Dr. Cal Major - Vet, SUP adventurer and Founder of Seaful charity

“The Felix Effect”

I was first introduced to Felix through a friend. I vividly remember the first call we had together, or more accurately, the way I felt upon our first conversation. I had been told that Felix and I had similar interests and passions around nature and marine conservation, but instantly our conversation reached depths way beyond the surface of the work I was interested in pursuing.

At the time, I was doing my best to talk to people about plastic pollution, but had realised that a personal connection to our ocean was the building block from which people would actually care about the marine environment.

The feeling I had during and after that initial conversation was of having found a member of my tribe, of feeling heard and understood, and deeply uplifted and excited about the possibilities for moving forward with my passion having spoken to Felix, who was so full of enthusiasm, knowledge, purpose and direction.

We mutually decided we would like to work together, and Felix helped bring my projects to life through funding and professional and moral support. I always knew I could call Felix to reignite my passion and belief in the big goals I had set around helping connect people to nature. Our conversations always left me feeling full of life and determination.

I attended an event that Felix had arranged at Atlantic College, where we ignited this passion in young people, and gave them the confidence to pursue their goals in nature conservation and in developing technologies that can help our planet. It’s always been clear to me that Felix relishes in empowering people to achieve their goals: Identifying people with a passion and helping them to make magic happen is core to what he cares about. I spent time at Felix’s farm, where my partner and I made a film about his incredible rewildling project, which was deeply inspiring for me to see in person. (So much nature - the owls were my favourite!) I also got to know some of his Ocean Ambassadors network - an amazing group of people with varied interests in the ocean field, and all deeply passionate about marine conservation and education. I really felt like I was part of a wonderfully powerful community of change makers.

Over a year or so, we were able to understand each other’s motivations and strengths, and when I decided I wanted to set up an organisation to help me reach the people I needed to with my work, Felix heavily supported me in setting up the charity, Seaful. His knowledge and understanding of, and contacts in, the charity sector were invaluable, and his mentorship and financial backing allowed me to set up what is now a national charity reaching the people who need it most with opportunities for connecting to our ocean, and inspiring, empowering and educating the next generation to become Ocean Citizens.

Our journey with Seaful over the last 3 years has been a huge learning curve, and it has been a great source of strength and comfort to be able to call Felix at any point to discuss ideas (we often get quite excited when discussing new projects!), or to problem-solve specific hurdles. Our charity has now taken hundreds of children who might otherwise not have had the chance snorkelling and stand up paddleboarding, experiencing the water often for the first time, understanding how it feels to be there and learning about how to protect it. Some of the children we work with are terrified of the water. We often spend a long time coaxing them into the sea, usually with the result that once they’ve seen what’s underwater they don’t want to get out! It’s a privilege to witness, and is the reason we work so hard to keep reaching those children who don’t already have a connection with the ocean.

Felix often talks about the ‘Multiplyer Effect’ - this is what we hope to achieve with the children we reach - empowering them to be the next wave of Ocean Citizens. So it’s a joy to think that Felix’s initial investment in me might have resulted in a wave of positive outcomes for our seas.

Felix’s belief in my work and my ability to create change has been the biggest boost for my career and passions, and has made all of this happen. I am forever grateful to him and his kindness, and his ability to discern those who authentically want to make a difference, and to give them the support they need. Felix always tells me that this is my show, not his, but without him my show would be very different!
- Dr Cal Major