Cal Major | Vet, Ocean Advocate, Adventurer

🌊 Our series, Scotland: Ocean Nation, has been nominated for an award! 🏆 The Maritime Media Awards ceremony is happening tonight in London, and whether we win or not, even to be shortlisted is such a huge honour. ❤️ @jamesappletonphotography and I poured our hearts and souls into the production and filming of this project, sharing Scotland’s incredible ocean, 🦀 its plight and the amazing individuals and communities connected to it. 🛶 For months it was just the two of us, out to sea on a paddleboard (me) and a kayak (James), so to be nominated alongside some truly incredible productions with big teams and resources really is very special for us. 🐋 If you haven’t watched the series yet, it’s free to stream on @stvplayeruk anywhere in the UK. The link is also in my bio :) 🤗 Huge thanks to @kleankanteenuk for enabling the series to happen! And to @rowanwhile and Shelley at @reelsoulmovies - our wonderful edit and production team. #scotlandoceannation #protectwhatyoulove #maritimemediaawards #stv #scotland #supscotland #paddlescotland #scotlandadventures #adventurescotland #womeninadventure #explore #oceanprotection #oceanconservation #saveourseas

It’s here!!! After what has felt like the longest 2+ years of unbelievable amounts of work and an enormous learning curve, we can now share with you ‘Scotland: Ocean Nation’ - a 3-part series about a wild and epic journey of discovery 😀🌊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🦞🐠🐋🦀🦭🦈 In 2021, I set out to SUP around Scotland’s wild and dramatic coast, to show what was out of sight and out of mind. I could never, ever have predicted what I would encounter. 10 weeks and 800 miles are wrapped up in @jamesappletonphotography ’s absolutely stunning footage of Scotland’s most epic coastline, wildlife and people as we paddle around endless headlands, dive underwater and meet Scotland’s wonderful Ocean People to delve into our human connection to the sea. ‘Scotland: Ocean Nation’ is available to stream for free in the UK on @stvplayeruk for the next 12 months (link in bio) - I really hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please share it with your pals! Huge, huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in this massive project, it really would be nothing without the kindness, support and hard work of so many people. The series was produced with the unstoppable Shelley Williams of @reelsoulmovies and the editing genius of @rowanwhile Really hope you enjoy it! ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🌊 thank you 🙏🏻 #scotlandoceannation #sup #supscotland #standuppaddle #standuppaddleboarding #adventure #protectwhatyoulove #supadventure #ocean #wildlife #wildlifefilmmaking #nature #naturephotography

Here’s the trailer for Vitamin Sea! The full film is now free to watch on YouTube 😊 - head to the link in my bio 🤗 Thanks so much for all the lovely comments about this film. It is all about my 2018 world-record SUP expedition from Land’s End to John O’Groats… but it’s not just an adventure film - it delves into plastic pollution in land and out to sea, mental health and how our connection to nature is instrumental in all of that… Please share the link with your pals and if you can, please subscribe to my YouTube channel! Thank you! ❤️ Film by the amazing @jamesappletonphotography Huge thanks to the support of @palmequipment @kleankanteenuk @dryrobe @starboardsupuk @greentourism #vitaminsea #adventure #adventurefilm #sup #standuppaddle #standuppaddleboarding #supuk #supadventure #ukadventure #plasticpollution #climatechange #marinelitter #ocean #mentalhealth #connectiontonature #protectwhatyoulove #womeninadventure #womeninconservation

❤️ Still coming back to Earth after the most amazing week connecting with fellow @dryrobe ambassadors and team! I was asked to feed back 3 words to describe the first ever ambassador camp. Inspiring. Connecting. Affirming. AND FUN! ❤️ I so loved hearing the authentic passion and dedication from the team to creating the best, most functional and durable kit which will genuinely enable people to get outside, and was delighted to hear about the new biodegradable PURE which was released last week. 👏 @djuanesoomoodra 💚 Affirming to discuss shared values, and hear about commitments to continue supporting charities and orgs through the Warmth Project, including our @seafulcharity 🌊 SO inspiring to meet these amazing ambassadors and to come away with a cup full and new friends to have adventures with 🥰 🐋 And just so lovely to escape and have some fun for a few days. Joy is an act of resistance and it felt so good to be outdoors adventuring together. Thanks so much team @dryrobe and everyone who made it such a special week ❤️ #dryrobeterritory #teamdryrobe #dryrobe #protectwhatyoulove #bethechange

I will never travel the same way again after trekking through Uganda with @nomadicskiesexpeditions last year ❤️ A truly life changing trip - slow travel, weaving our way through stunning remote highlands and communities on foot, staying with unbelievably welcoming local people, hearing from indigenous communities - THEIR side of the story, our time and money genuinely going back into supporting local livelihoods. 🦋 As a total wildlife nerd, I was shocked to discover that I found the depth of connection to the people we met along the way EVEN MORE inspiring and touching than the unbelievable wildlife we came up close and personal with - including chimpanzees and mountain gorillas 🦍 💫 Nomadic Skies is run by an incredibly genuine and knowledgable friend of ours, Gavin, who my @jamesappletonphotography has been working with for several years. James will be running another trip to Uganda next January, 2027! I sadly won’t be able to join this time, but I can vouch for James as a wonderful guide and a beautiful human. Please get in touch with @nomadicskiesexpeditions or @jamesappletonphotography for more info. I’m sharing all of this from a place of knowing how much this type of tourism genuinely helps the local people, who are so kind and welcoming and whom I want to continue to support, and from how powerful the experience was for me personally too. I really cannot recommend this trip highly enough! ❤️❤️ #uganda #nomadicskies #slowtravel #ethicaltravel #africa

We’re still processing what was undoubtedly one of the most impactful things we’ve done yet as @seafulcharity - bringing together our volunteers for our first ever gathering! @lorna_evans_ has been working so hard behind the scenes for months to bring together our people from all over the UK, to celebrate and support our volunteers who do so much for our charity, and to create connections between our communities. I don’t have the words to portray just how beautiful, joyful and humbling this weekend was, from hearing our volunteers’ stories of running Vitamin Sea Projects, to discussing their own reasons for volunteering, and what the ocean means to them, to seeing the connections made between these amazing people all over the country. The one word that stuck in my head all weekend, was ‘kind’. I feel like like we’ve hit the jackpot with this kind, generous and genuine group of people, all with their own stories, but all with so much kindness that I felt totally humbled to be so lucky as to spend a weekend with them. We have renewed passion, direction and community within our small charity, and I cannot thank enough the people who travelled from all over the country to join us this weekend, and all those who couldn’t make it 🙏🏻 you are all total superstars and I feel so lucky to call you friends. Thank you each and every one of you ❤️ Huge thanks to @greencliff_life rewilding project for donating your beautiful farm for us to stay in for the weekend and for all your kindness, @beaseachanger for supporting us so much, @dryrobe and @kleankanteenuk for donating such lovely gifts for our volunteers, @bar_buoy for sending delicious cocktails, @pigandolivepizza for helping us out, @ex39_life for our amazing ethical t-shirts, and of course @palmequipment and @starboardsupuk for supporting us with kit to get us on the water 💙 But mostly, thank you to the most amazing human, @lorna_evans_ , for making our crazy ideas reality and for being wired for a full 4 days together while we pulled this off! I couldn’t ask for a more kind, hard working or hilarious person to run Seaful with. #seafulcharity #protectwhatyoulove #vitaminseaproject #seaful #oceancharity

This weekend was a long time in the making and really rather special. We (Cal & I) brought a group of @seafulcharity volunteers together, many meeting in person for the first time, and spent a few days connecting, sharing ideas and being outside together. There was definitely an itinerary (and a fair bit of running around on our part), but in between all of that, something so lovely happened. We launched our Land Snorkelling programme, dipped in rockpools, got out paddleboarding, shared stories, and properly connected with each other. The friendship and kindness that was so apparent over the weekend honestly makes me more than a bit emotional. We wanted our volunteers to feel connected as a community and I believe we achieved that. Seaful is about connections. To the ocean, and to each other. This weekend felt like a really important step in building that. Huge thank you to everyone who was part of it, and to those who supported us behind the scenes to make it happen. Feeling very grateful (and slightly tired).

This is a tough one for me! It’s one small act of resistance but one huge step towards valuing how we spend our time even when it doesn’t have a productivity output. Resisting the systems which exhaust and exploit us and nature for the benefit of a handful of people. ❤️ Rest is essential. It’s not a luxury reserved for when we have ‘produced’ something or contributed something which is monetisable. I find it very hard to stop and to rest. But I’m pretty good at an outdoor nap. 😴 Ask anyone who knows me well and they’ve probably seen me curled up on grass/beach/rocks/paddleboard asleep in a dryrobe at some point 😊 I am also trying to find ways to rest throughout the day. Small moments to breathe. Resisting the constant urge to grind and push and recaffeinate, for a softer, more human way. I’m finding it really hard, so any wisdom you have to share, I’d be really grateful if you could! Big shout out to Rest Is Resistance author Tricia Hersey of @thenapministry ! #restisresistance #actsofresistance #sup #standuppaddleboard #dryrobeterritory

I can’t help what things will pop up into my head when! And this morning, in the middle of a bracing dip in the river, it was… elections! 🎙️ So a wee plug for one of my favourite @ouroceanpodcast episodes - Election 101 - with Rea Chris from @openseas_crew talking us through how to effectively participate in democracy and give a voice to the ocean! 🌊 🗳️ Don’t forget to register to vote - in Scotland you only have until 20th April! 🇬🇧 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 And, this episode is still really relevant if you’re in other parts of the UK and want to have your voice heard. Head to the link in bio, or search for Our Ocean wherever you get your podcasts! @ouroceanpodcast is brought to you by @seafulcharity 💙 #ouroceanpodcast #scottishelections #votefortheocean #election101 #protectwhatyoulove

Hello! 👋 I have 3 very quick questions for you! 1. Do you support healthier seas in Scotland? 🐋🐬🦞 2. Do you want to better understand how our ocean is managed? ⛴️ 🐚 3. Do you want to do one super mega easy thing to see it better protected? 😍🦀 💪🏻 Well! I have just the thing for you!! 🎙️ Our latest @ouroceanpodcast episode is an absolute belter, featuring voices and stories from members of the @ourseas_scot coalition. The episode is called “The Our Seas Coalition: More Protection, More Fish, More Jobs” And, if podcasts aren’t your thing, just head to www.ourseas.scot to read all about this phenomenally important campaign to limit bottom trawling and dredging in Scotland’s most fragile inshore waters 🦀💙🐋🌊 😁 Thank you to everyone who let me stick a huge mic in their face in front of the Scottish Parliament buildings last year! You can hear all about why we were there in the episode 👍🏻 head to the link in bio or search ‘Our Ocean’ wherever you get your podcasts! 🙏🏻 And massive thanks to @highlands_islands_environment for supporting this series of @ouroceanpodcast , brought to you by @seafulcharity 💙 #ouroceanpodcast #seaful #bringbackthefish #ourseas oceanconservation

🌊 I’m backing @oceana_uk ’s call for the government to end overfishing in UK waters. Our seas feed us, cool our climate, and connect us all. But without healthy fish populations, we have no healthy seas. Add your voice and take action today! Visit the link in @oceana_uk ’s bio to act 💙 Let’s protect what we love. #EndOverfishing #MarineLife #TakeAction

⛈️ We survived Storm Dave, and had a beautiful weekend amidst snow-capped mountains and our lovely loch to take part in a women’s carpentry course this weekend! 🪚 💪🏻 Learned lots, laughed even more, and came away with some extra confidence thanks to the patience of the teacher who met us where we were at. 🙏🏻 Mostly came away with masses of gratitude for where we live and who we share it with. Thanks to Sara for teaching us, and huge thanks to Jenny for organising the course and sharing her beautiful Croft @croft6ontheloch with us this weekend. Jenny pours so much kindness, care and love into her croft, amongst the masses of hard work, and it’s a privilege to be able to experience that. #stormdave #scottishhighlands #protectwhatyoulove #community #womenscarpentry