parts of Old Town, where I find a seat on a terrace overlooking the water below. I've certainly slowed down since my first day here and as I sip on my glass of vermouth as the sun sets, I can feel myself unwinding. I find active holidays relaxing. I'm not one for sitting on the beach, I get restless, as if the day is being wasted, but once I've done something active, the chemicals in my brain balance out and I can relax. With that in mind, I decide to rent a bike and explore the coastal trails and gravel roads. I turn from the paved paths on the west coast of Ibiza and onto a dry gravel road that kicks up dust with every spin of the wheels. Sunset along the coast of Ibiza It's not long until I've left the sea behind and find myself in complete silence, surrounded by nothing but pine trees and the odd fig and olive tree. Areas along the coast in Ibiza are densely populated with high-rise buildings and hotels, but out here, people live dispersed in whitewashed buildings scattered across the foothills of the central mountains. Life feels like it moves slowly here, with days of endless sunshine allowing people to grow food in their gardens, relax in their hammocks, and read on their terraces. Despite the late spring heat, coastal breezes keep me comfortable as I pedal up the hilly landscape and bomb back down on empty gravel roads. SIMPLE CAN BE PERFECT Jacarandas in bloom in Santa Gertrudis MY ACTIVE itch has been scratched and now it's time to eat. Wanting to see more of the island, I make my way to Santa Gertrudis in the centre of the island — I've heard there's a place here that does the best Iberico jamon. The village is idyllic — a whitewashed church stands at one end of a cobbled street that's lined with jacarandas in full purple bloom and buzzing with people eating outdoors. There's a small queue outside Bar Costa, mainly of Spanish people from what I can tell, which is always a good sign. I'm ushered in, stoop below the legs of ham hanging from the ceiling, and step through the rear dining room that's a song of noise from families eating and drinking. Ordering the Iberico ham and a glass of wine, it dawns on me how straightforward Spanish food is; there are no marketing buzzwords or TikTok-trending dishes on the menu, just simple food, done well. As the ham melts in my mouth, I'm convinced that not only can simple be better, but simple can be perfect. As a new day begins, so does a new activity: this time I'm swapping the land for the sea on a kayaking trip along the coast from Es Figueral beach with Kayak Ibiza. The sea is surprisingly cold here, nowhere near as cold as Ireland, but enough to feel odd given the sun-drenched, parched landscapes around me. 'You know Ibiza has a party reputation, right?' Alex, my guide, asks rhetorically as we paddle out into the sea. 'This area that we're in was a busy smuggling route years ago.' He points to a rock face 100m away where there is an oddly-coloured patch in the rock, marking the entrance to a tunnel that smugglers used in the past. Thankfully, the waters here are more welcoming these days. Under the shimmering azure are meadows of Neptune's grass, a native seaweed that waves up to the surface and is home to a variety of sea life. 'Look below you, can you see it?' Alex's question isn't rhetorical this time. 'There's a ray right there!' I make out the shovel-shaped creature and watch as it billows and glides through the water. Back on dry land, it's time to eat, but I've had such a good day by the water, I decide to eat my dinner by the coast. Jamon iberico at S'illa des Bosc, Ibiza S'illa des Bosc requires a little bit of effort to get to as it's not in a town, but its location on top of a small cliff by the water makes it ideal for a sunset dinner. Dining al fresco is such a treat and I order the tuna tataki, which is gently seasoned and seared, leaving the centre raw yet roaring with flavour. Though it's a Japanese dish, it suits Spanish life well, elevating quality produce with minimal fuss or fanfare. Long after dark, the bill arrives with some 'hierbas ibicencas', an Ibizan version of limoncello made with local herbs. It's a sharp yet sweet palate cleanser and a great way to round off a day by the sea. It's the final morning of my trip and I can't get last night's aperitif out of my mind. Looking for somewhere to buy a bottle before my flight, I find Can Muson, a farm with a cafe where you can make your own hierbas ibicencas. I'm sold. Stepping through the gates, the farm unfurls like a verdant paradise. Sheep grazing in the Ibizan countryside Goats and sheep play in the fields, trees are heavy with fruit, and the outdoor tables are laden with colourful foods and drinks — I couldn't be further, mentally or physically, from the island's nightclub scene here. Hierbas ibicencas is made by putting whatever herbs are at hand into a glass bottle before adding some fruit and topping up with aniseed liqueur. Given the loose recipe, there's no set way to make the drink; mine contains orange leaf, lavender, thyme, and a bunch of other fragrant herbs. Putting the cork in the bottle and giving it a good smack shut, I know this is one souvenir that I'm keeping for myself. Ibiza wasn't at the top of my list when I was looking for a restful break away, but something drew me here and made me look beyond what the island is best known for and rewarded me with exactly what I needed. Cian was a guest of Ibiza Tourism Board and the Spanish Tourism Office. Escape Notes Ryanair operates a daily direct flight from Dublin to Ibiza with a flight time of 2 hours and 50 minutes. Be warned, you may be on a flight with people who have already started the party! Stay at the stylish and peaceful Hyde Hotel in Cala Llonga from €230/night and get direct access to the beach. This hotel is in a quiet area with restaurants and bars within walking distance, but you may need a car to get around as a taxi into Ibiza Town costs €30. Plan your own restful trip to Ibiza by visiting the Ibiza Tourism website
NDTV
17 hours ago
- Science
- NDTV
Our Oceans Are In Trouble: Here's How To Take Action Beyond The Outrage
Our oceans are in trouble. Catches from many of the world's fisheries are declining, with some fishing practices destroying enormous areas of the sea bed. Habitat loss through coastal development threatens many coastal ecosystems including estuaries and mangroves, which are vital nurseries for many fish species. Pollution is another threat, killing animals and damaging habitats. Climate change is also affecting the ocean. Excess carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean is making them more acidic, harming marine animals and plants. The ocean is getting warmer, coral reefs are dying and sea levels are rising. The ocean is also enjoying the most attention it has ever received. The United Nations declared this the decade of the ocean, a time to produce all the research and policy needed to inform actions and generate funding for global projects to protect and restore the oceans. Sir David Attenborough produced a new documentary called Ocean, and World Ocean Day is celebrated every year. But how does this translate into action? There is a clear disconnect between what leaders say in public forums such as United Nations conferences and what happens on the water in practice. While awareness has been raised, not enough has been done to create ways for people to take action. I've researched the ocean for 30 years, investigating how to change people's behaviour towards nature and how they learn about the ocean. I have identified key research-based interventions that would help mobilise interest and action around saving the world's seas. Humans are the cause of the oceans' problems – but humans are also the only solution. These key areas would help close the gap between understanding the problem and taking action to solve it: arming people with knowledge about the ocean community engagement with people most affected by the degradation of the ocean: people living along the coast and in small island countries and Indigenous ocean communities who rely on the oceans for their livelihoods and culture inspiring people to care for the ocean. Many people are unaware of the role of the ocean in their daily lives. From the air we breathe to the food we eat and the relatively stable climate we have enjoyed, human survival depends on a healthy ocean. Helping people to experience the ocean – in person along the coast, under the waves, in an aquarium or by watching documentary films – can ignite a spark of wonder and care for the ocean. For most of history, the ocean was regarded as a common resource from which everyone could benefit. Now it needs to be looked at as a common responsibility. We all need to care for it for our very survival. What Needs To Be Done Knowledge: Opportunities for everyone to learn about the ocean across formal and informal channels. Formal education in schools and informal communication efforts must include direct linkages between inland and the ocean. South Africa is one of the few countries in Africa to have a marine science curriculum for senior school learners to study the ocean. But this is not offered in most schools. Building an ocean literacy network made up of communication experts, educators, the media, aquariums and museums, scientists, science communicators, Indigenous leaders, communities, conservation agencies, non-profit organisations, artists and others would help generate interest and build groups of people who can come up with the best ways to talk about saving the oceans. Expertise: Enhancing ocean protection requires expertise from multiple disciplines. These include the natural sciences, marine social sciences, behavioural science, education, science communication, social-based marketing and Indigenous knowledge systems. Working together across different disciplines to develop effective strategies, researchers and communicators can work to ensure that the multiple values and services of the ocean for human well-being are widely understood. Sharing research with people through effective science communication is a vital step that is often missed. Encouragingly, more and more young scientists are eager to share their work widely. Deep community engagement: Recognising traditional and Indigenous knowledge, respecting local leadership and hearing community voices are all critical. For example, in the Western Indian Ocean, community led projects support thousands of communities and protect large areas of the coast. They work closely with fishers, empowering them to manage their own ocean resources. Individual choices matter: It is easy to blame politicians and huge corporations for many of the crises we face, and they both have a massive role to play. However, individuals also have the power to support campaigns that lobby for more marine protected areas. Reducing consumption of unsustainable seafood, single use plastics, electricity and fuel also protects the oceans. Innovative social research can reveal answers to questions about what people value and need, and find ways to increase motivation, capability, and opportunity for people to behave in ways that ensure a healthy ocean. Government action: The governments of island nations are at the forefront of the ocean crisis. They are experiencing problems caused by rising sea levels and a warming ocean and are taking action to protect oceans. Collaboration between government authorities responsible for ocean protection in the rest of the world and non-profit organisations, scientists and community members needs to be strengthened. This will ensure better cooperation and coordinated decision-making and management. For example, community supported marine protected areas benefit local people and marine life. These benefits range from improved catches from the spillover of fish into adjacent exploited areas to employment opportunities.
Sydney Morning Herald
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Attenborough's new doco is bringing audiences to tears. One voice has gone completely silent in its wake
In the darkness of the cinema during screenings of Sir David Attenborough's new film, Ocean, it is not uncommon to hear members of the audience weep for what they have lost, or more specifically, what has been taken from them as they looked elsewhere. At 99, Attenborough's voice is still strong, and his capacity to move people with revelations of the astonishing world around them is undiminished. Now there is growing evidence that of the many tens of documentaries he has presented or created over his career, Ocean is having the most immediate impact of them all. 'I believe Ocean will prove to be Sir David's masterpiece,' says Andrew Forrest, the billionaire Fortescue Metals Group chairman, whose Minderoo Pictures provided almost half the film's funding, and who recently attended its world premiere in London last month with Attenborough and King Charles. The film (its full title is Ocean with David Attenborough) focuses on the wonder of our seas, and their centrality to life on earth, and reveals how rapidly they are being pillaged and destroyed by industrial fishing. Of all Attenborough's films, it is his most political. 'We have drained the life from our ocean. Now we are almost out of time,' he says at one point. One particular sequence in the film appears to having a profound impact not only on audiences, but on politicians and policymakers. Having established the extraordinary beauty and complexity of life in the shallow waters of the world's continental shelves, the camera follows the chains of a bottom trawling net to the ocean floor. In the blue-green murk, it is a scene from a horror movie. 'From the surface you would have no idea that this was happening,' says Attenborough in the narration. 'It has remained hidden from view, until now.'
The Age
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Attenborough's new doco is bringing audiences to tears. One voice has gone completely silent in its wake
In the darkness of the cinema during screenings of Sir David Attenborough's new film, Ocean, it is not uncommon to hear members of the audience weep for what they have lost, or more specifically, what has been taken from them as they looked elsewhere. At 99, Attenborough's voice is still strong, and his capacity to move people with revelations of the astonishing world around them is undiminished. Now there is growing evidence that of the many tens of documentaries he has presented or created over his career, Ocean is having the most immediate impact of them all. 'I believe Ocean will prove to be Sir David's masterpiece,' says Andrew Forrest, the billionaire Fortescue Metals Group chairman, whose Minderoo Pictures provided almost half the film's funding, and who recently attended its world premiere in London last month with Attenborough and King Charles. The film (its full title is Ocean with David Attenborough) focuses on the wonder of our seas, and their centrality to life on earth, and reveals how rapidly they are being pillaged and destroyed by industrial fishing. Of all Attenborough's films, it is his most political. 'We have drained the life from our ocean. Now we are almost out of time,' he says at one point. One particular sequence in the film appears to having a profound impact not only on audiences, but on politicians and policymakers. Having established the extraordinary beauty and complexity of life in the shallow waters of the world's continental shelves, the camera follows the chains of a bottom trawling net to the ocean floor. In the blue-green murk, it is a scene from a horror movie. 'From the surface you would have no idea that this was happening,' says Attenborough in the narration. 'It has remained hidden from view, until now.'
Scoop
a day ago
- General
- Scoop
Greenpeace Activists Rebrand NZ Bottom Trawler 'Ocean Killer' At Sea
Press Release – Greenpeace The at-sea action comes just weeks after it was revealed a New Zealand vessel dragged up six tonnes of coral in a single trawl on the Chatham Rise, known for being a hotspot for coral life. Greenpeace Aotearoa activists have confronted a bottom trawler on the Chatham Rise, rebranding it 'ocean killer', after bearing witness to it hauling in a net straining with marine life. Launching from the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior, activists came alongside the New Zealand-flagged ship, Talley's Amaltal Atlantis, on the Chatham Rise on Friday afternoon, and painted the message on its hull with non-toxic paint. Speaking from onboard the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Juan Parada says: 'Appalled by the most recent evidence of destruction, people defending the oceans rebranded this Talley's vessel today to expose the bottom trawling industry for what they are: ocean killers. When Talley's bottom trawlers drag their heavy trawl nets across the seafloor and over seamounts, they bulldoze everything in their path, including killing precious marine life from coral to fur seals, dolphins and seabirds.'We've all seen the shocking footage of bottom trawling in David Attenborough's film Ocean, and it's happening right here, right now.' 'Faced with a fishing industry that profits from trashing the ocean, and a government that condones bottom trawling, we're proud of the peaceful action taken today to call out this destruction and demand that bottom trawling stop. 'The Amaltal Atlantis trawls in the waters of Aotearoa, and has previously received permits to trawl in the High Seas of the South Pacific. Their trail of destruction is wide and long-lasting,' says Parada. Talley's vessels have a long history of carrying out bottom trawling destruction. In 2018, the Amaltal Apollo trawled in a protected area on the Lord Howe Rise, in the international waters of the Tasman Sea. The Amaltal Mariner was also convicted of trawling in a marine reserve off Kaikōura in 2019. The company also has a documented history of health and safety issues, with multiple injuries and even a fatality reported to WorkSafe. In 2022, Greenpeace activists blocked the Amatal Atlantis from leaving Port Nelson for nearly 10 hours. The at-sea action comes just weeks after it was revealed a New Zealand vessel dragged up six tonnes of coral in a single trawl on the Chatham Rise, known for being a hotspot for coral life. In March, Greenpeace Aotearoa documented swathes of destroyed coral in areas of the Tasman Sea intensively trawled by New Zealand bottom trawlers. The Tasman Sea has been earmarked for one of the first high seas ocean sanctuaries, using the Global Ocean Treaty. New Zealand is the only country still bottom trawling in the High Seas of the Tasman. Parada says, 'As the rest of the world moves towards more comprehensive ocean protection for international waters, New Zealand is standing in the way of progress by continuing to advocate for the bottom trawling industry.'It's time Talley's, the trawling industry, and the government listened to the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who want ocean health valued over industry profits. 'From depleted fish numbers to smashed coral, dead sharks and seabirds, the cost of bottom trawling is too high. To protect the ocean for the future and safeguard the ocean we all love, bottom trawling must stop.' In response to the activist's painting activity, Talley's responded saying they would seek legal action which 'may include the arrest of the Rainbow Warrior.'
