29/05/2026
This is one of those moments that makes my ocean-loving heart do a little happy dance.
From the cold waters of the Great African Seaforest to the cover of TIME Magazine. What a milestone. What a story. What a reminder of why we keep diving, documenting, sharing, educating, and falling in love with the ocean over and over again.
As many of you know, my own journey with Studio Sea Love began with a camera, a mask, a snorkel, and an overwhelming desire to bring the beauty of the underwater world to shore. Every photograph I take is an invitation for someone to see what lies beneath the surface and hopefully care a little more because of it.
Seeing the Great African Seaforest celebrated on a global stage feels deeply personal.
One of the things I often say to visitors in my little Studio Sea Love, when they stand mesmerised by the beauty of our oceans and kelp forests, is:
“If I had the robust energy I had 20 years ago, I would have launched a campaign to have the Cape Town and surrounding kelp forests recognised as the Eighth Natural Wonder of the World.”
Perhaps it sounds ambitious. But anyone who has spent time beneath the surface of these underwater forests knows exactly what I mean.
Not because they store carbon.
Not because they drive tourism.
But because they are alive with wonder.
They are home to an astonishing diversity of creatures, colours, relationships and stories that make the Great African Seaforest one of the most extraordinary ecosystems on Earth.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this incredible achievement, including Craig Foster, Tatjana Baleta, the 1001 Seaforest Species Project, Save Our Seas Foundation, the Kelp Forest Alliance, and the many scientists, storytellers, divers, photographers, trackers and conservationists working behind the scenes.
The ocean does not need us to speak for it. It needs us to help others see it. Because once people truly see something, they are far more likely to value it, protect it and fight for its future.
Today, the Great African Seaforest is on the cover of TIME. Tomorrow, perhaps one more child will pick up a mask and snorkel and discover a lifelong love affair with the ocean.
And that is how ripples become waves.
🌊💙
Adéle Grosse Sea Love Paternoster Waterfront
Our Great African Seaforest is the cover story of the Ocean edition of TIME magazine. Written by , it highlights the need to value seaforests for their incredible biodiversity instead of as carbon sequesters. The feature is anchored in our 1001 Seaforest Species project — supported by — a one-of-a-kind baseline biodiversity dataset that combines science, the art of underwater tracking and storytelling to bring to shore the myriad animals that hold the entire system together. Collaboration in the drive to get seaforests around the world meaningfully protected is key, with people such as .dunga and organisations including helping to catalyse this. We are so thrilled to see seaforests amplified on a global stage in this way — the more visible they are, the more they will be valued as Earth’s heartbeat. Read the TIME story — link in bio.
