Sailing and Storytelling with Nikkey Dawn
View from the sailboat on Nikkey’s eXXpedition voyage, credit: Nikkey Dawn
When we spend time by the sea, we’re usually above the surface. We’re boating, kayaking, paddle boarding or just beach combing. Nikkey Dawn has a different perspective as a freediver based out of Vancouver Island. Nikkey is a freelance creative and ocean advocate with a passion for the wildlife and waters of British Columbia.
While she always loved the ocean growing up, it wasn’t until she went under the waves that she truly became invested as an activist. Nikkey explained to me what a powerful experience it can be to truly immerse yourself with the underwater world and the sea life:
“I got to be in the water with humpbacks swimming underneath me…when a humpback looks you in the eye you’re like ‘okay, you’re sentient, you know what’s up but you don’t have a voice’ and so that’s our job, those of us that are lucky enough to spend time in the water, we have to be those advocates.”
Sediment sampling in the Vancouver Harbour, credit: Nikkey Dawn
“It was through freediving that I started seeing ocean pollution. With breath hold diving you’re going up and down so it makes free divers really useful for ocean cleanups.”
Nikkey had the unique experience of being on the crew of an 8 day microplastics research voyage organized by eXXpedition. EXXpedition runs pioneering all-female sailing research voyages to investigate the causes of and solutions to ocean plastic pollution. Their focus as an organization is “to advance a better understanding of the plastics issue as a whole and to work with industry to pinpoint solutions and policy at a global level by addressing knowledge-gaps and delivering evidence to inform effective solutions.”
Nikkey tells me, “I feel so connected to the voyage we did here because it is my home waters and I can be here after to say ‘hey, this is what we found and here are the changes we need to make.’”
Group photo of the crew from Nikkey’s voyage, credit: Nikkey Dawn
She explained further what they worked on throughout her voyage and the crew that she was a part of:
“We were doing sediment samples because we know that annually 8 million tonnes of plastic are going into the ocean but what we’re finding on the surface isn’t accounting for it all. One of the scientists we were collecting samples for wanted to test the sediment to start getting an idea of how much is sinking, what types of plastic are sinking and what types aren’t.”
Cleanup efforts in the Broken Group Islands by Nikkey’s crew, credit: Nikkey Dawn
“We had a waste management communications specialist, two scientists – one studying microplastic sources and breakup rates and one studying bioaccumulation and magnification in crustaceans, a journalist for BBC news, an actress, two filmmakers, a business sustainability professional, an anthropologist working on Indigenous rights to reclaim artifacts, me as a photographer and social media person and then the amazing professional crew and mission leader which was the eXXpedition cofounder Emily Penn.”
Illustration work by Nikkey for Tourism Whistler
We also discussed how the all-women crew enhanced her overall experience: “It made for such a supportive environment – there is no competition. There is a lot of sea sickness and general things that can go wrong on board and we needed to be there for each other. It really felt like a sisterhood.”
I asked Nikkey if sailing and conducting research at the same time opened her mind to different ways of seeing our ocean:
“It changed my perspective on the ocean but also my perspective on BC as a whole. A lot of the time I feel like we think these pollution problems are in other countries. We landed in the Broken Group Islands and did a cleanup - just seeing how much washes up on an uninhabited island in a national park, including discarded gear from the fishing industry, and realizing how much that was all contributing, seeing all of the Styrofoam particles [styrofoam floats are commonly used in commercial fishing] in our samples and knowing that they’re attractants for other pollutants in the water - it became a lot more real and magnified for me.”
Nikkey’s painting of Hyshqa, one of our Southern Resident Killer Whales
Nikkey is a writer, photographer and designer, which allows her to take the confronting experience of her expedition as an opportunity to educate and inspire others. As someone who is also working towards those goals, I asked Nikkey for advice and insight into environmental communication. She shared with me a realization that became apparent to her after she attended the eXXpedition summit where ambassadors from voyages across the globe came to connect. The women Nikkey talked to share a similar struggle of trying to process what they had learned about ocean pollution and realizing their contribution to the plastic problem through their everyday consumption.
“That really got me thinking a lot about guilt and shame and how those aren’t positive motivators for change if we want healthy sustainable change - those are emotions that burn you out. I don’t want to contribute to fearmongering or to anyone internalize guilt based on my perception or the way I’m presenting information. There are real societal barriers and sometimes you have to be ok with doing your best, there’s only so much you can change at once .”
She advised me to, “engage with people face to face and not say ‘your beliefs are wrong or you’re stupid for not knowing this’ but just come from a very open perspective and be willing to find connection points with each individual or audience to bring them in. Know what matters to them and what they care about and where you might be able to find common ground.”
As an artist Nikkey shared one way that she has used her creativity as a tool to communicate ocean advocacy:
Orca Whale spotted from the sailboat, credit: Nikkey Dawn
“Last year I started painting all the Southern Resident Killer Whales and I found it such a great way to start the conversation with people. Anytime you can bring wildlife into it and bring it into perspective - here is how we’re impacting other creatures who can’t escape us – I think that is really powerful.”
We shared in the struggle of having the privilege and burden to know more about environmental issues than the general public. Her last piece of advice to me stood out as a message that can be applied to all sustainability efforts. No matter if you’re working to reduce your consumption of plastic, lower the impact of your diet or even just understand these issues a bit better, use Nikkey’s words as motivation and reassurance that every little change counts.
“We are all constantly learning more and that is so important to remember across environmental problems - none of us are going to do it perfectly all the time and that is not what matters - it’s just that we try.”
You can learn more about eXXpedition and Nikkey’s voyage here. As well, check out Nikkey’s website to see more of her amazing creative work.