Meet the people and projects bringing the Sussex sea back to life - and how you can join them.

Next week marks World Ocean Day on 8th June, and honestly, we think every day should be Ocean Day - so let’s talk about it.

This year’s global theme is “Strong Marine Protected Areas for Our Blue Planet,” focusing on accelerating the creation of protected ocean sanctuaries to safeguard marine biodiversity and help regulate the climate.

The goal? Protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.

A big ambition, right?

When the problem feels overwhelming and you don’t know where to start, we believe the answer is often much closer to home.

Did you know there’s a quiet revolution happening off the Sussex coast? Right here on our doorstep are some of the UK’s most innovative and hopeful marine restoration projects.

So this World Ocean Day, we want to introduce you to some of the people and organisations doing incredible work locally — and share how you can get involved.

1. Sussex Bay — Restoring 100 Miles of Sussex Coastline

From Selsey in the west to Camber Sands in the east, Sussex Bay is on a mission to restore 100 miles of Sussex coastline for the benefit of 1.7 million residents.

What began with a trawling ban across 300km² of Sussex seabed in 2021 has grown into one of the UK’s most ambitious marine recovery projects. Honestly, it feels like one of the most hopeful things happening in British environmentalism right now.

What makes Sussex Bay so powerful is both the scale of ambition and the practicality of its approach. Local councils, businesses, scientists, charities, and communities are all working together on one shared seascape recovery plan.

Below the surface lie vital habitats - reefs, kelp forests, and fish nurseries - many of which have been devastated over the past century. Sussex Bay is helping bring them back.

How to help

Check out more at https://www.sussexbay.org.uk/ and support their Crowdfunder:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/restoring-sussex-bay-together

2. Sussex Dolphin Project - Giving Local Cetaceans a Voice

Yes — there are dolphins in Sussex.

Bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins, harbour porpoises, and even the occasional minke whale all pass through our waters.

The Sussex Dolphin Project protects local cetacean species through research, education, and awareness. Citizen scientists - divers, sailors, fishers, and walkers - report sightings to a Sussex-wide network, helping researchers identify individual dolphins, map pod behaviour, and locate breeding sites.

That data directly supports policies that help protect them.

There’s also an incredible education element to their work. The project is helping build opportunities for young people to engage with marine science right here in Sussex, without needing to travel overseas.

How to help

Visit sussexdolphinproject.org, report sightings, and follow their social channels to amplify their work.

3. Sussex Kelp Recovery Project - The UK’s Biggest Marine Rewilding Effort

Vast kelp forests once stretched along the Sussex coastline. They absorbed carbon, filtered water, protected shorelines from storms, and provided nurseries for marine life.

By the mid-1980s, 96% of them had disappeared.

Decades of trawling had stripped the seabed bare.

In 2021, after years of campaigning, a trawling ban was introduced across roughly 300 square kilometres of Sussex seabed. It became the foundation for the UK’s largest marine rewilding effort, led by a coalition including Sussex Wildlife Trust, Blue Marine Foundation, the Zoological Society of London, Queen Mary University of London, and Sussex Underwater.

The goal is simple:
Bring the kelp back.
Bring the fish back.
Bring the ecosystem back.

How to help

Follow the project, donate to Sussex Wildlife Trust, and tell three people about it. Most people have no idea this recovery is happening — but there are brilliant people doing brilliant things, and they deserve support.

4. Sussex Underwater - Showing Us What Was Always There

This one feels genuinely magical.

Sussex Underwater is a charity and community of divers and sea users documenting what’s happening beneath the surface: crabs returning, fish populations bouncing back, and kelp slowly re-establishing itself.

It’s beautiful proof that when you give the sea a chance, it knows what to do.

As they put it:
“We want to give sea creatures a voice. We hope people fall in love with them and then want to help them.”

How to help

Join their Facebook group, visit sussexunderwater.uk, or donate to support the filming equipment that captures this recovery.

5. Leave No Trace Brighton - Keeping Our Beaches Clean For Everyone 

These guys are the absolute best.

Leave No Trace Brighton is a small group of local beach lovers on a mission to protect our beaches and green spaces through awareness and action.

Their aim is simple: educate, encourage, and empower individuals, communities, and businesses to reduce, recycle, and properly dispose of waste so our beaches, seas, and green spaces can stay clean for everyone to enjoy.

We first came across them after the cargo ship spill that saw tonnes of food waste wash up on local beaches — and honestly, it was gnarly.

How to help

Get involved in a local beach clean and support their community efforts. You can find out more here... 

6. Sammie from @the_plastic_coast - Turning Beach Waste Into Beauty

We love Sammie and everything she stands for.

A Brighton local with a mission to protect our coastline, Sammie is an award-winning environmental artist creating incredible artwork from waste collected on beaches.

Her work transforms discarded plastic into something powerful, creative, and impossible to ignore.

How to help

Check out her amazing work and follow what she’s up to via her socials.

5 Things You Can Do This Weekend

• Sign up to the Sussex Bay newsletter to stay connected to the recovery
• Donate to the Restoring Sussex Bay Crowdfunder — even £5 supports real work
• Visit the Sussex Bay activity map and find an event near you
• Join a beach clean — Sussex has dozens running throughout summer
• Tell three people about the kelp recovery project. Awareness creates protection.

My Skin Feels was born right here in Brighton by the sea, with the sea in mind.

Our products are made using rescued food ingredients. Our cleanser contains no microplastics or harsh sulphates. We talk about ocean impact not for a pat on the back, but because brands have a responsibility to do better and help drive positive change.

If this blog introduced you to even one project you didn’t know existed, that feels like a small but meaningful win for the sea.