It was a warm Friday evening and the water was calm at the harbour beach yards from where I sat when Dr Cal Major took time out to speak to me.
Minutes earlier I had watched a cormorant catch a fish as the sun dipped lower into the western sky and the shadows had started to lengthen.
There couldn’t have been a more perfect moment to speak to Cal, whose love of the sea and the life it sustains is profound and inspiring.
We talk about the cormorant, the seabird colonies of the isles she has recently visited and discover that we share a non-negotiable need to live beside the sea.
Cal, who lives in Ullapool but grew up in Warrington said: “I always felt an affinity for the ocean and as soon as I learned to drive the first place I went was to the sea.
“When I was 18 I took a year out before going to (Edinburgh) university and I learned to scuba dive on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Amazing underwater world
“That was when everything clicked into place. Seeing the underwater world for myself and experiencing fish that were bigger than me, multicoloured corals and this amazing new underwater world was really special.
“I think that was the moment I decided I wanted to spend my life looking after the ocean.
“One of my favourite quotes is by Jacques Cousteau: ‘The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.’
“It’s so true. Once you’ve found that connection, that love of the sea, you can’t let it go.
Strong connection
“There’s no way I could ever not live by the sea. I need to see it every day and there’s a lot of research into how important it is for our mental health and wellbeing.”
Cal said that food and transport is often cited as the reason people live beside water.
“But I think there’s so much more than that. I think it’s really spiritual for most people who have that strong connection. It’s just something that’s in your gut and in your heart, isn’t it?”
Through her various activities, including film-making and running her charity, Cal is keen to help others make their own connection, especially young people.
“I have a little charity called Seaful, it’s a play on being mindful of the sea.
“We work to get children, who wouldn’t otherwise have the chance, exploring, connecting with and learning about the ocean.
“We take people snorkelling and paddle-boarding and to the beach and we make films about the ocean and try and help people learn about it.
“And then we give them the tools to stand up and protect it.
One in five kids hasn’t seen the sea
“We help people to find their own connection to the water because I think the most important first step for people is actually caring about it and wanting to protect it.
“It’s something I’ve come to learn over the past few years when I’ve been trying to talk to people about looking after our seas.
“It’s OK if they already understand what the sea means to them, but if they don’t, then it sometimes falls on deaf ears.
“In the UK, one in five kids has never been to the sea, which is a crazy statistic.”
Cal made a film series which is currently on STV Player called Scotland Ocean Nation.
“In the last episode we took a group of kids from inner city Glasgow to the Isle of Arran to go snorkelling for the first time. It was just amazing to see how their faces lit up.
“It’s amazing watching that light bulb moment, when people realise there is so much in our ocean that’s worth caring about, when you see people connecting the dots and realising that our ocean isn’t just a cold, black, vast nothingness, that there’s so much life under there.
“It’s very special and it’s something I feel very passionate about, helping other people to experience the ocean.
When conservation values align
“With the National Trust for Scotland, that’s where our values align. The Trust cares about this deeply, as well as making sure people get to experience what’s here in Scotland, what makes the place so special and help them to appreciate why they’re taking the stance to stand up for it.”
The role of ambassador will help the Trust raise awareness and build support for its conservation work, especially the coastlines, islands and marine environments in its care.
These stretch from Rockcliffe in Dumfries and Galloway to Unst in Shetland, include more than 400 islands and islets such as Iona, Staffa, Mingulay, Pabbay and Berneray, Canna and important marine environments, including the dual World Heritage Site, St Kilda.
“Last October the Trust invited me to speak at their staff conference and it was the most wonderful couple of evenings,” said Cal.
“I got to see who the people behind the Trust are, the knowledge and insight they have for protecting Scotland’s heritage and nature and also for sharing it.
“I came away feeling so inspired and buoyed and just hopeful for the future of Scotland and the places that are in their hands.
“Then this year they asked if I’d be an ambassador for them, which is a huge honour.
“Of course I said yes and recently I had the privilege of going out to the Treshnish Isles which they are taking care of.
“I had a couple of days with staff, rangers, seabird officers, botanists and archaeologists and being in their presence is uplifting and exciting.
“They are not only full of knowledge, but are deeply passionate about the places they care for.
“I hope that through my love of the sea, I can help the Trust do even more to protect these special places and to inspire more people to support the work they do, for the love of Scotland.”
Conversation