Cleaning up the Sea while getting through the Abyss

Hello, everyone!

My name is Elena and I was born and raised in a small island in Greece.

Growing up surrounded by water, I developed a strong connection with the sea. As a kid, I remember staying in the water for hours, pretending I was a mermaid, and feeling the most alive and happy.

As the years passed, I left my island and moved to the big city in order to study and work. I earned my degree on business management and started building my career. Until I was 26 years old, I had already started climbing through the ranks of a multinational company, building business plans and presenting them to people double my age.

But was I happy? No, not at all. I was the opposite of happy. I was miserable. Every night I was dreading the next morning, every morning I was praying to get sick in order not to go to work. And it worked. In 6 months, I had to undergo two surgeries to remove two wisdom teeth and I also started having thyroid problems.

I had been in psychotherapy for 3 years, and for 6 months I had been taking anti-depressants and anxiety treatment. The diagnosis was generalized anxiety and depression. I could not function. I was just working all day long, hating my job, hating my life, not knowing who I was anymore or what I wanted from life.

I was only 26 years old and I started having suicidal thoughts.

And that was when I decided it was enough. I wouldn’t make it through one more year like that.

I quit my job and threw away my anxiety prescription pills. I decided I was going to turn this around and find myself again.

To find myself, I went back to my roots. I returned to my home-island and spent 3 months by the sea and in the sea.

One day, as I was swimming lost in my thoughts, I got devastated by the amount of plastic that was floating around me and the fish whose home we, as human kind, have been destroying. And then I knew that what I wanted in life was to be able to enjoy the clean sea for all my life, and my kids to be able to enjoy it as well.

So, I decided that I am going to buy a boat, find a few people that share the same dream, and clean the sea, from the bottom to the surface and to the beaches. I decided to get through my own abyss, my depression and anxiety, by cleaning up the sea.

This is where I need your help!

The funding I need in order to turn my dream into reality is broken down to the below costs:

• Used Boat 12m: 86.000€
• Annual cost of Boat maintenance and taxes: 45.000€
• Padi Scuba Diver Diploma: 500€
• Sailboat Captain license: 700€
• Plastic collection bags and equipment: 300€
• Diving Equipment: 8.000€

Total budget needed: 140.500€

After the beginning equipment has been bought, the plan is to start arranging excursions with the boat for people that are interested in cleaning up the sea as well. This way, the project can become sustainable, and we can really make a difference.

If you are also interested in cleaning up the sea, protecting the marine life and saving this treasure for future generations, come on board!

Thank you for taking the time to read through. I hope I can soon update this page with photos of the work that will have been done.