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PADDLEBOARDING FOR GOOD
British Divers Marine Life Rescue
Photo: Jumpy James
Jo Moseley
Hello. My name is Jo Moseley, and I am the author of the bestselling books Stand Up Paddleboarding in Great Britain – Beautiful Places to Paddleboard in England, Scotland, and Wales and Stand Up Paddleboarding in the Lake District – Beautiful Places to Paddleboard in Cumbria. I am also the host of‘ The Joy of SUP – The Paddleboarding Sunshine Podcast’.
Here, I share inspiring stories of environmental projects, wellbeing, and how we can make SUP more accessible. If you have a story, please email me at thejoyofsuppodcast @ gmail. com or message me on Instagram @ jomoseley.
As paddleboarders, we are fortunate enough to see marine wildlife in their natural habitat, and I know we are keen to do what we can to protect them. I spoke to paddleboarder Yvette Vincer from Kent, a BDMLR marine mammal medic, alongside her busy office job.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue is a registered charity dedicated to the rescue and welfare of marine mammals. The majority of the work deals with seals, but they also help cetaceans( dolphins, whales, porpoises) via sightings, strandings, welfare concerns, or entanglement issues around the UK.
Yvette said,“ The role is very rewarding both in terms of being a privilege to be in a position to help these beautiful creatures and the opportunity to learn so much about their environment and the impact we as humans have on their habitat. The local volunteers are from different walks of life and very welcoming and supportive of each other.”
Paddlers can help by reporting any sightings of seals or cetaceans on our beaches or in rivers. This helps research and monitor the UK’ s marine mammal population. The more BDMLR knows, the quicker they can react to monitor or assist if needed and build our knowledge around changes in marine mammal behaviour.
You should always keep your distance and never approach or touch wild animals. They can be unpredictable if they feel threatened, carry diseases, and have very sharp teeth!
We can help by raising much-needed funds to help feed animals through rehab, spreading the word about BDMLR’ s work or joining a training course to become part of the volunteer medics!
For more www. bdmlr. org. uk